Mohammed Premier University. Multidisciplinary Faculty.

Nador

Field: French Studies

Semantics (S5): Solutions to the exercises

Ex : P2
In semantic analysis, the distinction between meaning and significance is relevant.
Using reference works of your choice, explain the
difference opposing the two terms

Meaning and significance

The distinction between meaning and sense is relevant in semantic analysis.

It highlights two issues that have dominated the tradition.
epistemological of the language sciences. The first is centered on cognition. Its
the object is the sign. On the other hand, the second one, focused on communication, has as its object the
oral and written texts.

These two issues can be opposed by the notion of context. Thus, a

An isolated sign devoid of context makes no sense, but has a meaning that derives from the
process of decontextualization as shown by lexical semantics. On the other hand,
the extraction of meaning presupposes a contextualization, understood both in the sense of
the linguistic environment only in the sense of the social communication situation, integrating
the pragmatic and enunciative dimension.

If component analysis prioritizes the sign and thus the study of meaning, the
interpretative semantics focuses on the text and therefore its meaning, which is defined as
interpretation. In any case, the study of signs and texts complements this
characteristic that the first has great authority and strong unity.

As for the linguistic content of the two notions, Western tradition them
defined as follows:

1-the meaning is conceived as the relationship between the levels of the sign (signifier, signified or
the correlates of the sign (concept, referent). This relationship remains static, type susceptible
of a logical expression.

The meaning is defined as a journey between two planes of the text (content and expression) and to
the essence of each plan. A journey is a dynamic process, obeying parameters
variables according to particular situations and codified practices. Also, is the meaning not
not given, but results from the interpretative journey shaped by a practice.

If in lexical semantics, we refer to the semantics of meaning, in

interpretive semantics, we have the semantics of meaning

Signification → object: sign → cognitive activity; decontextualization: lexical semantics

(semantics of meaning)

Sense →object: oral or written texts → communicative activity; process of

contextualization: interpretative semantics (semantics of meaning).

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P10-11

1-Answer true or false

A macrosyntax operates at a higher level of complexity, the text. R: True
The afferent trait (connoted) is always included in the dictionary. False
The specific c-seme marks the belonging of the sememe to a semantic class. R: False
The structuring of taxemes requires the precision of specific semes that distinguish
their elements. R: True
The socially normed semes do not have the definitive character of semes.
inherent.R: True
In order to understand the associated feature of a word, I must analyze the context of its
production.R: True
The archiseme sometimes refers to the set of semes common to several sememes.
R: True
For the sememes "chair, armchair, bench...", "for sitting" constitutes a
archis meme.R :True

Complete the following table with + or - for each semantic characteristic.

common animated abstract accountant human

class + - + + -
notion + - + + -
student + + - + +
water + - - - -
Ali - + - + +

In each pair of words, underline the term that has a pejorative connotation.
a cop/ a police officer; a house/a shack
it's a car / a car; a man / a guy
music/cacophony; f-bladed/country
wreck/ship b-driver/chauffeur

4-For each of the following words, give at least one related sememe:
vacation
c-television
waste
sickle→harvest
happiness childhood→innocence

5-The meaning of a lexeme consists of a set of features: features

inherent to the functional system of language and the related traits
other codifications: sociolectal norms, even idiolectal ones. Analyze the relationships
between the meanings of the underlined lexemes

Régine saw red when her son returned her car with a dent.
Semantic traits activated by the context (pertinent): being angry
The poppy is characterized by a red terminal flower.
Inherited (inherent) semantic traits: redness
The forest is infested with foxes.
Inherited semantic traits (inherent): animal
This merchant is a real fox.
Context-updated semantic traits (related): cunning
The industry rose in this region where iron and coal were concentrated.
Inherited semantic traits (inherent): ore.
With iron health, she also survived her eldest son.

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Semantic traits activated by the context (relevant): very good physical health
A blinding flash tore through the sky.
inherited (inherent) semantic traits: dazzling light
The president made a lightning visit to Austria.
semantic traits activated by the context: fast

6-Find the lexeme to which the (inherent and afferent) semes correspond.
below and use them in two different sentences.
Lexeme inherent seme (denoted seme) related seed (connoted)
in the morning start of the day birth
b-autumn season sadness
c-eagle bird of prey intransigence
d-ant small insect patience

7 Define the following concepts and illustrate them with at least one example:
the morpheme: minimal unit of meaning. (semantic feature or component)
The semes of chair: ''for sitting'', ''without arms'', ''with four legs''...
b- the semanteme: .set of specific semes
Ex:‘’sans bras’’, ‘’avecquatre pieds’’,’’pour une seule personne’’
c- the classeme: set of generic semes (shared with its co-hyponyms:
armchair, stool, bench, pouf, small sofa...
Ex :‘’objet fabriqué’’, ’’pour s’assoir’’
d- the sememe: set of semes (generic and specific).
manufactured object for sitting without arms with four legs, for a
only person

Complete the following text with the missing words (2pts)

F. Rastier distinguishes different types of generic semes: the semes

micro-genres that mark the belonging of a sememe to a taxeme; the semes
mesogenic that mark the belonging of a sememe to a domain and the semes
macrogenerics that mark the belonging of a sememe to a dimension

10- Let the lexemes 'train' and 'bus' belong to the same taxon (2pts)
Give the generic trait that associates them. Means of transport
Give the specific trait that distinguishes them. R /rail/ vs /road/

P25-32

General exercises, subjects, and reflective questions

1-Answer with true or false. Justify your answer.

