Some reflections on the discursive analysis of proper names: the case of the slogan Je suis Charlie

Agnieszka Konowska

Uniwersytet Łódzki

Abstract

The slogan Je suis Charlie – simple and concise from a formal point of view, but semantically very complex – contains a proper name used in the predicative function but not in the prototypical referential function. The proprionyme Charlie acquires several discursive senses, due to multiple factors. The most important of them are: (the) property (properties) of the initial referent selected by the locutors using the formula, semantic mechanisms such as metonymy or synecdoche that could change the meaning of the proper name. The interpretation of the onim Charlie is disturbed by the verb être (to be), assuming an absolute identification. To solve these problems, the author proposes to follow the interpretation of the slogan by factors such as intertextuality or the principle of local interpretation of Brown and Yule (Discourse analysis, 1983).

Keywords:

proper name, discourse analysis, copula être