Exploring the Morpho-Syntactic Plane: Meaning, Syntax, and Poetic Language
Exploring the Morpho-Syntactic Plane
We transition from the acoustic level to the morpho-syntactic plane, delving into how meaning is constructed through syntax and why certain sentences possess a more artistic quality than others. This exploration contrasts the logical syntax of standard language with the rhythmical syntax of poetic language.
1. Morpho-Syntactic Plane
Dispositio and Elocutio involve composing the text and structuring its central themes. Morphology categorizes words, influencing the text’s dynamism. Noun-heavy texts tend to be static, while verb-rich texts exhibit dynamism. Syntax, on the other hand, governs sentence structure and meaning.
Deviation and Recurrence examine how literary texts deviate from or repeat standard language patterns. Artistic texts often deviate to create unique effects. Recurrence, the repetition of textual elements, highlights key themes and is a rhetorical device for emphasis.
Enjambment occurs when a sentence extends beyond a single verse line due to metrical constraints. This syntactic defamiliarization draws attention to the line break and creates a sense of continuity.
2. Figures of Speech
This section explores various figures of speech, including those related to word position and semantic relationships.
3. Figures of Speech: Position
Hyperbaton, the alteration of standard word order, is common in poetry and varies across languages. Spanish, for example, allows for greater flexibility in word order compared to English.
4. Coupling
Coupling, the opposite of hyperbaton, creates associations between words, often through semantic or phonetic equivalences. Effective coupling enhances meaning without becoming overly repetitive or predictable.
Fusion of Form and Content highlights how the poem’s form shapes and conveys its content. Semantic equivalences often rely on phonic equivalences, revealing latent connections and enriching the text’s meaning.
5. Isotopies
Isotopies are recurring semantic categories that guide the reader towards a unified interpretation of the text. They create a network of meaning by resolving ambiguities and connecting different parts of the discourse.
There are three main types of isotopies:
- Phonoprosodic Isotopies: Relationships between words based on sound and rhythm, such as alliteration and rhyme.
- Syntactic Isotopies: Semantic fields created through syntactic structures like parallelism and enumeration.
- Semantic Isotopies: Groups of words sharing related meanings, such as those associated with nature, love, or death.
Isotopies operate at various levels, contributing to the text’s overall coherence and allowing for multiple layers of interpretation. By disregarding secondary meanings and focusing on the dominant isotopy, readers can grasp the text’s central message and appreciate its connotative richness.
Textual dynamization is achieved through the interplay of these elements, creating a vibrant and engaging reading experience.