Arbre formel ou forêt conceptuelle ?

Abstract

The purpose of this article is twofold. The first is to pay tribute to Gilles Fauconnier, whose work served as the theoretical foundation for the doctoral theses of the two authors. The second is to apply the Theory of Mental Spaces and the Theory of Conceptual Integration in a pedagogical and critical way to original case studies. The authors address a single theme: how environmental organizations raise awareness about the perils of industrial deforestation through strategically crafted campaigns that integrate graphics and slogans into a unified semiotic framework. They approach this theme through the study of interpretative frames involving representations of trees. They show that when unusual objects or situations are created for specific communicative purposes, the Theory of Mental Spaces and the Theory of Conceptual Integration manage to model the cognitive complexity thus generated, where traditional theories of meaning fail. The authors conclude by suggesting ways to make Fauconnier's theories falsifiable so that they can be empirically supported.

Keywords

• Mental Space Theory; Conceptual Integration Theory; Meaning; Comprehension;  Falsifiability