The aim of semantic analysis is not to specify the place and value of words with respect to each other.
in relation to others. R: False
b-Isotopy groups words and not semes. R: False
The c-seme /adult/ is a distinguishing feature (specific seme or nuclear seme) in the couple.
of words woman / girl. R: True
d-Semantic properties allow to note the abstract categories that the mind
used to classify words R:True
The non-male sèmes constitute the archiseme for the sememe woman and girl.
R: True
The recognition of one or more isotopies in a statement ensures coherence.
R : True

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The relevant semes pertain to the functional system of the language. R: False
h- The inherent sememes are sememes that are only present in context. R: False
The domain is the minimal class where sememes are interdefined. R: True
No seed is generic or specific by nature. R: True

2- Choose the correct answer

The field (semantic-derivational-lexical) only contains words.
belonging (to the same syntactic class - to different syntactic classes).
"publish, binding, bookstore, read, preface" belong to the lexical field of (book-body)
c-'study, studies, student, studying' are part of the same field (derivational-
semantic-lexical.
The substance (semantic–phonological) (of a word– of a phoneme) consists of
semantic traits, called semes
e-(the archilexeme - the archiseme - the archiphoneme) refers to the set of semes
common to two sememes.
f-Isotopy (semantic-semiotic) is induced by the recurrence of the (generic seme-
specific seed).
g-Semantics (structural-interpretative) studies (the isolated structure of the signified-the
structuring of relationships between signifieds
The microgenetic isotopy, reflecting a strong cohesion of the discourse that supports it,
is part of (the field, the dimension, the taxeme)
The specific isotopy presents semantic links between sememes of classes.
(different, identical, inferior).
In the line 'The dawn lights up the spring' by Éluard, is the isotopy (affiliated, generic,
specific?) ; the isotopic seme (/inchoativity/, /navigation/, /animality/ appears in
three different taxemes.
k- The semes (generic-specific) index the sememe in classes
semantics of higher generality.
Specific semes differentiate sememes in the context of lexies belonging to
a class (general-minimal).
The semantic class (minimal - intermediate - of great generality) is called
(domain - taxon - dimension).
(Microsemasemantics, mesosemantic, macrosémanactics) is attached to the level
intermediate represented by (the word, the phrase, the text)

3- The following word lists illustrate isotopies in language

proceed with the extraction of redundant generic semes

apple - orange - grape - pomegranate - date
The generic seed is /fruit/
a2- apple - meat - salad - fish - bread
The generic theme is /food.
a3- fatal, shroud mourning, morbid, tomb, cemetery
The generic seed is /dead./
vague
The generic seed is /navigation/
a5-tempête, orage, tornade, tourbillon, bourrasque, cyclone
The generic seme is /vent/

proceed with the extraction of redundant specific semes

b1-crépuscule- vieillesse- arrivée- éteindre- mort- conclusion
The specific sowing is / end /
b2- apple-sun-wheel-halo-disk
The specific seed is /spherical/
b3-knife–guillotine–saw- incisors (teeth).

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The specific root is /cut/

b4- orange - sun - balloon - ball
The specific seed is /roundness (sphericity)/

4-The following sentences illustrate isotopies in context, identify their seme

isotopant
Everyone weighs themselves here: I weigh 176 pounds.
The recurring generic trait is /determine the weight/
The merit of my books is that they have never been opened.
R- The recurring generic trait is/reading/
c- The dawn ignites the source
The specific recurring trait is /inchoativity./
The sick cook is still smoking a cigarette
R- the recurring generic trait is /human./
The completely rusty stove smokes slowly.
R- the recurring generic trait is /-human./
Speaking of traffic lights, the red color indicates a prohibition.
R- the recurring specific trait is /indication./

5- Complete the following text (3pts)

The sememes of subway, bus, train, coach fall within the domain of // transport //.
They are articulated into two taxemes: the taxeme // rail // includes the sememes of subway.
and train (opposed by the specific semes /intra-urban / and /extra-urban/) and the taxon
road //including the sememes of bus and coach.

6-Consider the sememes 'subway', 'train', 'bus', 'coach' belonging to the same
domain

a-Identify the mesogenetic sememe associating the set of sememes

All sememes are associated by the seme mesogenic / means of transport.

Give two taxèmes whose sememes of each pair are connected by a seme.
microgénérique
taxème 1 : sémèmes :’’train’’, ‘’métro’’
microgenic seed.
taxon 2
microgeneric seed./ road /

c-Indicate the specific seme of the sememes of a pair of taxemes (taxeme1 or 2)

taxon (1 or 2): sememe: subway train
specific seed / intra-urban /, / extra-urban./
sememe : bus car
specific seed / intra-urban / , / extra-urban.

7-Let the lexemes 'house' and 'mountain' belong to the same taxon.
a- Give the class name that associates them. R :/space/.
b- Provide the semantheme that distinguishes them. R: / high /≈/ low /

8-Let there be two lexical units 'chair' and 'sofa' to which corresponds a
sememe made up of a sum of semes:

without arms + with a backrest to seat one person

with arms + with backrest + for seating + several people

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What is the archiseme contained in the sememe of the two considered lexemes?
to establish
What is the archilexeme corresponding to this archiseme?
R: seat

9-In the following sentences, give a semantic feature for each underlined lexeme.
updated by the context and a virtualized seme.

Women, those velvet kittens who never have claws except in spirit.
mean person
A remarkable girl. Pure water!
Updated seed / transparent / ; virtualized seed / colorless liquid.
This little woman, Madame Creton, is a shrewd one, a schemer.
Updated sowing / fine, (sly, quick) / ; virtualized seed/ insect/
Come down, animal, that I may speak to you.
Updated/stupid/ ; virtualized seed/ animal/
You are clever, shrewd, a true fox
Updated/used seed virtualized seed/animal/
This golden sickle in the field of stars
Updated sowing/moon virtualized seed /instrument/

10-Fill in the table with what is appropriate

Sow Example Class Examples of sememes

semantics (2 or 3)
microgeneric kitchen utensils couteau, cuiller

mesogenic /transport / domain train, car

macrogenic /concrete/ dimension stone, spoon, table, tree

train, bear, donkey...

positive connotation
the following lexical units.

lexeme positive connotation negative connotation

to old age experience, wisdom.... weakness, illness…
b-internet openness, modernity isolation, laziness...
c-desert calm, freedom... thirst, wild....

