| Title: | Psalm 29 as Semiotic System |
| Subtitle: | A Linguistic Reading |
| Series: | Analecta Gorgiana 1086 |
| Availability: | Forthcoming |
| Publisher: | Gorgias Press |
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| By James M. Kennedy |
| ISBN: | 978-1-4632-0133-3 |
| Availability: | Forthcoming |
| From the 2010 edition |
| Language: | English |
| Format: | Paperback, Black, 6 x 9 in |
| Pages: | 23 |
Kennedy’s linguistic analysis of Psalm 29 is primarily influenced by Jakobson and Lotman to determine how the poem functions as a semiotic system. He divides this discussion by Lines 1Ab-2B, 3Aa-5B, 6A-9Ab, and 9B-11B. Jakobson applied the term Einstellung to relate the poet and reader by the psychological aspect of determining the meaning of a poem. Diction is the axis of selection and syntax is the axis of combination in this formula. Further, Jakobson understands that these two parts are equivalent values that drive sequence; multiple sequences run parallel. Lotman refines Jakobson by his theory of how natural language as raw material has a dual existence in poetry when its writer can convey different interpretations through the placement of words. Accordingly, when Kennedy approaches Psalm 29, he studies the structure as it relates to meaning and the psalmist’s intention. His conclusion is that the poem conveys a people both fearful and hopeful in their deity’s power.