Martínez's Poetic Language: Diversions and Anomalies

The work of José Antonio Martínez, particularly his Properties of Poetic Language (1975), provides a clearer understanding of structuralist literature in Spanish. Martínez states that the creation of linguistic figures can be achieved in two primary ways:

• Diversions
• Anomalies

Diversions in Poetic Language

Diversions are considered anti-creative uses of language. They involve deviations in expression and content, originating first from the destruction of the usual relationship (an "offset") and secondly from a reduction in the deviation, which allows for textual interpretation. Martínez distinguishes three types of diversion:

• Deviation by Combination

  This category includes figures like metonymy. For example, in the phrase "neighing rearing," the reduced expression implies "rearing horses neighing." The lexeme "horse" is implicitly present; "whinnying" and "neighing" superimpose the base lexeme "horse" onto the possible interpretation of "rearing."

• Deviation by Metasemia

  This involves an absolute change of direction, as seen in metaphor. For example, in "carnivore knife," the base is "knife." Since a knife is an inert element, the adjective "carnivore" allows it to be viewed as a living being.

• Deviation by Permutation

  This figure involves a movement or transfer of attributes, known as hypallage. An example is: "Landed on my yellow time photography."

Anomalies in Poetic Language

Anomalies are considered outside creative uses. They update the text and contain a series of associations provided by the linguistic system but not utilized by conventional applications. Unlike diversions, anomalies do not block semantic interpretation and therefore do not require reduction. Anomalies are classified into three types based on the linguistic stratum affected:

• Isotopies of Expression

  Characterized by the interaction of specific units at the level of expression. For example, the syllable-phoneme relationship in alliteration.

• Isotopies of Content

  Characterized by the repetition and/or contrast of specific units within the content plane. For example, the antithesis in "living without living in my life and I hope so high..."

• Symbolic Isotopies

  Significant correlations emerge between the plane of expression and the level of content within the text. For example, chiasmus.

Martínez also discusses Image Deviation for elements that are neither reducible nor interpretable.