The Problems Associated with Studying Folk Verse
The Problems Associated with Studying Folk Verse

Summary/Abstract: The article studies the problem of internal mechanisms of folk verse. An approach that is based on the universals of rhythm, where a verse is described with due account for levels (syllable, syntagma and phrase), is offered. As the basic element of the verse, colons, the invariant structure of which is determined by the law of regressive accentual dissimilation, is considered. A set of stanzas of folk verse seems to be a combination of invariants: archritmemas and their modifications, the prototypes of which can be observed in interjections and echoism. Prose-centeredness (prose is normal, while verse is an anomaly) is criticized. The author suggests a system of coding for invariants of folk verse and illustrates it with a number of examples. In the conclusion, the issue of reconstruction of the ancient state of the verse is touched upon, with due consideration of the universals of rhythm, and the problem of areal description for the forms of folk verse.

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