A computerized dictionary for the research of the discourse from the psychoanalytic perspective

David Maldavsky

I. General presentation

1. Features and aims of David Liberman algorithm

2. Tools

3. Results

II. On the DLA Dictionary

1. Construction of the dictionary

2. Current state of the dictionary

3. Usefulness, strategies of employ, presentation of the results

4. Systematic use of contextual investigation of the meaning of the words: the problem of O1

5. Criticisms and limitations

III. Applications of DLA tools, mainly the dictionary

1. Journalism sections

2. Bank’s employees

3. Symbolic richness

4. Erotic countertransference

5. Translation

6. “God’s writing”, a J. L. Borges narration

I. General presentation

1. Features and aims of David Liberman algorithm

David Liberman algorithm (DLA) was designed for the research of the speech from the subjective Freudian perspective of the eroticism. These perspective proposes a restricted frame of meanings for the discourse, which is conceived, in each case, as a manifestation of a specific eroticism, or, more exactly, a combination of a specific group of them. The set of eroticisms postulated by Freud are IL: intrasomatic libido; O1: primary oral; O2: secondary oral sadistic; A1: primary anal sadistic; A2: secondary anal sadistic; UPH: urethral phallic and GPH: genital phallic. Each eroticism is expressed in the discourse as a specific type of feeling, weltanschauung, representation of the space, of the group, of values, etc., of the speaker/writer.

2. Tools

The field of the research is the discourse, more specifically, three levels of it: narration, phrase, word. For each level a tool is available. For the narration, a grid; another grid for the phrase, and a computerized dictionary for the words. (But DLA was also applied to the research of not verbal manifestation, specially the visual ones.)

The two grids allows to research scenes: 1) those describes in the narration, 2) those displayed by the fact of speaking/writing. These last kind of scenes were detected mostly with the tool designed for the analysis of the phrases. Nevertheless, the results of the analysis of the phrases can be categorized in terms of the grid of the narration, that is, as scenes not describe but displayed by the fact of speaking/writing.

Grid for the narration analysis

EROTICISM SCENE	GENITAL PHALLIC	PHALLIC URETHRAL	SECUNDARY ANAL SADISTIC	PRIMARY ANAL SADISTIC	SECONDARY ORAL SADISTIC	PRIMARY ORAL	INTRA-SOMATIC LIBIDO
Initial state	Aesthetic harmony	Routine	Hierarchic order	Natural legal equilibrium	Paradise	Cognitive peace	Equilibrium between tensions
First transformation = Awakening of desire	Desire for aesthetic completion	Ambitious desire	Desire to dominate an object in the framework of a public oath	Desire driven by thirst for justice	Temptation Expiation	Abstract cognitive desire	Speculative desire
Second transformation= Attempt to consummate desire	Reception of a Power-Gift	Finding the mark of the father deep in the object	Discerning that the object is faithful to corrupt subjects	Revenge	Sin Reparation	Access to a truth	Gain in pleasure through organic intrusion
Third transformation= Consequences of the attempt to consummate desire	Pregnancy Aesthetic disorganization	Challenge of adventure Challenge of routine	Virtue recognized Social condemnation and moral expulsion	Leadership formally recognized, honoured Being unable to move; being locked away and humiliated	Forgiveness and loving recognition Expulsion from Paradise	Recognition of genius Loss of lucidity; the other enjoys objective cognition	Organic euphoria Asthenia
Final state	Shared harmony Lasting feeling of disgust	Adventure Pessimistic routine	Moral peace Moral torment	Evocation of heroic past or Return to lasting peace Lasting resentment	Vale of tears Recovery of Paradise	Bliss in revelation Loss of the essence	Balance of tensions with no energy loss Lasting tension or asthenia

Grid for the phrases’ analysis

LI	O1	O2	A1	A2	UPH	GPH
banality and inconsistency	abstract deduction	moan: “I could have been, but...” “I should have been... but”	offense, blasphemy and imprecation	proverbs, verdicts and maxims	popular proverbs	praise: “how nice”
flattering	metaphysical and mystic thinking	complain and reproach	slander, detracting and defamation	religious and ritualized invocations	premonition and omens	promise
references to state of things (weigh/volume/ quantity/gross-ness/deteriora-tion)	denial that creates a logical contradiction in front of alien statement	request and begging	accusation and denunciation	quotations	give or ask for advice	imitation
hiperrealism	logical paradoxes	asking of forgiveness and excuses		information of facts	warning “be careful because...”	appeal to the listener
accounts	metalanguage (talking about language) or equivalent (talking about films, books, etc.)	references on affective states	confessions of doing something opposed to law or moral	description of concrete situations	questions and statements about spatial or temporal localization	showing a desire: “I want to talk about this”
catharsis	clue phrase	references on things states (climatic, objects aging)	incitement	conditional imperative “if...then”, “no... because”	interruptions in other person or in oneself discourse	private oath: “I swear you”
interruptions because of sound languishing	interruptions because of sound languishing	references to be doing an action	distortion	public oath and imposing obligations	phrases in suspense	dramatization
	references on disturbed states of the own body	interruptions (to swallow a word or a syllabi) or interrupting other person because of impatient feelings	abusive orders to do something opposed to the general law	contract	pretext	emphasis and exaggeration
		condolence or commisera-tion	threats	orders, indications according with general law	gossiping	nonsense, embellishing, fantasy lightness
		empathic understanding	intrusive interruption	valuation judgements and critical, linked with moral, cleanness, culture and order	greetings and other forms to make contact	comparison between qualities: beauty, sympathy
			curse: “I wish you die”, etc.	justifications of statements, words and acts	accompanying other person discourse (m-hm, ajá)	metaphoric comparison
			power show off	clarifications	pet words (eeh, you know) as a sign that the channel is occupied by the emitting	question: how
			rendering or admission of defeat	classification	ambiguity and avoidance	causal relation in which determinant factor of an effect is the increasing of a quality (so beauty.. that)
			triumphal mockery	distributive arguments “each”, “neither... nor”	minimizers: “a little scared”	synthetic redundance
			boasting	confirmation (or rectification) of alien opinion or asking a confirmation or rectification of owns opinion (consulting)
				syntactic rectification
				ordering: by one side, by the other side, in first place, in second place, in third place...
				control of memory, own or of another person: do you remember? do you understand me? I remember this
				deduction, conjecture and concrete inference
				concrete generalization
				synthesis
				Introduction / closure of a subject
				doubts