An Octosyllabic Kuria Praise Poem

From: Ufahamu : Journal of the African Activist Association | Date: January 1, 2007| Author: | Copyright information

Abstract

This paper examines Kuria praise poetry from a prosodic point of view. It argues that though the poem is delivered at great speed, it follows well laid out rhythmic patterns. Further, it claims that the poem is fundamentally a syllabic verse, that is, a verse in which syllable count is the main organizational strategy. The main finding is that the poem under analysis is octosyllabic (i.e. has eight syllable lines). The study shows that phonology and prosody play a role in the production of eight syllable lines. Since poetry uses language as its building blocks, the study looks at ...

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