FRENCH CULTURAL REALITIES AND ALLUSIVE STRATEGIES IN CONTEMPORARY MEDIA: WHEN COLLECTIVE MEMORY BECOMES WORDPLAY

Authors

  • Iryna Shevchenko https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8441-4068 ira.shevchenko@knlu.edu.ua Master’s degree student of the Faculty of Romance Philology and Translation Kyiv National Linguistic University (Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine) 03150, Kyiv, 73, Velyka Vasylkivska Str. , Kyiv National Linguistic University image/svg+xml
  • Vira Ruban https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4708-0656 vira.ruban@knlu.edu.ua PhD (Philology), Associate Professor at Department of Italian and French Philology and Translation, Kyiv National Linguistic University (Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine) 03150, Kyiv, 73, Velyka Vasylkivska Str. , Kyiv National Linguistic University image/svg+xml

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-6530.2026.50.197-206

Keywords:

wordplay, cultural allusion, collective memory, media discourse, French realities, Charlie Hebdo

Abstract

Contemporary media discourse, particularly its satirical dimension, relies on shared cultural references to construct meaning, establish connivance, and convey critical perspectives. This article examines the use of wordplay in the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo as a mechanism for activating culturally specific references. The study is based on a qualitative analysis of articles and headlines published in Charlie Hebdo in 2025–2026, supplemented by references to popular songs and films. The methodology combines discourse analysis, cognitive pragmatics, and stylistic analysis. The findings reveal several categories of cultural realities mobilized through allusive wordplay: everyday objects and places, popular culture, social and regional stereotypes, literary and historical references, and archetypal figures. These categories perform distinct pragmatic and stylistic functions, generating absurdist humour, nostalgic connivance, identity-related associations, and cultural anchoring. The analysis demonstrates that media wordplay extends beyond its comic function: by mobilizing shared cultural knowledge, it constitutes a rhetorical resource for satire, critical demystification, and the construction of collective cultural identity.

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Published

2026-09-02

Issue

2026: Issue 50

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ірина Шевченко, Віра Рубан

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How to Cite

Shevchenko, I., & Ruban, V. (2026). FRENCH CULTURAL REALITIES AND ALLUSIVE STRATEGIES IN CONTEMPORARY MEDIA: WHEN COLLECTIVE MEMORY BECOMES WORDPLAY. PROBLEMS OF SEMANTICS, PRAGMATICS AND COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS, 1(50), 185-193. https://doi.org/10.17721/2663-6530.2026.50.197-206