Hjelmslev, la sémiotique et l’École de Paris

An initial appraisal of the contribution of Hjelmslevian theory to the structuring of French semiotics was made during an interview with A-J. Greimas in 1986. Thirty years later, this article draws a more complete picture of Louis Hjelmslev’s contribution to the semiotics of the School of Paris. Starting with a lexical mapping of Hjelmslev’s legacy, we focus on the definition of semiotics. According to the Prolégomènes of Hjelmslev, the first volume of the Dictionary of Greimas and Courtés gives the definition of semiotics as a “hierarchy of relationships.” A historical investigation reveals, however, a lack of certainty about which exact place should be given to participative oppositions. Considering both the early writings of the Danish author as well as the developments in tensive theory, an alternative definition seems essential. In the hierarchy of relationships (particular and qualitative), this definition incorporates other modes of meaning, specifically the participative network of relationships. According to Hjelmslev’s categorization of cases, such integration reconciles logical and pre-logical orientations. Ultimately, this definition is the closest to the logic of hypertexual writing, to language and being.