cela French · revision 16316

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=13th century, Livre de la trésorerie d'Origny}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /sə.la/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''cela''' n^(Wiktionary)

+ ''Çoula'' (13th–14th century), ''cela'' (1389); the contraction ''ça'' dates from the 17th century.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|fr|ce|là]].^(Grand Robert 2005)^(GLLF 1989)^(DHLF 1992)^(Wiktionary) The pronoun [[ce]] comes from popular Latin “*ecce hoc” “behold this”, Old French [[m|fro|iço]], “ice”, “ço”; once “ce” had become unstressed, “cela” replaced it as the stressed pronoun, except in a few old phrases.^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ It is first found in the 13th century as ''çoula'' “that, that thing”, often referring to what has just been said.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Cela'' is found in 1389, as a subject about 1450, and with a following clause in Molière (''cela … que'', 1668).^(TLFi) It took over from [[ceci]] the role of pointing back to what has been said, while ''ceci'' came to announce what follows (1552); the two are paired to distinguish two things.^(DHLF 1992) Set phrases include ''avec tout cela'' “nevertheless” (1670), ''comme cela'' (before 1696), ''comment cela ?'' and ''à cela près'' (1835).^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) Used of a person, it can express contempt (''cela meurt de faim'', Saint-Simon).^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ The contraction [[ça]] appeared in popular speech in the 17th century (''coume ça'', 1649) and later in writing; psychoanalysis used ''le ça'' (1946) to translate Freud's German ''Es''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – ''Çoula''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1389 – ''Cela''.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1450 – Used as a subject.^(TLFi)

+ * 1649 – Popular ''ça''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1670 – ''Avec tout cela'' in Molière.^(TLFi)

+ * 1835 – ''Comment cela ?'' and ''à cela près'' in the Académie dictionary.^(TLFi)

+ * 1946 – ''Le ça'' in psychoanalysis.^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|that|alt=That]], as opposed to ''ceci'': ''Laissez ceci et prenez cela.''^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # That, it, referring to what has been said or what is present: ''Cela dit…'', ''Buvez cela.''^(GLLF 1989)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # In phrases: ''comme cela'', like that, ''comment cela ?'', how so?, ''à cela près'', apart from that.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(contemptuous)'' Of a person: that one.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(GLLF 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ça]]

+ * [[ceci]]

+ * [[ce]]

+ * [[là]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}