12- Classify the following words according to their belonging to two isotopies to be identified:
darkening
sparkling, dark, gloomy, blackness

a-isotopy of light.
indexed sememes. 'Shining, radiant, glow, clarity, brilliance, ray, sparkling'
b-isotopy of darkness.
indexed sememes. 'Obscuration, shadow, night, dark, gloomy, darkness'

13-In the following, give for each underlined lexeme an associated seme, activated by
the context.

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However, this terrorist's family is not short of oxygen!...

prosperity, liveliness...
The man is a thinking reed.
weak (a person of weak character)
He removed hundreds of civilians... It is true that with a Kalashnikov weapon, you are the
wolf in the sheepfold facing paralyzed sheep.
wolf : cruel person ;
sheepfold: human habitat;
sheep: gentle and innocent people
It seems that your Europeans have milk in their veins; it is vitriol, it is fire that
could in those of the inhabitants of the Atlas Mountains and neighboring countries. We fought with the
fury of the lions, tigers, and snakes of the land, to know to whom we would have.
(Voltaire, Candide)
tenderness
malicious, slanderous.

14-Distinguish, based on the following list: person, country, house, reckless driver,
clothes
termes péjoratifs en les associant à leurs correspondants neutres (3pts)

Pejorative terms Neutral terms

a-type → nobody.
b-bled. → b-pays
c-barrier → c-house
d-chauffard → the chauffeur
rags → f-clothing

15-This passage is taken from Voltaire. (1977: 48). Candide or Optimism.

[...] Here, old men riddled with blows watched as their wives, with their throats slit, died.
held their children to their bloody breasts; there were girls disemboweled after having
satisfied the natural needs of some heroes, rendered the last sighs...
Identify the two types of recurring classes that group together
sememes highlighted in the text
the inherent generic sowing /human/
the associated generic seed /weakness-innocence/

16- -Explain these passages extracted from the chapter 'What is meant by purity of the
Language? Michel, Bréal (1897) Essay on Semantics
When it comes to our moral life, the presence of foreign words can make an impression.
of a dissonance1The more intimate the feelings to express, the smaller the linguistic circle becomes.
Greenhouse. There is for the reader or listener a very subtle intellectual pleasure.
Just like the housewives of yesteryear took pride in consuming only the milk from their
stable or the fruits of their garden, a delicate spirit is sensitive to a language where everything comes from
same terroir and where a sense of familiarity and kinship is spread over all the words. This
Pleasure can become very vivid when the writer, in this unified language, expresses feelings.

Loanwords, introduced into the recipient vocabulary and related to

The emotional and intimate domain of a community can harm it and lead to
harm to what makes its singularity and its local flavor. Thus, it is necessary to preserve the
native terms and preserve them: they reflect the intimate atmosphere that prevails in the
socio-cultural environment of the community in question and provide pleasure to its
speakers.

1
lack of agreement, harmony

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Every progress in language is primarily the work of an individual, then of a larger minority.
or less great. A country where it would be forbidden to innovate would take away from its language any chance
to develop. By neologism, one must understand both a new meaning given to a
an older word than a term introduced from scratch.

The development of a language is a vital necessity for its survival.

the work of individuals capable of creating new words or new meanings
grafted onto pre-existing forms. These semantic innovations or neologisms that,
Initially, they are occasional events from certain speakers, which can spread and
to establish oneself to become a typical usage of the community and to be part of the language
commune.

17-Comment on the following quote (A. J. Greimas, Structural Semantics, Larousse,

1966, p.53.

Any message or sequence of the discourse cannot be considered

like isotopes if they have one or more classemes in common

The semantic homogeneity of any text, as well as its interpretation, does not
can be assured that if the units that constitute it are linked by the repetition of a
common semantic trait or classeme. Take Chomsky's sentence: 'Some ideas
colorless greens sleep furiously. Despite its grammaticality, it cannot
not to be semantically acceptable due to the absence of a generic seme
which repeats at the level of the units of the syntagmatic axis. The sentence shows a
incompatibility of semantic features: 'idea' has an inherent feature [abstract]
while its qualifier 'green' admits a trait [concrete], no connection
semantics between the different constitutive elements of this sentence from which it derives
semantic incoherence and the difficulty of assigning it a valid interpretation.

19-Explain, using examples, the statement by Ch. Baylon and P.

Fabre (1978 p74) on the semantic constituent: the seme.
The formally indecomposable unit is semantically decomposable into units of
meaning which we call semes, which are individually interchangeable.

A linguistic sign consists of two sides: the signifier (or the form) and the
meaning (or content). This can be broken down into several units of
minimal significance, called semes or semantic features whose function is
distinctive. Let's take the example of the word 'chair', an autonomous formal unit; its signified
can be decomposed into semes 'for sitting', 'for one person', 'with
"file", without arms. The act of swapping one seme for another implies a change.
conceptual. Thus commute 'for a single person' by for several
people one gets the definition of 'bench'.

21-In the excerpts below, identify the semantic isotopies and the sememes.
indexed by updated and recurring semes. Finally, show how isotopy,
semantic instrument, ensures the unity and coherence of the text.

With that, Mr. Seguin took the goat into a completely black barn, which he closed the door to.
double locked. Unfortunately, he had forgotten the window, and hardly had he turned his back than
the little one went away... When she arrived in the mountain, it was a general delight.
Never had the old fir trees seen anything so beautiful. She was received like a little queen.
chestnut trees bent down to the ground to caress it with the tips of their branches. The
golden genets opened as she passed by, and they smelled as good as they could. All the
mountain celebrated him. No more rope. No more stake... nothing to stop him from frolicking, from
brouter at will... That's where there was grass! up to over the horns... And

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What an herb! Delicious, fine, serrated, made of a thousand plants... It was something else entirely.
that the lawn of the enclosure. And the flowers then!... Large blue bellflowers, foxgloves of
purple with long calices, a whole forest of wildflowers overflowing with heady juices!
The Goats of Monsieur Seguin

