La signature, signe ecrit, signe de validation et d'identite
Institution:
Paris 7Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The signature offers three major aspects: its fonction as validation; its statuts as a sign of identity; its graphic and iconic form. An historical analysis of the sign in the charters of french royal chancellery from the 7th to the xivth century shows thaht the signature stems from a validation sign system emanating from three instancies of legitimation : the scribes, god and the king. The old autograph signatures of chancelors show "grapho-discursive" patterns matching a textual configuration. The specific treatm ent of proper nouns attests to the influence of an independant semiographic tradition and of the renewal of our anthroponymic system linked to the advent of the inherited patronym. Some notaries signatures from the xivth to the xvith century allow for a theoretical analysis of the ostensive and enunciative functions of the signature as well as its semantic aspect. It appears that the demonstrative pronoun could be a logico-linguistic pattern for the signature. What does the signer show of himself in his signature? the case of the allegorical "seings mystiques" enhances the ostentatious nature of the sign and helps to understand its autoreflexivity through the semiotic model of the eucharisty. What might be the linguistic status of our modern signature wherein the image has been replaced by graphics ? have they become morphosyntaxic derivative of the proper noun ? the signature takes its value from its autography and its reference to the proper noun. Importance attached to autography points the status we attribute to the indices wich are, according to certain theories, at the beginning of writing. Choosing the signature as a sign of identity can be considered as a feature of a western mentality. The signature belongs to the emblematic of our culture.
Abstract FR:
La signature presente trois aspects essentiels: sa fonction de validation; son statut de signe de l'identite; sa forme graphique et iconique. L'analyse historique de la signature du viieme au xiveme siecles dans les chartes royales francaises montre que la signature relevait d'un systeme de signes de validation emanant de trois instances de legitimation: les scribes, dieu et le roi les signatures autographes anciennes des chanceliers presentent des formes graphodiscursives correspondant a l'organisation du texte. Le traitement particulier reserve au nom propre temoigne de la pregnance d'une tradition semiographique autonome et, dans la periode consideree, du renouvellement de notre systeme anthroponymique lie a l'apparition du patronyme hereditaire. Certaines signatures de notaires du xive au xvieme siecles fournissent l'occasion d'une analyse theorique des fonctions monstrative et enonciative de la signature et de son aspect semantique. Il en ressort que le pronom demonstratif est un modele logico-linguistique possible de la signature. Que montre de lui le signataire dans sa signature ? le cas des seings "mystiques" -allegoriques- amplifie la nature ostentatoire du signe et permet de comprendre sa nature sui-referentielle a travers le modele semiotique de l'eucharistie. Quel statut linguistique accorder a nos signatures modernes dans lesquelles le graphisme a remplace l'image? sont-elles devenues des derives morphosyntaxiques du nom propre? comme signe d'identite la signature vaut par son autographie et par sa reference au nom propre. L'importance devolue a l'autographie renvoie au statut que nous accordons aux empreintes jusqu'a en faire selon certaines theories, l'origine de l'ecriture. L'election de la signature comme signe de l'identite semble relever d'une mentalit occidentale. La signature appartient a l'emblematique de notre culture.