The Textual Genesis of a Title: A Study on Associative Networks and Memory Activation in Newly Literate Students

Abstract

This study aims to understand the creative process during the textual genesis of titles in stories invented by newly literate students (8 years old). Based on the theoretical-methodological perspective offered by Textual Genetics, within a linguistic-enunciative approach, we analyze the associative relations constituted in the retrieval of information from the semantic and episodic memories of these students. We take as a unit of analysis the face to face dialogue, established during a collaborative textual production process, in the ecological context of the classroom. Our qualitative and microgenetic analysis allowed us to map the way ideas and linguistic elements are articulated in an unpredictable and unusual way, forming associative networks, both by semantic and sound similarities. The associative networks indicate that creativity occurs between the recognition of the language set (homonymy, alliteration, senses) while preserving the properties of the textual genre and the unity of meaning of the school manuscript under construction.