celle-ci French · revision 16880

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=14th century|origins=la ecce, la ille}}

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''celle-ci''' ''f'' (masculine [[celui-ci]], feminine plural [[celles-ci]])^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound of the demonstrative pronoun [[celle]] and the adverb [[ci]] “here”.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi) The pronoun continues [[la-vul|*ecce illa|t=that one there]], from [[m|la|ecce|t=behold]] and [[m|la|ille|t=that]], the feminine of the Old French paradigm whose masculine forms were [[m|fro|cil]], [[m|fro|cel]] and [[m|fro|celui]].^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989) The forms reinforced with the adverbs of place appeared in Old French as adjectives, as in [[m|fro|cele part la|t=over there]] (about 1175), and were rare until the 14th century; the Petit Robert dates the pronoun [[celui-ci]] to the 14th century and [[celui-là]] to the 13th.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The forms with ''-ci'' expressing nearness are first found in the 14th century;^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi) Froissart has ''celle fois chi'' “this time” in a temporal sense (last quarter of the 14th century).^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Old French system distinguished ''cist'' (from ''ecce iste''), for what is near, from ''cil'' (from ''ecce ille''), for what is distant; the forms of ''celui'' survived as pronouns, and the adverbs ''ci'' and ''là'' were added to restore the contrast between near and far.^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) In principle ''celle-ci'' refers to what is nearer, or to what is about to be mentioned, and ''celle-là'' to what is farther away or has already been mentioned;^(Petit Robert 2007) ''celle-là'' is the more common when there is no contrast.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # This one (feminine), the one nearer or just mentioned: ''de ces deux maisons, celle-ci est la plus grande''.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # The latter (feminine), as opposed to ''celle-là'', the former.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # This one here, the one about to be mentioned.^(Petit Robert 2007)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[celui-ci]]

+ * [[celle-là]]

+ * [[celle]]

+ * [[celui]]

+ * [[ci]]

+ * [[ceci]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}