Citation, métalangage et autonymie en Gbaya ‘Bodoe de Centrafrique

ABSTRACT: In this paper, I describe how the members of a Gbaya community (Central African Republic) mark metalinguistic, autonymous use in their speech. This study is based on fieldwork data and is the first of its kind to explore oral traditions. I begin by introducing the speakers and their attitudes towards their language, then proceed to present the Gbaya terms that denote language activity. A closer look at the ways of quoting reveals a distinction between direct and indirect speech and shows that this distinction is marked in a flexible and variable way. As regards autonymy, in traditional verbal exchanges only the context allows to determine whether the speaker is talking about the word or about the thing. In novel? communication contexts, spontaneous creation of technical terms and new uses (autonymous vs. referential) of existing terms have been observed.