In 'Mr. Seguin's Goat' by A. Daudet, among the semiological isotopies

to remember, it is worth mentioning, that of the /spatiality/ articulable according to the oppositions /
low /vs / high /, specific inherent seeds, made possible through occurrences
like 'stable', 'mountain'. This isotopy can be articulated in other ways
oppositions such as /closed/ vs /open/, which produce the isotopy of /behavior
conservation behavior/ and /natural behavior/. Finally, the isotopy of
/living condition/ translated by the semantic oppositions: /servitude/ and /freedom/ which
respectively procuring dissatisfaction (dysphoric state) and satisfaction (state
dysphoric). The redundant seme /servitude/ indexes the sememes of 'M. Seguin
owner of the goat
"more rope", "more stake", "lawn of the enclosure". The sowing /freedom/ repeats in the
sémèmes de ‘’ montagne’’, ‘’ ravissement’’, ‘’ reçut’’, ‘’ reine’’ ‘’se baissaient’’, ‘’ bon’’,
fête’’, ‘’gambader’’, sa guise, ’’herbe’’, ‘’fleurs’’, forêt’’.

I remember, as if it were yesterday, my first day at school. One morning, my father

arrives from the djemââ with a little mysterious and emotional air. I was in our plastered courtyard at the
cow dung, near a kanoun where there was a pot of milk. My mother had just
go home. She was going to take a pinch of salt and a lump of couscous, to
prepare his breakfast.
Quick, quick, he said to my mother, wash him completely, the hands, the face, the neck, the feet.
Do you think the sheikh will accept such a monkey?

There is also her dirty gandoura, my mother says. Maybe we should wait.
Tomorrow. I will wash it along with her burnous. [...]

Tomorrow all the seats will be taken. And it's better not to start.
the school through absences. He must not be punished because of us. Besides,
It's useless to arrive late today. Let's hurry up!

I was hastily washed up and five minutes later, still stunned, I disembarked.
In the vast schoolyard, teeming with students... a hundred leagues away from my lunch.
Alone in the house, my little sister Titi celebrated the event by taking the saucepan of
couscous... Mouloud Feraoun (1950), the son of the poor

Several interwoven isotopies in the text give it a certain unity and

coherence and consequently allow for the objective construction of one's theme.
The words chosen by the author, due to the redundant generic semes that they
constituents give rise to different isotopies but which complement each other and
call out to each other. Thus, we have
School start/return isotopy: school, gandoura, burnous, cheikh (teacher) hit,
delayed, student, class. (central event)
The isotopy of food: kettle, pot, milk, pinch of salt, lump of
couscous
-L’isotopie des/personnages/ :je (auteur, Mouloud Feraoun) mère, père, sœur Titi
The isotopy of places, conceived as a support for their displacement. It
it concerns the djemaa (space of the father, it is exclusively masculine), the house
(refuge of the mother and the little sister, reserved for the world of women), the courtyard
plaster and the schoolyard: from an intimate and familiar place for the child, the author, to a
place that is strange and unusual to him. Appropriation of spaces by the
characters).

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Text explanation

What is meant by the purity of language?

The question of the purity of the language has been a concern over time.
linguists. She divided them regarding the examination of a number of points, including that of
the loan.

Foreign words were felt in the past as a contamination of the

recipient language from which the attempts of certain countries - such as Germany and France - to
fight against this immigration of words by creating native words in their place. In the face of this
state of affairs, one wonders if this borrowing phenomenon can be treated in the same way
manner and whether a distinction can be made.
According to the author, the loans introduced into the language following the introduction of a
science, a technique... deserve to be well preserved and appropriate instead of forging a
new equivalent designation. The Italian words, related to music such as the words
adagio, sonata, are, for this purpose, revealing. This type of foreign words, which has spread
of a more or less ancient source language, is shared by all languages. It has been established
like a common lot for all communities where it is no longer felt as
a loan. Worthy of being sustainable and stable, it is considered a historical document.

Furthermore, if borrowing is deemed necessary, proponents of purity recommend

internal borrowings occurring between related languages such as the
French/Spanish/Italian. However, such a recommendation does not constitute a procedure.
master key: because the borrowing of necessity, due to the introduction of objects to experience
The socio-cultural aspect of a community is linked to the language that possesses these objects. Thus,
English has provided related and unrelated languages with words pertaining to life.
parliamentary.

The loans should not be integrated as they are with their unusual traits but
submitted to the standards of the receiving language so that they can settle in comfortably and
function in the same way as native units. If, in an oral regime, this process
integration is accomplished without difficulty, whereas in the case of writing, the units
borrowed are not subject to major alterations.

However, regarding scientific terms, known as being a

common property, it is necessary that they retain their original flavor, their unusual traits.
This will facilitate generalized communication reports.

Correction of the assignment: The Albatross

The albatross
In this presentation, centered on the content of the poem, we will attempt to...
examine the different isotopies that weave it and allow its interpretation as
homogeneous text in terms of meaning. The poem lends itself to two interpretations, to
two readings. That of a story of a captive bird during a sea voyage, subject
superficial, and that of a poet, explicitly compared to this bird ('The Poet is similar
to the prince of the clouds'' verse 13) and which constitutes the deep subject. If the first is stated as soon as the
title and expresses itself at the denotative level, the second, on the contrary, latent only appears in the
fourth quatrain what forces the reader to reinterpret the scene narrated in the three
first quatrains and the invitation to see a new meaning in the whole text
of a moral and philosophical order.

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isotope of /spatiality/

It opposes two very distinct spaces: the celestial space 'azure', dominated by the albatross and
terrestrial space, established on 'the ship' and controlled by the crew members. They are
characterized respectively by the specific semes of /vastness/ and /narrowness/
opposition conveyed by several elements:

*leur dimension: ‘’azur’’: infini, ouvert / ‘’navire’’: limité, fermé.

