From Sign to Praxeme: Analyzing the Dimensions of Reformulation in the Travelogue Entitled “Three Years in Asia” by Arthur de Gobineau, Based on the Praxematics Theory

Document Type : مقالات علمی پژوهشی

Authors
F. Ghasemi Arian 1
M. R. Farsian 2
1 PhD Student in French Literature Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Professor in French Literature Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
10.48311/LRR.15.6.241
Abstract
Travelogues are considered one of the most important sources for understanding one's "Self" in the mirror of the "Other." When the "Self" is represented in a travelogue, it always reveals a part of the "Other" reality to the readers. The selection of words in order to represent reality through "dialogism of naming" is related to the field of "praxematics." Praxematics, as a type of semantics, analyzes the production of meaning in language and the processes of transitioning from language to discourse through various social, cultural, and linguistic actions. In this regard, examining "reformulation" in a travelogue text can be seen as the main issue of research, shedding light on the mechanisms of auto ـ dialogism where the narrator engages in a conversation with their own discourse. Accordingly, the travelogue book "A Three ـ Year Voyage in Asia" by Arthur de Gobineau, a famous French writer, has been selected as the research source. The aim of the research is to uncover the linguistic dimensions and novel ways of introducing the "Other" into one's own language in the travelogue. In this article, while introducing praxematics theory, we attempt to examine the process of reformulation in Gobineau's travelogue and answer the following questions: How can reformulation be expressed at the linguistic level in introducing the "Other", and to what extent will this contribute to effective intercultural dialogue? The results of the research indicate that despite printing and expressive gaps, Gobineau strives to create a balance between the "Self" and the "Other" worlds at the linguistic level and largely maintains a naming process that is free from racial and colonial perspectives.





1. Introduction

The dialectical relationship between the "Self" and the "Other" in a travelogue relies on the reorganization of the "Other" to introduce them to the lector, which drives the author towards narrative and repetitive reiterations. This occurs either by reusing the same words or by transcribing the words of the "Other" into the language of the "Self." The choice of words to describe reality is connected to the "dialogism of naming," a domain within "praxematics." In this context, the travelogue “Trois ans en Asie” [Three Years in Asia] by Arthur de Gobineau, a renowned French writer, was selected as the research source. Gobineau is known in Iran following his orientalism studies. In his travelogue, he stated that he endeavored to avoid presenting any correct or incorrect views of the superiority of the "Self" over Iranians and, as much as possible, to view subjects from their perspective before making any one-sided judgments. Accordingly, it is assumed that the traveler also adhered to this principle during the reformulation process at the linguistic level. Thus, this article aims to examine the reformulation process that leads to the naming of the "Other" in Gobineau's travelogue using the praxematics theory. It seeks to answer these questions: How can reformulation lead to the introduction of the "Other" at the linguistic level, and to what extent does this facilitate intercultural dialogue? Hence, the examination of reformulation in the original version of the travelogue is conducted along three main lines: auto-dialogism reformulation, reformulation and dialogisation interdiscursive, and reformulation and dialogisation interlocutive.



2. Literature Review

Various studies have been conducted in the fields of semiotics of discourse. Among the most notable is Hamidreza Shaeiri's work titled “Tajziye va Tahlil-e Neshāne-Ma’nāsenākhti-ye Goftemān” [Analysis of semiotics of discourse] (2013), published by Samt, which examines discursive operations, the cognitive, perceptual-emotional, affective, and aesthetic dimensions of discourse, and ultimately the conditions for the production of meaning in different discourses. Regarding Arthur de Gobineau, research has been conducted on his fictional work “Nouvelles asiatiques” [The Asian short storys] in Iran. Mohammadreza Farsian and Somayeh Khabir, in their article "Barresi-e tatbiqi-e zanmadārāne qesse-hāye hezār o yek shab va dāstān hāye āsiyaāe Gobineau [Women in One Thousand and One Nights and Asian Novels of Gobineau: A Comparative Study]" (2018) in the Journal of Contemporary World Literature Research, analyze the manifestations of women in “One Thousand and One Nights” and Gobineau's “Nouvelles asiatiques”, discussing the author's influence from “One Thousand and One Nights”. However, to date, no study using the praxematics theory at the linguistic level has examined reorganization in literary texts in Iran. In this context, the research corpus is based on the original text of Count de Gobineau's travelogue “Trois ans en Asie” (1859).



3. Methodology

The praxematics is a linguistic theory that, within an anthropological and realist framework, focuses on the analysis of meaning production in language, examining the processes that transition from "language" to "discourse" through various social, cultural, and linguistic actions. The concept of action-semantics was introduced by Robert Lafont, a linguist, literary historian of Occitan literature, poet, and French novelist who coined the term "internal colonization" (Ruchon, 2018, p. 185). This theory documents the role of language within cultural and social actions and critiques Saussurean linguistics for its lack of interest in the conditions of sign production in languages (Ruchon, 2018, p. 185). Arthur de Gobineau, the distinguished French traveler and writer, visited Iran from 1855 to 1858 and penned the notable travelogue “Trois ans en Asie”. His work in Orientalism had a considerable influence in Iran. Therefore, among the reformulations gathered from the travelogue, certain instances were selected for analysis. Following the description of the types of reformulation, their linguistic value, and dialogic nature, the samples were categorized in statistical charts to reveal the traveler's tendency towards each type of reformulation and dialogism.



4. Results

The results of the research on the travelogue “Trois ans en Asie”, based on the praxematics theory, indicate that Gobineau often utilized alternating reorganization through the use of markers like "ou" and commas, which are based on the principle of balance. These markers maintain the equal status of both the source and target statements without creating any syntactic or cognitive hierarchy between them. Additionally, in almost all the instances found, the reformulation moves from the foreign towards the familiar, suggesting a value of generalization and an approach close to lexicography. This alternation and balance between the source and target statements facilitate intercultural dialogue between the "Self" and the "Other." Pragmatically, this type of reformulation is performed in an interlocutive manner and with an inherently educational purpose, as the dynamic act of generalization brings the "Other" closer to the "Self."

Keywords

Subjects

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Language Related Research
Volume 15, Issue 6 - Serial Number 84
January and February 2024
Pages 241-270