ce French · revision 16202

+ {{homograph|1|this, that (determiner)}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=842, Serments de Strasbourg|origins=la iste}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sə/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Paris): /sø/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ce''' ''m'' (before a vowel sound cet, feminine cette, plural ces)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French [[m|fro|cest]], [[m|fro|cist]], feminine ''ceste'' (842), and forms with initial ''i-'' (''icest'') that disappeared about the 14th century.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The determiner “ce”, “cet”, “cette”, “ces” is [[inh|fro|cest]], [[inh|la-vul|*ecce iste]], a form of Latin [[m|la|iste|t=this, that]] reinforced by [[m|la|ecce|t=behold]].^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)^(Wiktionary) The masculine “ce” (12th century) is the reduction before a consonant both of “cest” and of [[m|fro|cel]] (whence [[celui]]), from [[m|la-vul|*ecce ille]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) In the Strasbourg Oaths the form is still “ist”; the “c” was added later by analogy with “cil”, where it was needed because plain “il” had become the personal pronoun.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ Classical Latin had three demonstratives, [[m|la|hic]], “iste” and [[m|la|ille]], Old French reduced the system to two terms, near (“cest”) and far (“cel”), modern “celui-ci” and “celui-là”, perhaps because Frankish too had only two.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) Cognate with [[oc|cest]], [[es|aqueste]] and [[it|questo]].^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The Strasbourg Oaths (842) have the masculine ''cist'' in ''cist meon fradre Karlo'' “this brother of mine Charles”.^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old French ''cest'', ''ceste'' generally marked nearness, as opposed to ''cel'', ''cele''.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) As both came to be used before nouns without distinction, nearness and distance are now marked by adding ''-ci'' and ''-là'' (''ce livre-ci'', ''ce livre-là'').^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner===

+ # [[m|en|this]], that: points to a person or thing, ''cet'' before a vowel, feminine ''cette'', plural ''ces''.^(Wiktionary)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # With ''-ci'' or ''-là'' to mark nearness or distance: ''ce jour-là''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ceci]]

+ * [[cela]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|it, that (pronoun)}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 881, Sequence of Saint Eulalia|origins=la hoc}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sə/^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Paris): /sø/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ce''' (''c''' before a vowel, ''ç''' before ''a'').^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ Old French [[m|fro|czo]] (about 881), [[m|fro|ço]], [[m|fro|iço]], ''ice'', ''ce'' from 1050, a weakened form, ''ice'' disappeared in the 15th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The neuter pronoun “ce” is [[inh|fro|ço]], [[inh|la-vul|*ecce hoc]], a reinforced form that replaced the simple demonstrative [[m|la|hic|alt=hoc|t=this]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) “Hoc” was the demonstrative of the first person, used for what is nearest the speaker; it is made of an old demonstrative “ho-” with the particle “-c”.^(DHLF 1992) The same Latin “hoc” survives in Old French [[m|fro|o]] and in [[oui]].^(Littré 1873)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

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+ Cognate with [[it|ciò]] and [[pro|aisso]].^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The ''Sequence of Saint Eulalia'' (about 881) has ''czo'', the invariable neuter pronoun.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ As it became unstressed, ''ce'' was replaced as a stressed pronoun by [[cela]] (14th century), except in archaic turns and phrases such as ''ce faisant'', ''sur ce''.^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) It is used mostly with ''être'', and in formal style with ''sembler'' and ''devoir'' (''ce semble'' is still found in the 17th century).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''Est-ce'' in questions dates from 1080, and ''c'est'' to introduce a clause or highlight part of a sentence from 1050.^(DHLF 1992) ''C'est-à-dire'' (1306) translates Latin ''id est'', and exclamative ''ce que'' (''ce que tu es drôle !'') is found before 1710.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 881 – ''Czo'' in the ''Sequence of Saint Eulalia''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1050 – ''C'est'' introducing a relative clause.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1080 – ''Est-ce'' in questions.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1306 – ''C'est-à-dire''.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 14th century – ''Ceci'' and ''cela'' are formed.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+ * before 1710 – Exclamative ''ce que''.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # It, that: subject of ''être'': ''c'est beau'', ''ce sont mes amis''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''C'est… qui'', ''c'est… que'': highlights part of a sentence: ''c'est lui qui l'a dit''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # ''Ce qui'', ''ce que'', ''ce dont'': what, the thing which: ''ce qui arriva était prévisible''.^(GLLF 1989)

+ # ''(familiar)'' ''Ce que'': how (exclamative): ''ce qu'il est bête !''.^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ceci]]

+ * [[cela]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[celui]]

+ * [[ça]]

+ * [[ici]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}