This is the third issue of Études diachroniques, a new journal devoted to the history of French from its origins to the contemporary period. Each (annual) issue examines a particular theme, explored through a specific diachronic span. Issue 1 focused on writing knowledge and discourse analysis perspectives in diachrony; Issue 2 focused on old texts and new language: the evolving lexicon (c. 1450-1530). As mentioned by the editors of the journal, this third issue, edited by Agnès Steuckardt, Gaétane Dostie and Béatrice Dal Bo focuses on the notion of ageing in language (p.7). Indeed, in recent decades there has been a renewed interest in linguistic change. However, while attention has often been paid to innovation, the reverse phenomenon—obsolescence—has remained more marginal in studies (p. 7). The issue under review therefore focuses on linguistic ageing and revisits the operability of this notion from a fresh perspective, particularly in light of the concepts of grammaticalization and degrammaticalization (p. 7). The editors, two of whom have previously published a special issue of Linx, 82 (2021) titled Entre vieillissement et innovation, have compiled eight contributions that expand the notion of linguistic ageing beyond lexical archaisms to encompass shifts in grammar and social perception.

The first four articles focus on the lexicon, described as the area of language in which ageing appears most easily observable and most readily observed (p. 12). In her introductory article, “Comment les mots vieillissent. Essai de typologie”, Agnès Steuckardt examines linguistic change across both long and short diachronic periods. For long diachrony, she outlines various ways words become obsolete, building on Réal’s typology (extension/restriction; metaphor; metonymy) and on Koch’s model (renunciation; refusal; regression). Turning to short diachrony, Steuckardt identifies three chronological durations for change: linguistic catastrophes (due to a loss of referential anchor, or terminological revisions); rapid obsolescence (resulting from changes in trends and slang, which provide an abundant collection of words and expressions that undergo rapid emergence and ageing, p. 31); and changes over a long duration. Steuckardt concludes by emphasizing two types of changes: continued versus discontinued, and notes that linguistic ageing becomes a stylistic marker. Hugues Galli studies the ageing of slang, focusing on Alphonse Boudard (1925-2000), renowned for his slang-rich novels and his Méthode à Mimile, a parody of the Assimil collection for autodidacts learning slang. Galli emphasizes the necessity for slang to evolve rapidly, due to its cryptic nature, aimed at misleading the uninitiated. Chantal Wionnet explores 17th century France, a period of intense linguistic reflection and change. She examines “Remarqueurs” such as Vaugelas, grammarians who codified and standardized French, establishing usage rules to exclude expressions deemed ‘incorrect’ or ‘old’. Focusing on a short diachrony (1634-1704) using the updated version of the electronic corpus of the Remarques, Wionnet concludes that in the ordinary language of the Remarqueurs, that is, mainly that of the Court, it was always very necessary to show a clean record and to navigate constantly according to social hierarchy (p. 72). Hervé Bohbot offers a systematic study of how the Petit Larousse, one of the reference dictionaries for French, reflects lexical ageing from 1905 to 2023, and provides crucial information about the entry and exit dates of words. Noting that the editors must constantly remove obsolete terms to maintain current usage, Bohbot shows that while between 1906 and 2023, a quarter of entry words disappeared, there was a significant vocabulary renewal (41.4%), particularly since the overall number of entries in the dictionary has increased by about 27% (p. 85). Bohbot emphasizes the increasingly rapid ageing of words, due to the swift evolution of science and technology, the ever-faster evolution of words from current events – many of which will not take root – and, more recently, a kind of sanitization of part of the lexicon that has become harder to include in a dictionary intended for a wide audience and therefore seeking to be as inclusive as possible (p. 90).

The final four articles broaden the reflection on linguistic ageing to include grammatical phenomena. Claire Badiou-Monferran presents a conceptual discussion, first questioning the operability of the notion of archaism to describe the phenomena of ageing in language (p. 98-106). She then introduces two competing analytical frameworks: one based on the notion of exaptation—or repurposing a word for a new function —exemplified by the expression “faire + infinitive” (p. 107-111); and the other on that of remanence, illustrated by the resumptive “Et” (p. 111-116). In conclusion, Badiou-Monferrand invites readers to consider the ageing of classical French not in terms of disappearance, but innovation (p. 117). Bernard Combettes examines linguistic ageing through a syntactical lens, exemplified by the comparative correlation “tant X que/comme Y”. He emphasizes the impact of external factors, such as the age of the locutor, and the text genre. Gaétane Dostie explores a French-Canadian corpus, studying the aspectual value of a construction. She proposes a diachronic analysis of the prospective periphrasis “être pour + infinitive”. Béatrice Dal Bo focuses on texts by uneducated (“peu lettrés”) writers (1914-1918) to study degrammaticalization and retraction. Her analysis is exemplified by the future construction “vouloir + infinitive”. The Varia article completing this issue, by Sibylle Kriegel, connects to the main theme of this issue, while broadening the scope of the study with another Francophone perspective. It examines how old French lexemes find new life in Creole languages. Three book reviews conclude this stimulating volume, shedding light on an often-neglected aspect of linguistic change. By reversing the traditional focus from ‘innovation’ to ‘ageing’, the editors have opened a promising field of enquiry.