‘’azure‘’ (sky, infinite space, open of the albatross, but also a symbol of the ideal, of the absolute,
the serenity, the hope, the purity in the poet) /, ''ship'' (limited and closed space of
the crew; it is defined as a boat designed for navigation - denotative sense - it
also symbolizes society, the earth, daily life – connotative meaning

*leur situation :‘’azur’’ : haut / ‘’navire’’: bas

'L'azur' is located above the ground, the 'ship', 'the boards' (designated by metonymy the
the boat's bridge and the boat itself, but they also metaphorically refer to the scene
of theater), it refers to the high position of the albatross and the high social rank of the poet,
symbolized by the bird, which contrasts with that of the crew members nailed to their
ship.

*leur connotation: ‘’azur’’ positive / ‘’navire’’ négative

'Azure' connotes freedom, escape, the elevation through flight that is inscribed there and contrasts.
with the restriction of freedom, captivity, the humiliation recorded on the ship.

*their occupant: 'azure' space of the albatross / 'ship' space of the crew
''vast birds'' (whose physical appearance and more specifically the wingspan of their wings
is important - denotative meaning - but also whose action, scope, and influence are extensive
on an intellectual, philosophical, or moral level - connotative sense, conveyed by the albatross in
as a symbol of the poet.) / 'the crew members, characterized by a narrow-mindedness
of mind, a narrowness of views. They are ruthless, vulgar, and cruel. Their actions
harmed the bird instead of showing it, like the poet, a
great compassion and great clarity

isotope of the /magnitude/

It constitutes the common lot of the albatross and the poet:

*‘’family’’version 7 (feather)
The bird and the poet share the feather or the 'wing', the tool of freedom. The feather of
the albatross helps it to fly just as that of the poet allows him to write: for one as
for the other, it is the only way to express oneself, to be free and to live an ideal.

*'azur' verse 6 (leaf)

The sky is to the albatross what the leaf is to the poet, that is to say an environment.
ideal, a space of freedom.

* ‘’rois de l’azure’’vers6 ; ‘’prince des nuées ’’vers13

These circumlocutions are part of the universe of greatness, power, and domination.
The poet, like the bird, is sovereign in his own universe and each one exercises his
fullness. It is worth noting that "Poet," compared to the "Prince of Clouds," is capitalized which
represents a kind of idealization of the poets' world, the nobility of the world of the spirit.

'Sea birds' verse 2

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In this periphrasis, the term put in the plural "seas" translates a universality and a
power exercised by the albatross over the world.

* ''rit'', ''hante'' verse 14

The bird laughs at the archer, for it soars so high that the arrows of humans cannot reach it.
to reach it and occupies by its presence the 'storm' that it 'haunts'. In this natural context and
ecological: the sky, the bird demonstrates its superiority and invincibility

isotope of the / captivity of the bird /

The change of space by the albatross, from its own universe, following its capture
The crew members are severely sanctioned. From now on, their freedom is preserved elsewhere.
sur the azure is lost in the enclosed environment of the ship. It is transformed into an object of
mockery.

have fun version 1

the crew members pass the time by entertaining themselves in a usual cruelty:
Often for fun, the crew members/ Take the albatross, vast birds of the sea
The use of the adverb 'often' shows the frequency of the action.

they take
the crew members they captured albatrosses and turned them into objects
of amusement and persecution. They have torn them from their essence and their natural environment.

deposited around 6
the text as a whole where are peppered periphrases such as 'king of azure', 'prince of...
"clouds" allows us to reduce the polysemy of the verb "deposited", to limit it to the act of
to depose the albatrosses, to strip them of their authority and sovereignty. They are also
transformed into a vile and contemptible object after losing their natural habitat: the sky.

‘’big white wings’’

These members - which allow for flying, moving with ease - once the bird is 'exiled'
on the ground, have lost their natural function and are now transforming into a heavy burden
for their owner: they 'prevent him from walking'.

*’’rois d’azure’’ vers12,’’prince des nuées’’ vers13,

Exiled on the ground, torn from its power, the albatross has become an object of ridicule on which
all the accumulated tensions during the journey between the men are unleashed
crew. Tortures have been inflicted on him: physical 'one annoys his beak with a burning tool.
"mug/the other mimics the limping cripple who stole" and morality, represented by the mockery.
cruelty of the sailors highlighted by the three exclamations v.9'10-and 12.

isotopy of /fall/

bad omen / good omen

Undoubtedly, the belief that the albatross is a sign of bad omen sows
socially standardized, presided over its downfall. The sailors of the time saw
often this bird as malevolent, which attacked the bodies of men with its beak
fell into the sea and could not be recovered. However, this prejudice is not shared
by the author who considers the bird more as a sign of good omen. The albatross and the poet
are not accepted by men: they become objects of ridicule and

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mockery. In any case, in the poem, the fall of the bird is dramatized in a way
They barely laid them on the floors.

*’’ailes’’, ‘’avirons’’
the 'wings' no longer consist, as before, of flying in the 'azure' but rather, they
are compared to oars, a kind of burden, that the captive bird, deprived and infirm
drags beside him and which, therefore, 'hinders' his walking and paralyzes him in the
ship.

''beak'', mouth
The bird's 'beak' is 'annoyed with a 'burning mouth', a type of very short pipe.
which prevents this organ from expressing itself. In the same way, society silences the
poet and thus deprives him of the tool of speech and expression, which is the condition of his inspiration.

*’’Gauche et ‘’veule’’, ‘’comique et laid’’, ‘’indolents’’, ‘’maladroits’’, ‘’honteux’’, ‘’piteusement’’,

infirm
These human and negative attributes highlight the deep transformations that have affected
The 'blue king', the albatross, captured by the crew. The author identifies with this.
bird in a movement of sympathy opposite to that of men: what provokes their
cruelty evokes the poet's compassion, he himself is an albatross.

exiled
Excluded, condemned among men, the albatross, renowned for its flight, has become crippled,
unable to lead a normal life on earth due to its 'giant wings',
transformed into 'oars' that he drags and that prevent him from walking.

The poet is the albatross paralyzed by its own wings, a king of the azure destined to
to amuse the crew members with her clumsy movements: a condemnation
ruthless that leads the poet from the sky of poetry to the abyss of the earth among men.

