BREAKDOWN OF COMMUNICATION IN THE THEATER OF IONESCO: A LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS

Four plays, La Cantatrice cuavre, La Lecon, Jacques ou la soumission and Les Chaises, are analyzed from a psycho-linguistic point of view. The emphasis is on problems related to the discrepancy between the "name" (word) and the "referent" (that which is referred to) behind the name. This discrepancy occurs in a variety of forms, including contradictory statements, cliches, socially inappropriate words or phrases, and non sequiturs, as well as the use of words as instruments of power rather than tools of communication of thought. This communications gap, while exaggerated in the theater of Ionesco, is shown to be similar to that encountered recently in our everyday lives.