Lexis: Journal in English Lexicology (Oct 2010)
Entre sémantique lexicale et sémantique textuelle : une analyse lexicale et stylistique de Before I Say Goodbye de Ruth Picardie
Abstract
This paper offers a double reading of a particular text Before I Say Goodbye (BISG) by Ruth Picardie: systemic and variationist, somewhere between language and discourse. The written text is close to orality: it is as set of exchanges of emails between Ruth Picardie and her friends, editorials published in the Observer Life columns and answers by readers. As the title clearly indicates, the isotopy is that of the end of life. The stance adopted here is that of the reception of the text: the target is to apprehend the impact that a particular discourse has on the co-construction of the meaning of lexical items in an analytical way. The first part consists in a study of the semantic construction of lexical items which have undergone functional shift otherwise known as conversion. The point is to contrast the discourse value of lexicalised and perfectly stabilised denominal verbs to that of denominal verbs which are less commmonly used, less stabilised and which, therefore, have more to do with authorial expressivity. In the second part, the idea is to distinguish between protopypical meaning in language and what could be prototypical meaning in a specific type of discourse. In BISG, the most recurrent construction of movement and perception verbs engenders recategorisation: the semantic bleaching of verbs such as feel, look, go and turn allows them to be in a relation with the existential truth of the subject. The third part is devoted to sounds and rhythm and the construction of meaning in the discursive chain.In as much as the systemic dimension of language is valued in the role it plays in the co-construction of lexical meaning, the emphasis is put on the need to perceive and analyze the dialogical relation it has with the socio-historical dimension which is inbuilt in any speech act.
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