Zazie@60: some linguistic considerations

This article considers the colloquial language used in Zazie dans le métro from a sociolinguistic viewpoint. To the extent that a fictional work can be said to provide evidence of linguistic variation, Zazie offers glimpses into the pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary of French at the time it was written, as well as confirmation of other sources regarding social variation, notably working-class speech and the style dimension, partly in relation to regional variation, or rather its absence. For this reason, the novel remains a valuable point of reference for contemporary linguists. The novel, in conjunction with other works by Queneau, prompts further questions to do with the level of cognition at work when linguistic variation takes place.