On the Existence of C/Ø Alternations in French Adjectives: Theoretical and Empirical Questions

French variable adjectives have traditionally been described as undergoing a process of final consonant deletion from the feminine to the masculine form. We review here different analyses that have been proposed to account for this phenomenon, highlighting problems with the theoretical analyses and advances in empirical work on the question. We present an analysis where, by default, French adjectives undergo no change (or C-deletion) and variable adjectives are treated as lexicalized irregulars. Finally we propose further avenues of research in psycho and neurolinguistics with French adjectives.