The downfall of the albatross is also that of the poet. They resemble each other.
is similar to the prince of clouds' and several characteristics the partners. They are
majestic, isolated, despised, cursed, strange and misunderstood by their surroundings and their
contemporaries. Despite his poetic ideal that allows him to free himself from the boredom of life
daily, the poet cannot fully flourish: society weighs on him; by its harshness and
In its triviality, it seeks to prevent him from expressing himself. Its debate in society proves its
difficulty of adaptation. The poem ends on a pessimistic note (one is prevented from walking).
But it is impossible for him to always remain in the spiritual element: he is obliged to
earn a living, to mingle with other men...

Lexicon:

indolent: who shows little vitality, who avoids making an effort, acts slowly
gorge: deep and wide hole that opens at the surface of the ground
weak; lacking strength, energy, having no will
pipe with a very short tube
cloud: large, thick, and dark clouds
hue: cries shouted by hunters to raise, drive back, scare the game
archer: bow or crossbow shooter.

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Isotopic study of the tale: Little Red Riding Hood

Introduction

Little Red Riding Hood is a folk tale that offers a willingly story.
moralizing, aimed at children. It contains themes related to sexuality, to
violence and cannibalism, values conveyed primarily by behavior
of characters. The choice of this short text, pleasant to read, appreciated, known and familiar to
readers, can be explained by the fact that it constitutes an example of the description of a reputed text
as being poly-isotopic and therefore suitable for multiple readings. The method used
The one that is implemented through the contributions of semantics.
interpretative, particularly the concept of isotopy which is limited, let us remember, to
content plan that helps overcome reading problems in the face of the issue of
polysemy of the text. We will attempt to discover the isotopies that constitute it and that one
does not always perceive at the first reading or even re-reading. Its analysis will give us
allow us to become familiar with and better understand the method of textual analysis that we
let's propose.

Isotopy of /spatiality/

The tale takes place in a world devoid of a specific geographical framework. The places
presented are the mother's house, the forest, and grandmother's house. They make up the
support for Little Red Riding Hood's movements.

the house

The mother's house is a safe place, a stage in life, that of childhood. Here
the pubescent child is protected by their mother against the uncertainties of the outside world. On the contrary
the grandmother's one does not provide this protection due to her advanced age and
aggravated by her health condition as she is indeed ''sick'' and ''having a cold''. Furthermore, as we
he will see it towards the end of the story, his encounter with the wolf will change everything completely
the comforting atmosphere that prevailed in her, in this place. But before reaching this second
place, second life that of an adult, Little Red Riding Hood must take a path that crosses the forest and
which is strewn with pitfalls.

Between the departure house and the arrival house, there is a border represented by the
forest. This border, which forbids any return of Little Red Riding Hood backward, cannot be
crossed without being punished. Upon crossing this threshold, Little Red Riding Hood finds herself at the edge of her
destiny. The process of its initiation begins with a break from his mother. The tale contrasts
the world of the mother’s house, which is a safe world, to that of the forest.

The forest

The forest, open and dense, is a favored place for leisure, relaxation, and discovery.
of wildlife, flora, landscapes, gathering and hunting. It is a place that makes
fear because one can get lost there. It is also the domain of the wild man, the refuge
outlaws, highwaymen. It is still populated by other dangers. Its
crossing can lead to the hero falling into a ditch, drowning in a river, the
loss of her way, the encounter with a wild animal... In short, she is the embodiment of the
nature in its asocial state, the space where the order of things has not yet been established and where order
human is yet to be born as highlighted by the presence of the lumberjacks. It is the place of
meeting of the wolf with Little Red Riding Hood, the place that contributed to delaying the race
from this one to grandmother's house.

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Isotope of the /color/

This isotopy indexes the lexical units whose seme, element of content, presents
the generic seme /color/ that can have the status of inherent or afferent seme. The
The colors mentioned in the tale are four in number: red, white, the
black and green. These colors, due to their symbolism, hold great importance in the
because they visually show the personality of the individual and the atmosphere of the places.
Their recurrence gives a visual impression of 'color contrast'

a- The red: the only lexeme found in the text that is explicitly related to the field
the color scheme is red, repeated 13 times; the same color red can be
built from a relationship of afference. Indeed, the verb 'to eat' 'to devour'
‘eviscerate’ which admits a direct object with the lexical feature [+Animated] contains
implicitly the seme [redness] due to the act of devouring or disemboweling which
presupposes flesh and blood. The same red color can be associated with fruits
red nuts that the little girl picks along the way and wants to take to her grandmother.

Among all the colors mentioned in the text, red is the one that stands out the most.
plus and gives a rather interesting perspective due to its nature. It is a symbol of warmth,
the vital force of emotion, the danger that threatens Little Red Riding Hood, the blood that will
to flow, the menstrual blood, the blood of defloration, the bloodthirsty cruelty of the wolf,
the devouring of the grandmother and the little girl…Psychoanalytically speaking, it takes on a
sexual connotation, the little girl would already be pubescent and would deep down very much want to
finding in bed with the wolf. The tale illustrates this correspondence between the red
and sexuality. The little girl ostentatiously displays this sexuality through the wearing of a
red hood
b- the white: it is constructed according to a relationship of reference. The term that contains this seme
whiteness, entering through afference into the semantic class of colors, is 'butter' being
given that the term is defined as fatty foodstuff obtained from milk of which
the color is white. It is also the symbol of the innocence of the heart of Little Red Riding Hood without
experience in life, of the purity and innocence of his soul which manifests itself through a
simple and sincere behavior. Moreover, candor etymologically means 'whiteness,'
the clarity of the purity of Little Red Riding Hood's soul

c- the black, it is founded by inherence to a characteristic of the wolf's fur, yellowish

a clash of black but also in the belly of the wolf 'it is dark in the belly of the wolf'. This color
is the symbol of the wolf's death, of darkness, sadness, and mourning

Green: it is a color presupposed by the existence of trees, plants.

symbolizes the long-awaited arrival of spring, the season during which Little Red Riding Hood
he contacts his grandmother after a long separation. As is customary
At this moment, Little Red Riding Hood's family is making a cake that they share among themselves.
members.

