The formula transition énergétique in a French-Language newspaper: toward a tool enhanced methodological framework for French-Language discourse analysis

This article argues that an approach that pays attention to to the conceptual, ideological and methodological complexities of contemporary journalistic discourse is required for an understanding of that discourse. In an era of accelerated information circulation, genre hybridisation, and intensified transnational interdependencies, discourse cannot be analysed solely through surface structures. It is argued that researchers need to examine the interpretive frameworks, value systems and rhetorical conventions that underpin journalistic formulations. Furthermore, researchers need to foreground their own epistemological stance and acknowledge the tensions between descriptive analysis, lexicometrics, critical engagement and the ethical implications of interpreting public discourse. The paper situates its approach within the French tradition of discourse analysis (ADF) while also advocating greater methodological reflexivity and transparency. After outlining its theoretical foundations and corpus building procedures, the article analyses selected extracts to show how recurrent formulas shape points of view, activate specific argumentative topoi and mobilise metaphorical resources, particularly those drawn from colour and nature. Focusing on the recurrent use of a key formula (“energy transition”) in a French-language Belgian newspaper, the article interrogates the discursive construction of a widely shared socio-political narrative. It demonstrates how this expression contributes to the normalisation of a future-oriented imaginary that portrays large-scale societal transformation as both self-evident and desirable. This dynamic reflects broader ideological investments in teleological visions of progress.