Syllable-Counting Meter in Soqotri Poetry

Aliaa Aloufi

Abstract


Within the advance of generative metrical theory that is concerned with the linguistic study of versification, poetry investigation has been undeniably played a significant role in enhancing such progress. The research of linguistic scholars has been mainly focused on the exploration of English poetry with minor concentration on the examination of poetry in other languages, and that clearly implies the need of such research. Thus, the present study aims to examine the meter in Soqotri poetry under the framework of Optimality Theory (OT). It reveals that Soqotri poetry is regulated by poetic meter that constrains the size of the line with a fixed number of syllables with no systematic rhythm or alliteration. The OT analysis offered in this study derives the restrictions on the size of the line with minimality and maximality constraints. It shows the capability of OT in generating the well-formedness of non-rhythmic meter that constrains the phonological constituency in Soqotri poetry.

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aloufi, A. (2021). Poapean Songs Meter in Optimality Theory. Advances in Language and literary Studies. 12(3). 46-50.

Blumenfeld, L. (2015). Meter as Faithfulness. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory. 33(1). 79-125.

Broselow, E. (1982). On Predicting the Interaction of Stress and Epenthesis. Glossa. 16(2). 115-132.

DeLacy, P. (2008). Maximal Words and The Maori Passive. Optimality Theory in Phonology: A Reader. 495-512.

Fabb, N. (2010). Is Literary Language a Development of Ordinary Language? Lingua. 120(5). 1219-12320

Fabb, N. (2016). Linguistics and literature, Blackwell Handbook of Linguistics Handbooks in Linguistics. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Fabb, N. Halle, M. (2008). Meter in Poetry: A new Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Golston, C. Riad, T. (2005). The Phonology of Greek Lyric Meter. Journal of Linguistics. 41(1). 77-115.

Halle, M. Keyser, S. J. (1966). Chaucer and The Study of Prosody. College English. 28(3):187-219.

Halle, M. Keyser, S. J. (1971). Illustration and Defense of a Theory of The Iambic Pentameter. College English. 33(2): 154-176

Hayes, B. (1988). Metrics and Phonological Theory. Linguistics, The Cambridge Survey, Linguistic Theory: Extensions and Implications. 2. 220–249.

Kiparsky, P. (2020). Stress, Meter, and Text-setting. The Oxford Handbook of Language Prosody. 657-675.

Kogan, L. Bulakh, M. (2017). On Some Poorly Known or Unrecognized Verbal Categories in Soqotri: 1905–2015. Journal of Afroasiatic Languages and Linguistics. 9: 73-105.

Magnuson, K. Ryder, F. G. (1970). The Study of English Prosody: An Alternative Proposal. College English. 31(8): 789-820.

Magnuson, K. Ryder, F. G. (1971). Second Thoughts on English Prosody. College English. 33: 198-216.

Müller, D. H. (1905). Die Mehri- und SoqoTri-Sprache. II. SoqoTri-Texte. Wien, Alfred Hölder.

McCarthy, J. Prince, A. (1993). Generalized Alignment. Yearbook of Morphology. 79-153.

Naumkin, V. & Kogan, L. (2014). Corpus of Soqotri Oral Literature: Volume 1, Brill.

Prince, A. Smolensky, A. (1993). Optimality Theory: Constraint Interaction in Generative Grammar. Ms, Rutgers University and University of Colorado, Boulder.

Simeone-Senelle, M. (2003). Soqotri Dialectology and the Evaluation of The Language Endangerment. The Developing Strategy of Soqotra Archipelago and the Other Yemeni Islands. 14–16: 1–13.

Skilton, A, (2016). Meter without Feet. [Online] Available: http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/~amaliaskilton/skilton_phdqp_meter-without- feet_revised_20161214.pdf. Accessed August, 2020.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.10n.4p.131

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

2012-2023 (CC-BY) Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD. 

International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature

To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the journal emails into your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.