The choice of colors is not arbitrary but deliberate due to their meanings.
They embody the characters' states of mind, their feelings, and the atmosphere that
one wishes to create.

Isotopy of /celibacy/

Three women, representing three different generations, are indexed by the seme.
isotopant /celibacy/, related trait constructed from the text. It concerns, in this case, the
grandmother, of the mother, and of Little Red Riding Hood. Added to these female characters and

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singles, another but male, the devouring wolf, which is also indexed of
same seed of celibacy.

Little Red Riding Hood does not have a declared father, so the family relationships
are presented as chronological relationships, which go from the grandmother to the mother
to reach the girl. Such a matrilineal scheme overestimates vertical family ties.
From the initial situation, which is of crucial importance as it exposes the nature of
problem, the reader is faced with a matriarchal structure in which there is no
place for parental authority. Power is held by the grandmother who is the
mother of the mother of Little Red Riding Hood.

On the sidelines of this exclusively female family structure, whose refuge remains the
house, there are still men who have the forest as a common ground: they are
some woodcutters and the wolf. The former, by their presence somewhere in this place,
served to protect the Little Red Riding Hood, albeit temporarily, from the predatory wolf, who
really wanted to eat Little Red Riding Hood but realizing that he was heading for his doom, he
delays his project until the favorable conditions are met. 'by passing through
In a forest, she met Brother Wolf, who was very eager to eat her, but he did not dare to.
because of some loggers who were in the forest.
lasted a long time. The wolf chased from the forest, finds in grandmother's house the
favorable circumstances to fulfill one's desire.

Aspects of the personality of the wolf

Isotope of the /human/

The inherent /animal/ trait of the wolf, generic seed, is virtual in the text while
latent remaining in the associative memory of the reader. It is neutralized in favor of the seme
affiliated/human/ contracted and built from the text and socialized norms of the
culture. It is a dressed wolf, who speaks, who questions, who listens, who proposes, who embraces,
who deceives, who tricks and who devours. Thus, the wolf is not a carnivorous animal, but a
metaphor of the seductive male and cannibalistic murderer, endowed with human thought, of
cruelty, cunning, and antisocial qualities. Throughout time and in the imagination
Western, it is the symbol of evil, danger, and savagery.

Isotopes of /cruelty/

The cruelty of the wolf knows no bounds. It manifests, on one hand, in the act
cannibalistic to devour an elderly woman 'grandmother' and moreover ill, on the other hand,
he abused Little Red Riding Hood, after having used deceit: 'he lies shamelessly'
'mimicking his voice' 'hiding under the blanket'. The wolf feasted on the creatures.
weaker than him; he devoured the grandmother and the girl one after the other, which intensifies his
bloodthirsty and cruel character.

Isotopes of /ruse/
In contrast to the nonchalance of the little red riding hood who strolls along the path, we have
the eagerness of the wolf who wants to arrive first and therefore satisfy his desires. 'The wolf
he began to run with all his might along the shortest path and the little girl went away
by the longest path, having fun picking...''

The choice of the shortest path occurs just after the wolf has inquired about
chaperone to her destination, the house where grandmother is located 'Well said the wolf, I want to
I’m going to see him too, I’ll go that way and we’ll see who will be there first.” The wolf

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ran with all her might along the shortest path and the girl went away through the
the longest path.

The tricks he used, the various disguises he skillfully handled have indeed
worked throughout the narration until the end of the tale where the wolf reveals its nudity and its
true nature 'come sleep with me'. He exploited the responses to his advantage
of others. Little Red Riding Hood provided him with the first key allowing him to enter into the
Grandmother's house 'it's your daughter Little Red Riding Hood who brings you a cake and a
small pot of butter that my mother brings you." In doing so, the wolf cunningly obtains the
second key that will allow him to bring Little Red Riding Hood into his arms "pull it
Little red riding hood, the spool will fall. Thus the wolf, after having deceived Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood
red and held the keys allowing him to infiltrate Grandmother's house, go
devour one after the other. Furthermore, it should be noted that if the wolf's favorite space for
tracking his victims and satisfying his desires is the forest, in this tale, the wolf does not attack
Not at its prey in the first encounter in the forest but during the second encounter
taking place at Grandmother's secure home. He is seen as a sexual predator, who
by a deliberate act, choose the right place and moment to terrorize its prey
Aspects of the personality of Little Red Riding Hood

Isotopy / discovery of sex /

This discovery is made possible thanks to a number of lexemes and

expressions that explicitly denote this related isotopy. 'The Little Red Riding Hood'
undress, and goes to lie down in the bed where she was very surprised to see how her grand-
mother was made in her nightgown. Little Red Riding Hood shows her voyeurism by pulling
pleasure at the sight of the wolf's nudity, pleasure doubled by astonishment.

Isotopy / exploration of the body /

The evocation of body parts: arms, legs, ears, eyes, teeth and their purpose
respective following a dramatic trajectory: embrace, run, listen, eat which
recall what the wolf has just accomplished, that is to say after having 'listened' to Little Red Riding Hood,
‘’ran’’ through the woods, and now ‘’embraces’’ and ‘’devours’’ its prey. Through this
exploration of the body in the form of an inventory, the heroine acquires the generative faculty of
his ancestor and discovers the masculinized body.

Isotope / astonishment /

In the following interjections: 'What big arms you have!'

de grandes jambes!’’ , ‘’Que vous avez de grandes dents !’’ , ‘’Que vous avez de grandes
Ears!'' , ''What big eyes you have!'', we find the isotopant seme of
astonishment and we understand that this feeling is evoked by the size of such organs
and their owner.
Little Red Riding Hood finds herself in a particular situation where she is invited to...
sleeping with the wolf. It is completely normal for her to feel astonishment while observing
the oversized organs of the wolf that strongly contrast with his and those of his grandmother
mother. Faced with the little girl's astonishment and her awkward situation, the wolf provided her with a
series of responses whose recurring feature is the specific seme inherent in the /reason/. This
The hypothesis is supported by the causal connector 'because'.

