Pourquoi le présent n’est-il pas si simple d’un point de vue psycholinguistique ?

Abstract

This study is concerned with the emergence of morphological means to express present time. The analysis of narratives produced by English speakers learning French as a second language shows that the present tense is only used by two learners among those who are mostly exposed to French. Most of the learners use a variable verbal form without any morphological marking. But the use of an analytic verbal form with imperfective meaning indicates that there is an intermediate stage in the process of morphological development. Its use suggests an influence of morphological procedures on the order and rhythm of morphological development. Acquiring the present tense is difficult for two reasons, the lack of functional motivation to do so and irregular inflection. This is confirmed by the breadth of the lexical repertoire at different stages.