Semantic shift in Abbasid poetry

Abstract

abstract: The evolution of language and the use of suggestive rather than literal meaning were hallmarks of Abbasid poetry. This led poets to break free from the constraints and limitations of poetry, whether linguistic (grammatical) or semantic (word meanings). Poets resorted to certain techniques to imbue their poetic texts with a quality that came to signify creativity rather than imitation.

One such technique was semantic shift: departing from the lexical meaning of words to other, more striking and impactful meanings. The Abbasids employed rhetorical devices to utilize this shift, including the art of simile, which they incorporated into most of their poetry to create vivid imagery imbued with imagination. Among the artistic deviations in Abbasid poetry is the use of metaphor, which is the use of a word in a context other than its original one. This is what has recently been called “organized violence committed against ordinary speech,” or “violation of the rules of language.” Therefore, critical approaches have emerged calling for unlimited readings of the text, hundreds of years after the Abbasid poets violated the rules of language. Through these rhetorical arts and others, the Abbasid poets were able to embody deviation in their texts.