interlocuteurs

Interlocuteur is a French noun that designates the person with whom one is speaking in a conversation. The term applies to the immediate dialogue partner, regardless of the topic, setting, or formality. Its feminine form is interlocutrice, and the plural forms are interlocuteurs (masculine or mixed) and interlocutrices (feminine). The word originates from Latin interloqui, through Old French, combining the notions of “between” and “to speak.”

In everyday use, it refers to the addressee or conversational partner, for example in customer service, interviews, or casual talk. In linguistics and communication studies, interlocuteurs are the participants of a dialogue, and analyses may distinguish between speaking roles such as interviewer and interviewee, or speaker and addressee. In theatre or literature, the term also denotes characters who engage in dialogue; the relationship between interlocuteurs shapes rhythm and exchange.

In diplomacy and business, the term is used to describe the counterpart in negotiations or formal discussions; in media, the phrase “l’interlocuteur” may refer to the person speaking in an interview or program. The gendered forms—interlocutrice for a female partner and the plural interlocutrices for a group of female partners—reflect French grammar, while the masculine plural interlocuteurs is used for groups including males or mixed genders. Overall, interlocuteur denotes the essential partner in any communicative exchange.