Genres of «replacement» discourses and reported speech

Genres of discourse, although quite diverse, can be approached and characterized by the place and form they give to reported speech – a dimension that has been widely studied. However, some discursive genres distinguish themselves by the very special place they give to the representation of another discourse: the whole discourse presents itself as «discourse of replacement» of another discourse. This suggests the existence of a generic field in which a discourse (D) represents another discourse (d). For instance, meeting reports, official statement transcripts, text summaries, written press interviews, trial minutes, course notes and published courses could be considered as relevant to this generic field.

We invite contributors to reflect on the specificities and limits of this generic field: to identify and describe the different genres and socio-discursive practices related to it and to observe the forms that the representation of reported speech can take.

Contributors may address the following issues:

- Identifying the characteristics and subcategories of «replacement» discourse,
- Addressing how replacement discourse operates and what it relies on – its bases and forms,
- Identifying the relationship of equivalence between original and «replacement» discourses, and the potential transformations or losses that occur as a result the «replacement» process,
- Examining to which extent the original discourse (d) can somehow be said to contain the seeds of its «replacement» discourse (D), and to which extent the two discourses are interdependent (or not),
- Determining if discursive practices such as translation, «writing for someone else» (public writers, ghost writers), and speech preparations (theatrical improvisation outlines, notes/summaries for oral presentations) can be viewed as «replacement discourse» genres.

The conference aims to focus especially on the specific use of linguistic forms of reported speech in the different genres: quantity, types of representation (direct and indirect speech…), presence/absence of markers. Some useful parameters might be:

- The status of the «enunciator» of D
- The genres of D and d
- The channel (oral or written) of D and d
- The conditions for the validity of D
- The aims and uses of D

Diachronic analysis, as well as genetic and literary analyses of «replacement» discourse production, is welcome.

Proposals should be 500 words in length (word count does not include bibliography). They must be submitted in French on a Word document to lieutenance2017@gmail.com. Your name and university affiliation must appear only in your email; please keep your proposal document anonymous.

Contacto:
Université Paris 3 & Université Paris 10
Correo e.: lieutenance2017@gmail.com