Figurative, Non-figurative, and Motive Functions

Abstract

The present paper is written within the field of poetics, but with a semiotic horizon. Here I describe the three functions of poetic language as a three-axis coordination system: namely, the non-figurative, the figurative, and the motive functions. My observation is that the poetic text generates textual pressure to impel certain small syntagms (i.e., words) to be read figuratively whenever a non-figurative reading of them can not obtain, and impel some sufficient syntagms (i.e., sentaences, couplets, stanzas, etc.) to be “entrusted” or “loaded” with motifs whenever there is a rupture between these syntagms. It happens that these three functions of poetic language correspond with the triad of poetic devices of fu (now taken as the non-figurative expression), pi (now taken as the figurative experession), and hsing (how taken as the motive expression) as shown in classical Chinese poetry and poetics. This explains why the present study leans upon the Chinese examples and poetic thoughts.