| Abstract [eng] |
A Construction Grammar Approach to the Poetics of Baltic Folk Songs This thesis deals with the issues of Lithuanian and Latvian folk songs poetics, their structure and the strategies of creating poetic meaning. The thesis applies a new type of construction-based models, called Construction Poetics – a result of a synthesis between Construction Grammar and Oral Formulaic Theory. The language of oral poetry is governed by the very same cognitive principles as ordinary spoken language, therefore poetic language can be analysed within a linguistic framework. According to the theory of construction poetics, Baltic folk songs are composed using pairings of form with meaning and poetic function. This thesis analyses the types of these poetic constructions and the relations between them, as well as their function during performance and their link with semantic frames and domains. The analysis revealed 1) how poetic constructions work in poetic language and its usage, 2) what are the strategies governing the poetic performance, and how are they related to the tensions emerging between the poetic tradition and the innovation of the individual, 3) how constructions convey meaning, and 4) how poetic meaning is created and/or modified by linguistic and non-linguistic context(s). Hopefully this thesis not only will cast new light on Baltic folk song and language research, but will contribute to a new uniform cognitive theory of poetic meaning, merging the fields of linguistics and poetics once again. |
