Linguostylistic and linguopoetic analysis of E. E. Cummings’ i carry your heart with me (i carry it in

Abstract

Article deals with linguostylistic and linguopoetic analyses, which emerged in the middle of the previous century and were developed by the world’s leading linguists. Linguostylistics and linguopoetics are interdependent branches of linguistics. The first one consists of three levels: semiotic, metasemiotic and metametasemiotic. At first literary text is examined at phonetic, lexical and grammatical levels, where each word is considered as an independent part of speech. The second level analyses each language unit in combination with others. At this point attention is drawn to metaphors and other figurative expressions. Metametasemiotic level is also known as linguopoetic analysis of the literary text. It is a vertical analysis, which identifies main tools for creating the aesthetic effect of poetry on reader.

E.E. Cummings is an American poet, essayist, and playwright. His poetry is known for the frequent use of graphic, lexical and grammatical deviations, as well as phonetic and lexical parallelism. In this article the author offers an outline of linguopoetic and linguostylistic analyses of E.E. Cummings’ poem i carry your heart with me (i carry it in according to the described system at semiotic and metasemiotic levels.

The results of linguostylistic analysis describe elements that draw readers’ attention. Hence, the main tools the author uses at semiotic level are decapitalization, assonance and alliteration, which create rhythm in the poem. Enjambment compensates for the lack of punctuation. Metasemiotic analysis singles out metaphors based on the comparison of the you-character with symbolic images of the sky, heart, tree and others. Linguopoetic analysis outlines elements that draw readers’ attention and bring forth aesthetic function of the poem.

Key words: linguostylistics; linguopoetics; semiotics; metasemiotics; deviation; E.E. Cummings.