Linguistic Sounds, Considered As External, Physical Phenomena

At First Acoustics Attributed To The Different Sounds Only A Limited Number Of Characteristic Features.

In Poetic Language, In Which The Sign As Such Takes On An Autonomous Value, This Sound Symbolism Becomes An Actual Factor And Creates A Sort Of Accompaniment To The Signified.

The Function Of Poetry Is To Point Out That The Sign Is Not Identical To The Referent.

It Is Once Again The Vexing Problem Of Identity Within Variety; Without A Solution To This Disturbing Problem There Can Be No System, No Classification.

A Linguist Deaf To The Poetic Functions Of Language And A Literary Scholar Indifferent To Linguistics Are Equally Flagrant Anachronisms.