A Pragmatic Assessment of the Polarity and Modality in J. P. Clark’s “Streamside Exchange”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1204.03Keywords:
streamside exchange, polarity, modality, moodAbstract
Sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic features as established by elements of Modality and Polarity usually constitute a crucial part to explication of the language of literary texts. In J.P. Clark’s poem, “Streamside Exchange”, the special application of transitivity as indicated by lexico-semantic features offers a peculiar reading which yields insightful meanings. At a superficial level of reading, there appears, as many scholars hold, an apparent simplicity of texture or wording. However, at a more informed examination of the poem, there is a display of compelling complexity especially at the levels beyond lexis or wording. The interactive session reflects a structural dichotomy between the interrogative MOOD of the child’s statement, which is polar in nature, and the response of the bird which displays a combination of declarative and imperative features. The study is mainly for a clearer understanding of underlying linguistic features in the short conversation between the child and the bird that feature as interlocutors. Moreover, the analysis is also in partial response to previous readings and rendition of the text, particularly the substitution of ‘shall’ with ‘has’ in latter versions of the poem which has shown remarkable accounts that appear less objective if reviewed from a purely linguistic approach.
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