Le langage des pagnes en Côte d’Ivoire : perspectives sémiotique et sociolinguistique

Abstract. Language has several facets of definitions, among which we postulate that of Vendryes (1923:9) who defines language as `` a system of signs [...]. By sign is meant any symbol capable of serving as means of communication among men. Language occurs whenever two individuals, having attributed by convention a certain meaning to a given act, perform this act with a view to communicating among themselves”. This paper attempts to study the language of wax fabrics, which, loaded with day- to- day experiences, transmit messages through the different names given to them to reflect the social realities of Ivorians. To achieve this objective, it should be noted that the conception of language as a sign system is not only linked to linguistics, it also calls for a semiotic approach which is the general study of verbal and non-verbal sign systems. Describing and understanding how these systems work will be part of our concern. We will then use the sociolinguistic approach of Labov (1976) to evaluate the various expressions of the wax fabric, its powers in its different uses and its different functions in the Ivoirian society. Mots-clés : Côte d’Ivoire, pagne, langage, sémiologie, sociolinguistique. Keywords: Ivory Coast, wax fabric, language, semiology, sociolinguistics.