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From le finale to au final

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2008

James Grieve
James Grieve
Affiliation:
Dept. of Modern European Languages, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia
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Abstract

The new inter-assertional connector au final has evolved in recent years. The accepted spelling of the musical term le finale, from which it derives, has come to be le final. The noun has also acquired meanings in contexts removed from its original technical fields of opera and music in sonata form: film, fiction, fashion parades, car rallies, etc. In some extended usages, it appears to have been restricted from the idea of‘climactic conclusive ensemble’ to ‘end’. This may be the origin of au final. The earliest dating for this neologism is at present 1986. It functions as a connector in the range of concluders and resumers such as enfin, finalentent, en somme, au total.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of French Language Studies , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , September 1995 , pp. 173 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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References

REFERENCES

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