Exploring Poetry Beyond Established Language: A Syntax with Made-Up Words

When we think of poetry, the beauty of language and the adherence to established linguistic rules often come to mind. However, a fascinating shade of poetry exists that pushes these boundaries, where the syntax is maintained, yet the words are made up or non-meaningful. This form of poetry, akin to what we see in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake, challenges the very essence of meaning and language.

James Joyce's Finnegans Wake: A Paragon of Unconventional Poetry

James Joyce's Finnegans Wake is a literary masterpiece that breaks the traditional mold of written language. The prose is a continuous stream of consciousness, filled with made-up words and non-cohesive structure. Despite these apparent linguistic inconsistencies, the syntactic framework remains robust, as seen in the following excerpt:

“riverrun past Eve and Adams from swerve of shore to bend of bay brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.”

This passage is an intricate play of words and phrases that, though seemingly meaningless, adhere to a structured grammatical form. Similarly, this:

“Sir Tristram violer damores frover the short sea had passen-core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyers rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselves to Laurens Countys gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor a voice from a fire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet though venissoon after had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet though alls fair in vanessy were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pas malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.”

These excerpts from Finnegans Wake demonstrate how syntax can persist in the absence of conventional linguistic meaning, creating an entirely new form of poetry.

Abstract Poetry and Chomskian Syntax

The question of whether such poetry has syntactic structure in the Chomskian sense is intriguing. Chomskian syntax is defined by the rules and principles that govern the structure of sentences. Even with made-up words, the sentences can still follow these syntactic rules, highlighting the arbitrary nature of language meaning. For instance, the sentence:

“Fall bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur- nuk! of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy.”

Though the words are imaginary, the syntax still adheres to Chomskian principles. The same can be said for the famous nonsensical phrase:

“Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.”

The sentence is syntactically correct but lacks semantic meaning, demonstrating the independence of syntax from semantics.

Poetic Structures in Abstract Poetry

A powerful example of abstract poetry is the work of Edith Sitwell, who focused on the aural qualities of words rather than their meanings. Her poems, such as:

“The red retriever-haired satyr Can whine and tease her and flatter But Lily O’Grady Silly and shady In the deep shade is a lazy lady”

maintain poetic structure through meter, rhyme, alliteration, and repetition, without the need for semantic meaning. This type of poetry exists not to convey meaning but to evoke feeling and sound, creating a unique form of artistic expression.

Conclusion

The exploration of poetry that operates outside of established language, yet retains a poetic syntactical structure, opens up a vast realm of creative possibilities. From Finnegans Wake to Sitwell's abstract poetry, these forms challenge our understanding of language and its role in poetry. Whether through made-up words or reduced semantics, the preservation of syntactic structure allows for a language that is unique, imaginative, and indeed poetic.