Which Structural Markers to Identify in Texts?: Theoretical and Methodological Aspects. Application to the first Chapter of the European Constitution

Abstract: We define a text-object by pinpointing the differences between “a text” and “some text”. Our objective is “to make the text speak by itself”, by the means of a textual analysis able, when the object is “a text”, to highlight “one” meaning. We present the theoretical framework of Applicative (actions and operations) and Cognitive (abstract and conceptual representations) Grammar (GA&C), in which this textual analysis is carried out. “One” meaning can be proposed regarding the text, both locally and at a more global level. Then, to fulfil this objective, we propose a textual analysis method, based on identification of the markers from a “point of view”, or a main language operation. An epistemological control of the results is necessary, added to the method of analysis, to make clearer the main concepts and actions in the text. We focus here both on determining the “point of view” to identify predication with relevant markers, and at a conceptual level, from the identified markers of this “point of view”, with two examples of cartography from the first chapter of the European Constitution.