Certes, voire : l'évolution sémantique de deux marqueurs assertifs de l'ancien français

Abstract

In Old French there are similarities in the semantic function of certes, voir and voire, each representing an illocutionary act of assertion. The speaker thereby gave great emphasis to the truth of a statement. The terms served either to reinforce an assertion or to confirm the truth of a previous assertion. Diachronically, certes and voire have undergone a similar semantic evolution. Both are polyphonic in modern French, and the speaker shows thus less confidence in the statement concerned. The original assertive usage has weakened and has given way, in modern French, to a new use. Certes and voire express nowadays doubt or uncertainty about the truth of an assertion.

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