Art of language and linguistic diversity. From R. Jakobson to l. Talmy and E. Glissant

Abstract

This thesis focuses on language as a medium of art and attempts to put the art of language in the perspective of linguistic diversity. The hypothesis is explored that the outputs of the art of language are generated through two parameters: (a) A linguistic dimension poetically activated (locus of poetic activation); (b) Latent linguistic ideology. After assessing the prevalence of by default monolingual activation, we reframe the above hypothesis in the context of linguistic diversity: (a’)  (locus of poetic activation) – An outline of how loci of poetic function (reference, deixis, performativity) coevolve with loci of linguistic diversity relevant from a Boasian perspective; (b’) (linguistic ideology) A brief historical account of the approaches to linguistic diversity in relation with some manifestations of the art of language. After assessing the reach of (a’) and (b’), a heuristic approach (to explore less charted waters in the art of language in linguistic diversity) is presented in two directions: (a) the experimental poetic activation of/ search of implicit poetics within a theoretical proposal (Talmy 2000a: 21-55); (b) the activation of E.Glissant’s alternative approach to linguistic diversity (“le multilingüisme, un mode de l’imaginaire”/ “la présence des langues”).

Manifold aspects of art of language manifestations have necessarily been left aside. The thesis aims to make a contribution to a relatively uncharted area in both language and art research.