*(ex-)tabanus : une matrice sémantique neurocognitive pour des taons prototypes des esprits errants dans les Alpes francoprovençales et occitanes
Fabio Armand
Géolinguistique February 10, 2026 DOI: 10.4000/geolinguistique.2102 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Occitan Francoprovençal Experiential neurocognitive semantics Sleep paralysis Soul-horsefly |
| Key points | Argues that linguistic forms derived from Latin *tabanus* in Francoprovençal and Occitan dialects encode a semantic matrix linking concepts of soul transmigration to the experiential phenomena of sleep paralysis. |
Abstract
Within the context of the development of an experiential neurocognitive semantic perspective, we investigate the processes of metensomatosis of the soul as an insect. We will conduct our reflections starting from the forms tavané, derived from the Latin tabanus, in the Francoprovençal varieties of Aosta Valley, the Francoprovençal developments of France and Roman Switzerland and the Occitan ones of the verbal series formed by the compound *ex- + tabanus, in order to reconstruct a lexico-narrative semantic matrix that describes the experiential bases of sleep paralysis (paralysis, sensations of choking and suffocation, head buzzing, etc.). By borrowing the terminology adopted in Barner and Scott Baron’s publication (2016), core knowledge vs conceptual change, we will focus mainly on the secondary changes (conceptual changes) that take place within the framework of the core semantic components of mind-soul concepts and out-of-body experiences.