Bertrand Verine

Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 & CNRS, Praxiling (UMR 5267), France

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Externality of definitions versus reality of uses: where does blottir stand in the subjectivity of lexicographers?

Kinesthesia, the internal sensation of movement, is most often assessed through sight, in relation to its external correlates – action and spatial position. This paper investigates a symptom of this tension in French: the discrepancy between dictionary definitions and written uses of the verb blottir or the adjectival participle blotti. On the one hand, from Furetière (1690) to the online Grand Robert, lexicographers restrict their definitions to an external action that makes the ‘blotti’ object less voluminous and/or less visible. On the other hand, from as early as 1844, authors have used this lexical field to refer to intimate interaction with the environment. A search of the Frantext database reveals that for the last century and a half, dictionary entries have lacked a meaning such as: [to seek bodily contact with something or someone in order to achieve physical and/or emotional well- being]. Today, this meaning accounts for almost half of all occurrences. The study thus points to a twofold omission in the work of lexicographers: the late and partial consideration of the ‘subjective interaction with people or objects’ component in favour of exteriority alone, and the complete neglect of the tactile-kinesthetic implications of movement in favour of spatial position alone.

Key words: vocabulary of perceptions; kinesthesia; evolution of uses; lexicographic definitions; visuocentrism