And yet we've only to observe a small child beginning to talk, to realise
that nouns come first, and presumably always did. My observation of my own
three led me to suppose that adverbs, and slightly later certain basic
adjectives, come well before verbs.
Incidentally, observing a small child with a limited vocabulary trying to
express a thought more complex than it has words for, one realises how soon
metaphor comes into the picture.
joanna
----- Original Message -----
From: "Janet Jackson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 5:26 AM
Subject: nounless poem (Re: New at Sharp Sand )
>> Getting rid of nouns and writing a whole poem that depends on adverbs as
>> much as most poems depend on nouns would be an interesting exercise,
>
> ok, here goes... no nouns or verbs allowed...
>
>
> awkwardly
> tentative
>
> confidently
> passionate
>
> vigorously
> brazen
>
> somehow
> stinky
>
> angrily
> numb
>
> succinctly
> alone
>
>
> Is this sentimental? yeah, I think it is. Sneeringly sentimental,
> and trying to be clever for the sake of it. (I can say that, I wrote it.)
> Originally I used only adverbs but decided adjectives were necessary
> to make it a poem at all. I had no desire to add nouns, but verbs
> kept trying to creep in masquerading as adjectives (eg 'broken'
> 'swallowed').
> It is extremely abstract. I don't like it at all.
> Nouns may be optional, but perhaps we can't write well without verbs.
>
> Janet
> --------------------------------------------
> Janet Jackson <[log in to unmask]>
> www.myspace.com/poetjj
> www.proximity.webhop.net
>
> The songbird in its cage
> Sings not for joy, but rage!
> --Italian proverb
> --------------------------------------------
>
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