NEGOTIATING THE MEANING OF ABSURDITY IN SAMUEL BECKETT’S WAITING FOR GODOT
Author(s)
Jean-Pierre Aimé Patrick OUATTARA
Muhamed DJANÉ .
Abstract
This article describes how negotiating meaning and absurdity interact in Samuel Beckett’s
Waiting for Godot. It identifies contexts where meaning emerges from absurd linguistic
productions. Using P. Grice’s (1975) Cooperative Principles and J. Derrida’s (1967)
Deconstruction Theory, the study shows that meaning is dynamic: speakers assign their own
semantics, creating a polysemic setting where the speaker’s model seems absurd to the hearer.
Absurdity manifests through contradictions, paradoxes, circular and repetitive speech, nonsequiturs,
ambiguity,
and
vagueness.
These
features
create
semantic
gaps
in
communication.
However,
negotiating
meaning
through
misdirection,
deflection,
reformulation,
redundancy,
humour,
irony, and extralinguistic items helps bridge those gaps triggered by polysemic absurdity.
Download
Domaines
ISSN : 2959-9407 Editeur : UFR Lettres et Arts Université : UPGC Périodicité : Semestriel Domaines : Lettres, Langues, Littératures, Communication et Sciences de l’Education