Metrical and rhythmical features as a means of expressing emotional state of sadness (based on italian poetic text)

Abstract

Means of expression in a text is an exciting research prospect in contemporary linguistics. The present article analyses the functions of formal means of expression in an Italian poetic text, namely metical schemes and suprasegmental means, such as accent and tone, to express the state of sadness. The research is based on poetry and audio scripts by E. Montale, G. Pascoli, D. Valeri and G. Gozzano. The methods used are the following: perception analysis, quantitative estimation, structural and descriptive methods. The paper is fo cused on the issue of correspondence of formal features of a text to its perception. Sound symbolism is another issue touched upon in the article. 11-syllable and 9-syllable patterns prove to be the most common metrical patterns in the poetic texts we have analyzed. An average length of a rhythmic group is 5–7 syllables in an 11-syllable pattern and 3–9 syllables in a 9-syllable one. The average number of primary accents in a rhythmic group is 2–3 syllables. The average number of non-accented intervals makes 1–3 syllables. Declination of tone within the accented syllables in final rhythmic groups proves to be the leading feature to determine the perception of sadness in an Italian poetic text, as this tone is firmly associated with the emotions of the regressive zone. The extra features that determine the intensity of the emotion are the accent density in a rhythmical group, speech dynamics, smoothness or sharpness of articulation, increase or decrease in the tempo of individual segments, ascending tone in non-final rhythmical groups, peculiarities of tone movement (smoot/sharp), and a change in the pitch range (broad/narrow).The research findings can be applied in the course of theoretical phonetics and stylistics of the Italian language, as well as in teaching practice.