This isotopy of sexuality is especially evident when Little Red Riding Hood goes to bed.
with the wolf. She also plays along with the undressing game. No fear has been detected.
in his behavior if it is not the astonishment of discovering the male material. A
Once undressed and in bed, she feels astonishment at the physical portrait of the wolf who

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while trying to convince her of the reasons for her being, ends up finishing her and it is
as well as the tale ends with a tragic ending.

Isotopy / admiration/

In the initial situation, the heroine, Little Red Riding Hood, is presented as a
an exceptionally beautiful and enchanting character. She is looked at, she seduces. From this
Indeed, it puts her mother and grandmother in a state of exaltation caused by a strong emotion.
pushed to the extreme. This exalted pleasure is motivated by the superiority that is recognized in it
both in the moral aspect and in the physical aspect. The lexemes 'kind',
"pretty", "crazy" are imbued with an inherent generic meaning /admiration/. From the beginning of the text,
the girl is described as the most beautiful girl in the village, a girl so delightful
so charming that she excites the sexual appetite and presents herself as an object of desire,
a prey that could be devoured.

Connotative isotopes /childhood/

The poor child has no name other than the descriptive name of Little Red Riding Hood.
Red. It is her hairstyle, her famous red hood, which her grandmother gave her, that
he values this masculine nickname. One aspect of this character's personality
The main point is that he is in a period of childhood as suggested by this connotative isotopy of
childhood. In fact, there are no lexemes in the text referring directly to the entity.
from childhood, but throughout the text, we have a set of words or expressions
whose implicit meaning as a connotative value evokes this isotopy

a--Isotope of the /smallness/

We have the iteration of the adjective 'small', eleven occurrences in total; Little Red Riding Hood
which is complemented by the small jar of butter, small flowers, not to mention the galette series.2,
hazelnuts3, small knife,4small spindle5village6butterflies. As a whole, they, by their
dimension, denote smallness and connote childhood without explicitly referring to it.

b--isotope of naivety

By his ignorance, it is dangerous to stop and listen to a wolf, and even more so,
to provide him with all the necessary information to get to grandmother's house,
Chaperon shows his naivety which is another trait of childhood.
Through the carelessness and innocence of Little Red Riding Hood chasing after butterflies and making
small flower bouquets she encounters, thus joining in this act of whimsy
in the woods, by chance of amazed discoveries his daydreams, but forgets, in doing so,
the speed contest offered by the wolf.

2
Round and flat cake made most often from puff pastry and baked in the oven. The word deriving
historically from gale 'flat cake'
3
Fruit of the hazel tree, consisting of a woody shell that is oval or round in shape, brownish-red or
reddish, covered at its base with an involucre with frayed edges, containing an oilseed almond
and edible, with a pleasant flavor, which is notably used in pastry and confectionery the term
nut derivative which is suffixed with the diminutive 'ette'.
4
Small ankle, a derivative obtained by adding the diminutive suffix 'ette' to ankle.
5
Aged. RURAL HABITAT. A mobile piece of wood, held against the door panel by a
a pin that falls when this one is removed to open the door. Historically and
Etymologically, it derives from debobineet and the suffix -ette.
6Rural agglomeration; a group of dwellings large enough to form an administrative unit.
religious or at least able to have a life of its own. Etymologically, it derives from the Latin villa
id.» (city*); suff.-age*.

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By the ignorance of the wolf, disguised as grandmother. She is so naive that she does not
recognizes neither the arms, nor the legs, nor the games, nor the ears, nor the teeth of the wolf until
that she lets herself be engulfed without ever understanding anything

Perrault's mood thus results from a double unequal reading of the tale, that of
the child ignorant of the difference between the sexes and that of the adult who enjoys his knowledge and therefore of
its superiority on this subject

c--Isotopes of playful activity

The enumeration of body parts: arms, legs... is a copy of the exercises.

fun activities used in pedagogy to teach young children the knowledge of their
clean body. Little Red Riding Hood is wondering about the wolf's body parts, trying
by this process to discover and explore the male body. The act of posing such
Questions are a completely normal fact for Little Red Riding Hood who learns, through this process, to
to make use of one's body and to understand how it functions. It's a kind of initiation.
In this playful activity, the girl is no longer passive as she was at the beginning, in the situation.
initial: she seduces, she is watched, but rather active and looking.

Isotope of /nature/

A set of material realities: hazelnuts, butterflies, flowers are presented to

eyes of Little Red Riding Hood during her journey. These lexemes are defined by the feature
generic /cheerful nature/. They refer to objects that can be found in a forested area.
and which are not shaped or humanized by human activity but are in a natural state.
These objects delight and fulfill the little girl. The forest embodies this isotopy of nature.
marks the spatial boundary between the colonization of the territory by man and the wild nature.
In this space, the principle of reality fades away in favor of the principle of pleasure.

Isotopy of food

Little Red Riding Hood was instructed by her mother who entrusted her with an object to
to transmit to his sick grandmother. The nature of this valuable object is represented
by a pancake7and some butter, two lexemes containing the isotopic seme of /food/
who is an inherent seme.

This isotopy of food involves three characters, each with a role.

well defined. That of the mother, who remains in the shadows, is relegated to serving the gift; it is she
who prepares and gives it; that of Little Red Riding Hood as the intermediary who does it
to pass - a completely ordinary process in the village context where bringing food to
old is part of the services that children provide - that of Grandmother supposed to be
recipient and in the story, she does not receive it. The act of donation occurs after the
spring arrival where the members of each family, as usual, celebrate
the event by sharing the cake made. This food, presented in the
The initial situation associated with the Spring Festival serves as the motive.
of the tragedy suffered by Little Red Riding Hood, the springboard that will catapult her and
expose it in a dangerous universe.

7Round and flat cake, most often made of puff pastry and baked in the oven.

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