La disparition du passif synthétique latin: nouvel essai sur l'écrit et le parlé en latin mérovingien

Abstract

The unknown author of the Merovingian age chronicle Liber Historiae Francorum (finished in 727), when integrating into his text pages due to Gregory of Tours (end VIth century) eliminates systematically the synthetic passive and deponent forms (type laudatur) which can be found in his model: he has in view readers who would not understand these forms. On the other hand, it can be inferred from certain phenomena that, in the middle of the VIIth century, synthetic passive forms were still in use, although infrequent. These facts contribute to delimitate the period during which synthetic forms completely disappeared from spoken usage. An important observation concerning syntax can be added: in order to eliminate synthetic forms, the author of Historia Francorum transforms the passive sentence into active, instead of using the corresponding future Romance expression (laudatus est for laudatur). It seems that, for some time at least, passive construction itself was disappearing.