Formulaic Language and Linguistic Multiforms: Questions of Complexity and Variation (original) (raw)
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This paper explores the concept of multiforms in the context of Oral-Formulaic Theory (OFT), distinguishing it from formulaic language, and delving into the complexities and variations rooted in linguistic multiforms. The author argues that while formulas serve as coherent and consistent signifiers, multiforms are more flexible and varied, applicable in both poetic forms and mundane discourse. Key implications of this distinction for understanding language use in different contexts are discussed, positioning multiforms as significant beyond traditional literary analysis.
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Linguistic Multiforms: Advancing Oral-Formulaic Theory
2016
This paper offers an accessible introduction to the theory of linguistic multiforms. Linguistic multiforms are verbal systems that are distinguishable from formulae and can provide frameworks for longer sequences of text. They provide an intermediate unit between the linguistic formula and theme as a unit of narrative content of Oral-Formulaic Theory (OFT). They also provide an approach to shorter poetic forms that are more verbally stable in social circulation than the long epics on which Classic OFT was developed. In addition, certain types of lexical variation only become understandable when multiforms are acknowledged. Integrating multiform theory into OFT allows a broader range of verbal art to be analyzed within a unified framework. Multiform theory was initially developed for the analysis of the flexibility of length of text sequences in long epics, following which it has been developed and refined. Focus in this article is on shorter forms of oral poetry that have not been conducive for analysis through Classic OFT owing to greater textual regularity in reproduction. Multiforms of different formal types are illustrated through examples from Finno-Karelian kalevalaic poetry, Old Norse eddic and skaldic poetries, and North Russian bylina poetry. The broader theoretical framework is nevertheless concerned with a general phenomenon of language that is also relevant to forms of discourse that are not poetically organized.
In Weathered Words: Formulaic Language and Verbal Art. Ed. Frog & William Lamb. Milman Parry Collection of Oral Literature 6. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Pp. 115–146., 2022
OA in another format: https://chs.harvard.edu/book/weathered-words-formulaic-language-and-verbal-art/ This article looks at units of verbal composition more complex than a linguistic formula, with discussions of the history of the concept and how it complements units commonly used in Oral-Formulaic Theory research.
Formulaic language: Theories and methods
2021
The notion of formulaicity has received increasing attention in disciplines and areas as diverse as linguistics, literary studies, art theory and art history. In recent years, linguistic studies of formulaicity have been flourishing and the very notion of formulaicity has been approached from various methodological and theoretical perspectives and with various purposes in mind. The linguistic approach to formulaicity is still in a state of rapid development and the objective of the current volume is to present the current explorations in the field. Papers collected in the volume make numerous suggestions for further development of the field and they are arranged into three complementary parts. The first part, with three chapters, presents new theoretical and methodological insights as well as their practical application in the development of custom-designed software tools for identification and exploration of formulaic language in texts. Two papers in the second part explore formula...
New Perspectives on Formularity
This paper addresses the phenomenon of Homeric formularity in the light of recent developments in the fields of Corpus Linguistics, Language Acquisition, and Construction Grammar. The conclusions are that formularity has to be viewed as a wide-spread and central phenomenon in both ordinary language production and acquisition, and that Homeric formularity is different from “ordinary formularity” only by means of specific cultural parameters (such as meter and tradition).
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Related papers
In Formula: Units of Speech – ‘Words’ of Verbal Art: Working Papers of the Seminar-Workshop, 17th–19th May 2017, Helsinki, Finland. Ed. Frog. Folkloristiikan toimite 21. Helsinki: Folklore Studies, University of Helsinki. Pp. 9–19. , 2017