Substitutional Phrases: Formation and Function

Abstract

The present study investigates a stylistic phenomenon in which older idiomatic, wellknown text is reused with some changes bringing about a fresh type of artistic appeal in the resultant text. Although the typical examples of such rhetorical paraphrasing normally involve the reuse of older memorized ones, they are by no means confined to them. The present esthetic process, referred to here as “substitution”, is applicable to some other constructions such collocations and structures with selective properties. On the bases of this, it is claimed that substitution has two types: one that intertextualizes with familiar texts such as formulas, proverbs, pre-fabricated chunks and cliché phrases, and the other involves certain constructions of predictive nature such as collocations and selectinal phrases. The present analysis will concentrate on identifying the structural and semantic aspects which characterize the substitution process involved. It will also look into several kinds of other examples which may include complex larger unites such as poems and an unusually smaller ones such as individual lexemes. It will be shown that the content of many memorized chunks, long or short, figurative or otherwise, can be creatively modified in a way to make them even more effective. Then the study turns toward the discussion of rhetorical aspects of the substitution processes in order to shed light on their functions and stylistic roles in relation to the text as well as the receiver. Attention here will be directed more toward the emotional effects, persuasive power and appeal, in addition to the wonder or puzzlement resulting from the interestingness which constitutes the most effective trait of the present mechanism. The discussion of those cases of substitution will be put forth in light of the concept of deviation, hence leading to the discussion of metaphor which represents the most prominent stylistic devise in this respect.