Projection et rétrojection

The present article proposes a reflection on coherence phenomena within chains of verbal constructions, such as in:
"les Suisses allemands tu leur demandes s’ils veulent payer plus + ils payent + tu leur demandes s’ils veulent bosser plus ils disent oui" (oral, Pfc; slightly simplified example)
We define the concept of projection and show that this relation is a property of these sequences, in which the discourse relation remains implicit. In the example cited above, the utterance tu leur demandes s’ils veulent payer plus is grammatically independent, but anticipates what comes next. This anticipation is possible because the utterance is not validated (= not true) in the speech situation. It plays the role of a temporal-hypothetical frame for the following utterance. Similarly to the projection relationship, we then show that these sequences commonly present a presupposition relationship – establishing a form of pragmatic correlation. When there is no connector between two verbal constructions, the symmetrical relationships of projection and presupposition function as organisational principles, producing a discourse coherence effect.