Decryption and interpretation of delexicalized over-utterances: a linguistic-semiotic approach to the magazine “L’Assiette au berre” (1901-1912)

Abstract

This article analyses the language of the satirical magazine “L’Assiette au beurre” (1901-1912) from a linguistic-semiotic perspective. This periodical uses satirical illustrations and scathing texts to criticise the society of its time, highlighting the political tensions and social inequalities of the Belle Époque. The focus is on the lexical détournement of the texts accompanying the illustrations, a phenomenon in which expressions or linguistic elements are borrowed from one context to be used in another, creating a humorous or ironic effect. The study observes how these lexical détournements can lead to specific socio-cultural references (Sablayrolles 2009: 17). Within this framework, we consider two levels of interpretation, both linguistic and cultural, in order to fully understand these wordplays from a semiotic perspective. The article also considers the importance of speakers’ prior knowledge in understanding these phenomena, showing that language goes beyond the simple association of words with specific meanings, encompassing broader linguistic structures and cognitive schemas.