Constructions « olfactives » : le cas de [Dét] odeur + de + N2

In this article, we propose to examine the “olfactory” construction in French [Dét] odeur + de + N2 ([Det] odour + of + N2). Firstly, we will demonstrate, how the identification of odours takes place and we will explain why it takes place in this way. Secondly, we will use this type of “olfactory” NP to test the suitability of the concept of construction. We will in particularly try to see whether, as grammars of constructions posit, a multi-word unit, such as that of [Dét] odeur+ de + N2, actually constitutes a “construction,” i.e. a “whole” (syntactic and semantic) from which certain properties (semantic and/or syntactic) cannot be deduced from the “parts” that compose it, but must be attributed to the “whole,” i.e. to the construction itself.