The phrase "du coup" [dy ku] is frequently used in French conversations. It's a common element of contemporary spoken French.
Linguist Lotfi Abouda documented its increasing use. His 2022 study showed a dramatic quantitative change: only 5 instances appeared between 1968 and 1971, but 141 since 2010.
It's so specific to France that other French-speaking communities use it to identify geographic origin. In Quebec, it immediately identifies a French speaker. In recordings, 67% of the occurrences were produced by speakers aged 15-25, making it a generational phenomenon.
Linguists prefer "discourse markers" to "speech tic." Julie Neveux explains these expressions function as "crutch words" that "fill a void." "Du coup" becomes a meta-discursive marker, often appearing at the beginning of a statement.
Roman Jakobson theorized this as the "phatic function": words that maintain contact. "Du coup" maintains conversational connection, structures thought, and fills silences.
Using time markers signals belonging to a social group. Sociologist Erving Goffman showed how interactions develop the "face." "Du coup" is part of "ritual idiom," conveying a self-image. It helps save face and shows mastery of dialogue codes.
The expression's roots are in the French word "coup" [ku], meaning "hit." The word evokes shock and unexpected events.
In a society of instability, this semantics of shock could reflect a generation "hit" by events. "Du coup" resonates with unpredictability.
Could this translate into "linguistic insecurity"? "Du coup" functions as a strategy for managing the unpredictable, giving an illusion of continuity, even when the logical link is missing.
It has a floating meaning, but this "emptiness" is functional: it fills, structures, and reassures. It connects a discourse fragmented by discontinuity.
"Du coup" is more than a speech tic. It's the mirror of a deconstructed era, a generation seeking links. It expresses the need to rearrange the world.
In conclusion, "du coup" could be the linguistic expression of resistance to the erosion of meaning. It reveals our humanity: to speak is to weave social bonds despite uncertainty. It's a symptom of adaptive creativity.