Les emprunts linguistiques : enjeux théoriques et perspectives nouvelles

In spite of a considerable volume of research on linguistic borrowing (or loans), there remains a whole series of major theoretical issues without solution. starting from the controversies over lexical creation and pseudoloans, it will be suggested that the only solution implies that the definition of what a borrowing or a loan is needs to be reappraised and the concept delimited in relation to two connected fields of research : innovations brought about by language contact and non-native formal markerswithin the language system. the theoretical and methodological principles of these three fields will then be discussed, notably i) the definition of the various categories of borrowing; ii) the global context of lexical change; iii) the underlying semantic and semiotic basis of any model of language borrowing. the last part will put forward a number of tools recently developed in cognitive linguistics and neology. it will be shown that these approaches afford a more global view of the phenomena under study and thus pave the way for a serious study of borrowing.