Analyse d’une publicité sur “Calvados Boulard”

Abstract

In this piece of research, carried out from an advertisement in Le Nouvel Observateur, we have developed some semiotic notions. We have not had into account the image and its reading in a ‘z-shape’, which means that the slogan, the picture, the bas de la page, and the bottle have not been considered. Therefore, we explain some phenomena involving the textual and poetic semantics of the text. We are going to prove that this advertisement is divided into two parts. This division is made according to typographic, syntactic and expository criteria. One comes to support the other. Next, we will deal with the descriptive semantics and the interpretation of the text. Both the evaluative position and the subjective character will be discussed: the ‘actorialisation’ and, with this, the treatment of time (speaking about time lexemes) and the treatment of space (speaking about the space of the drink), always supported by typography. Later, it has been developed the transfer into drink of qualities/effects that the woman causes into men, thanks to lexemes, to follow with the metaphor between drink and sun to reinforce the former. The following analysis is, in fact, relating the semantic facts to the interpretative ones, which have been proved to be true, and the possible resulting semantic relations. In order to do this, we will firstly put forward a study on the virtual ‘sèmes’ of the lexemes ‘boisson’ and ‘soleil’. In the second place, we will demonstrate the common ‘semes’ of the two lexemes already mentioned above. To sum up, we will carry out an analysis of the semiotic categories that link the two ‘sememes’ in the context of advertising.

Tirée du Nouvel Observateur (20-26 décembre 1991), cette publicité nous servira pour développer un travail sur certaines notions sémiotiques. En ce faisant, nous nous limiterons à l’analyse du texte laissant de côté l’analyse de l’image qui exige des compétences et des connaissances que peut-être négligeons-nous. Donc, nous ne tiendrons pas compte de tout ce qui fait partie de l’image et de sa lecture en “zède”, c’est-à-dire du slogan, de la photographie, du bas de la page, de la bouteille. Certes, cette analyse serait en relation avec notre analyse du texte, mais elle s’avérerait trop prétentieuse et nous ne prétendons pas arriver à une analyse trop exhaustive. Nous nous limiterons, donc, à mettre en évidence, plus ou moins bien, quelques-uns des phénomènes concernant la sémantique textuelle et poétique.