Enjeux d’un corpus oral comparable français-chinois : l’exemple de je ne sais pas / wǒ bù zhīdào

This study introduces a comparable corpus of spoken French and spoken Chinese designed to support cross-linguistic research. To illustrate its analytical potential, we compare the use of the expressions je ne sais pas in French and its semantic equivalent wǒ bù zhīdào in Chinese. Through a semantic, pragmatic, and discursive examination, we explore how these expressions, beyond their basic function of signalling ignorance, are employed in various interactional contexts. The findings highlight both morphosyntactic and pragmatic similarities and divergences between the two languages, which may inform the design of pedagogical activities aimed at enhancing Chinese learners’ pragmatic competence in French as a Foreign Language.