The Impact Value of Affective Speech Acts in the Self-Elegy Poetry of Malik Ibin Al-Rayb

Abstract

This descriptive analytical study examines the construction of affective speech acts in self-elegy poetry among Arabs, specifically in Malik Ibn Al-Rayb’s lament for himself using John Austin’s speech act theory. It seeks to reveal the strength and sincerity of emotion in self-elegy poetry, on the one hand, and to validate the persuasive value associated with that emotion, on the other. This study attempts to uncover the patterns of persuasive actions that corresponded to the theme of self-elegy that had an impact on the construction of the poetic discourse related to this purpose. The study consists of two parts, as the first one discusses the lament for the self and its affective value, whilst the second part illustrates the common patterns of affective actions in lament for the self-poetry.

The results of the analysis indicated that sincere emotion has a clear presence in self-elegy poetry stemming from a genuine and honest situation that does not allow for evasion or pretense. It also found that the most significant forms of affective acts in self-elegy poetry are interrogation, imperative, lamentation, repetition, and invocation.