In a story, an allotopy is when two basic meaning traits (semes) contradict each other; that is, when they trace two incompatible interpretations. It was conceived as being the opposite of an isotopy, which is the homogeneity resulting from repetition of the same seme.[1] The concept was coined in the 1970s by the Belgian semioticians known as Groupe μ.

History

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In the 1970, the Belgian semioticians known under the name Groupe μ, introduced the concept of Allotopy.[2] They first discussed the concept in publications like Isotopie et allotopie,[3] Isotopie, allotopie et polytopie (1976),[4] and A Rhetoric of Poetry (1977).[5]

Allotopy and humor

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Groupe μ discussed the relation of allotopy to jokes and humor.[citation needed] Salvatore Attardo, despite not using the term allotopy, formulated a theory of humor based on the idea of the "incompatible interpretations", called the isotopy-disjunction model.[6][7] This is part of the broader idea of defining humor as based on contradiction/incongruity.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Jean-Marie Klinkenberg (1996) Précis de sémiotique générale, De Boeck, p. 118 [1] Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Définition de : l'allotopie". Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  3. ^ DUBOIS J. ; EDELINE F. ; KLINKENBERG J.-M. ; MINGUET P. (1976) Isotopie et allotopie: le fonctionnement rhétorique du texte, no14, pp. 41-65 (2 p.)
  4. ^ Groupe μ (1976) Isotopie, allotopie et polytopie : le texte rhétorique, Versus, 14, 1 976
  5. ^ Groupe μ (1977)
  6. ^ Salvatore Attardo (2001) Humorous texts: a semantic and pragmatic analysis, sect.5.3.2, p.83
  7. ^ Salvatore Attardo (1994) Linguistic theories of humor, chap.2
  8. ^ The sign in Paris semiotics[permanent dead link], Semiotica. Volume 111, Issue 1-2, Pages 1–34, ISSN (Online) 1613-3692, ISSN (Print) 0037-1998, doi:10.1515/semi.1996.111.1-2.1, //1996

References

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Further reading

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