Abstract
A STUDY OF SPECIFICITIES IN FRENCH TRADE-UNION VOCABULARY (1971-1976) From a corpus of trade-union texts (Congresses and Conferences, 1971-1976) selected from four representative French trade-unions : CFDT, CFTC, CGT and FO, the authors have made a study of the positive and negative ultra-specific forms in the vocabulary (where the frequency is greater than, or equal to, 20). They have established and commented on the comparative tables of these forms, either for each union or in pairs. They have also set up four tables around themes which they judge to be indicative of union practice in particular circumstances : the vocabulary of attack, of unity and of mediation, and performative/declarative verbs. From this study they have drawn the following conclusions : each union has its own system of values ; it is the ideological differences which determine the activity of French trade unions. This does not prevent resemblances, however, between the CGT and CFDT, and especialy between the CFTC and FO. It may be observed that in 1971-1976 a political difference replaced the former religious/secular difference... that is, if the vocabulary is to be believed.