The life of words : etymology and modern poetry / David-Antoine Williams.

The life of words : etymology and modern poetry / David-Antoine Williams.

9780191892585 (electronic book)

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2020.

English

1 online resource (320 pages).

PR601

821.91409

For centuries, investigations into the origins of words were entwined with investigations into the origins of humanity and the cosmos. With the development of modern etymological practice in the 19th century, however, many cherished etymologies were shown to be impossible, and the very idea of original 'true meaning' asserted in the etymology of 'etymology' declared a fallacy. Structural linguistics later held that the relationship between sound and meaning in language was 'arbitrary', or 'unmotivated', a truth that has survived with small modification until today. On the other hand, the relationship between sound and meaning has been a prime motivator of poems, at all times throughout history. This book studies a selection of poets inhabiting our 'Age of the Arbitrary', whose auditory-semantic sensibilities have been motivated by a historical sense of the language.

For centuries, investigations into the origins of words were entwined with investigations into the origins of humanity and the cosmos. With the development of modern etymological practice in the 19th century, however, many cherished etymologies were shown to be impossible, and the very idea of original 'true meaning' asserted in the etymology of 'etymology' declared a fallacy. Structural linguistics later held that the relationship between sound and meaning in language was 'arbitrary', or 'unmotivated', a truth that has survived with small modification until today. On the other hand, the relationship between sound and meaning has been a prime motivator of poems, at all times throughout history. This book studies a selection of poets inhabiting our 'Age of the Arbitrary', whose auditory-semantic sensibilities have been motivated by a historical sense of the language.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

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Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on June 4, 2020).

Oxford scholarship online.

Print version: 9780198812470

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