Notes sur les composants suffixés - logiste et - logue du français

Abstract

This article shows the result of a morphological study of the French suffixes -logiste and -logue. Using an inventory from Trésor de la langue française informatisé, a web-based database of French words, we showed that the pairs morphologue/morphologiste, anthologue/anthologiste, bactériologue/bactériologiste, endocrinologue/endocrinologiste, métrologue/métrologiste, phonologue/phonologiste, etc. are not only morphologically possible but actually exist in contemporary French. In the final analysis, however, we remark that the suffix -logue, as a result of the factor of linguistic economy that favours it, will in no distant future annihilate the use of -logiste in most of the observed scenarios where the two suffixes are still in a strong contention.