Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Definition of the Domain of Knowledge and
Configuration of the Topical Structure
8.1.Introduction
Any analytical task usually begins with the identification and circumscription of
the type of knowledge object an audiovisual text deals with. In other words, one
must first define the appropriate
topical structure* (configuration)
to speak about a
given subject in an audiovisual text being analyzed.
The topical structure itself, as we have already seen, takes account of two types
of
objects of analysis*
-
referential objects
and
objects of referential location
. In
terms of the
referentialobjects
specifically, the topical structure may, in the simplest
of cases, manifest itself as a single conceptual term which the analyst has to confirm
before describing it (see below, section 8.2). However, the topical structure may, of
course, manifest as a configuration, positioning various conceptual terms in relation
to one another. It is therefore up to the analyst to define the precise structure he
needs in order to analyze a specific subject developed in “his” audiovisual text or
corpus, by selecting the appropriate conceptual terms.
By defining the appropriate topical structure for his analysis, the analyst
configures
(or rather,
reconfigures
) the topical structure which is suggested in an
interactive descriptive form. In section 8.2, we shall discuss the simplest task of
configuration/reconfiguration, which consists of selecting the conceptual term
which, on its own, represents a domain of knowledge. Then, in sections 8.3 and 8.4,
we shall discuss more complex cases of the analyst defining (reconfiguring) a
topical structure in order to adapt it to the object of his analysis.
