Oriental Studies (Apr 2018)
Peculiarities of Alliteration in Kalmyk Folk Songs (Analysis of Records Made at Different Times)
Abstract
Poetics of folk songs reflects the history and context of the artistic phenomena of the Kalmyk people at different stages of its development. It served the basis and determined the essence of national identity, aesthetic criteria and priorities, ideological orientation and structure of art works. This article analyzes the poetic features of Kalmyk folk songs. The article contains a brief historical overview of the issue which is important for understanding its problems and arguments. The study of the poetic organization of the Kalmyk folk song is based on a review of records of Kalmyk folk songs made at different times (1909-1911, 1926, 1940, 1978) and published in collections as well as those gathered by the author during expeditions throughout the Republic of Kalmykia. The Kalmyk folk song is structured in accordance with certain rules of prosody, its rhythm was formed under the influence of not only music as such but also the tread a horse - a constant companion in life of the nomadic Mongolian people. As collective work products, folk songs are characterized by variability - in the content and form. The poetic structure of Kalmyk folk songs is determined by meters that can be viewed as a specific verbalization of a measure compiled in time with the tread or gallop of a horse - a constant companion in life of nomads among whom were the ancestors of the Kalmyks. Texts of Kalmyk folk songs are in the couplet form and contain poetic forms which are as follows: alliteration, anaphora, rhyme, etc. Alliteration and anaphora play a very important role in rhyme formation in the Kalmyk folk song poetry. Analysis of the verse structure of Kalmyk folk songs collected from various sources reveals examples of different forms of alliteration (strophic (between words), internal (between verses), complete, incomplete). Thus, the poetics of Kalmyk folk songs is diverse in its poetic forms and styles. Rhythmic songs organization is particularly noticeable in the beginning, middle and end of the verses. Alliteration (harmony of consonant sounds), widely represented in the Kalmyk song poetry, enhances the expressiveness of the artistic language. Distinguished by vivid poetic structure, Kalmyk folk songs retain a dominant position on the list of song samples recorded during expeditions on the territory of the Republic of Kalmykia in the early 21st century.
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