Textualité

Textualité refers to the study of texts as objects of analysis, focusing on their intrinsic properties rather than solely on their external context or authorial intent. It encompasses the examination of how meaning is constructed within a text through its linguistic features, structure, and organization. This approach emphasizes the interplay of elements such as syntax, semantics, vocabulary, and narrative devices to understand how a text functions and generates its effects on the reader.

Key concerns within textualité include coherence, cohesion, and the various levels of textual organization. Coherence refers to the semantic unity and logical flow of a text, ensuring that its parts relate meaningfully to form a whole. Cohesion, on the other hand, deals with the linguistic ties that bind sentences and clauses together, such as the use of pronouns, conjunctions, and repetition. Textualité also investigates how different types of texts, from literary works to everyday communication, employ distinct strategies to achieve their communicative goals.

This analytical perspective often draws upon semiotics, linguistics, and literary theory. By dissecting the internal mechanisms of a text, textualité aims to provide a systematic understanding of how meaning is created, conveyed, and interpreted. It recognizes that texts are not simply transparent windows to reality or authorial thought but rather complex systems of signs that require careful deconstruction to be fully appreciated. The focus remains on the text itself as the primary site of meaning-making.