The implicit cultural dimension of the lexicon: a methodological approach at the intersection of collective imaginaries and textual data analysis

Abstract

The French spoken in Quebec is the product of geographic, historical, and cultural dynamics, and constitutes a fundamental element of Québécois identity. Among its lexicological features, québécismes reflect a culturally stratified history shaped by multiple layers of contact and contamination, thus becoming vectors of collective memory. This specific framework falls within a broader perspective that considers words as capable of activating specific cultural networks. It is within this research horizon that our analysis is situated, aiming to identify the shared linguistic and cultural imaginary activated by the québécisme « caribou » — selected for its distinct lexicological characteristics —, a borrowing from an Indigenous language of the Algonquian family that has become stabilized in both Québécois and Hexagonal French. To achieve this objective, we examined the Corpus des Littératures Autochtones, constructed specifically for this study, in order to extract thematic clusters associated with this lexical unit and annotate them using cultural categories. The results reveal that the word « caribou » triggers latent imaginaries and draws around it other terms that function as cultural markers of the imaginary. This case study is not limited to a lexico-cultural exploration: it lays the foundation for a broader project aimed at building a shared cultural lexicon, annotated in digital format and potentially applicable within the field of artificial intelligence technologies.