Forms of Address: a Few Remarks on Emotional Exchanges in Comics

Abstract

Fillette, chérie, coquine, doudou... the forms of address constitute an important discursive operator of emotional exchanges. Such forms encompass both the expression of tenderness or, quite simply, the mark of affectivity and social and ritual behaviours, giving individuals the possibility of sharing the same experiences. The aim of our study will be primarily to examine the semantic content of the forms of address mobilised in the comic strip story, with an emphasis on those which appeal to non-standard registers of language. First, this approach will allow us to give some paths for reflection on the thematic arrangement around which the terms in question are coined. Next, we will seek to identify and describe the enunciative and pragmatic features of a discourse based on the affective component. More specifically, we will try to analyse the functional values and the expressive dimension of the forms of address favoured by contemporary comics.