ABSTRACT
First, the aim has always been to examine problematic issues and to evaluate different approaches rather than to offer a descriptive account of the structures of French. For example, in Chapter 6 the focus is on the difficulties of analysing the complex relationship between the use of the passe simple and passe compose. Similarly, in the field of lexis, we have avoided simple elaboration of the processes of creating new words; rather, we have concentrated on problematic issues, such as the definition of, and interaction between, 'internal' and 'external' resources (see Chapter 12) as well as questions raised by the application of 'internal' creative processes in Modern French (see Chapter 13).
