Magin_Edward-thesis

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5.3.2 Line syllable count
The shortest syllable count per line in the corpus is seven, and occurred in three
poems. The longest is sixteen syllables per line and concurs with what Sindî said during
our interview about length of lines, “It starts with six or seven...16 is the top.” Table 19
shows a list of the 14 poems, in the corpus of 26 poems, that were written with a
regimented syllable count.
Table 19. Actual or average syllable counts.
Poem Syllable Count
AN1 8
AN2 7
AN3 8
AN4 11
AN5 10
BS1 15
BS2 7
BS3 7
BS4 15
BS5 15
BS7 16
CX1 8
CX2 8
CX3 14
In some instances the count seems to be inconsistent, especially in some of
Nalbend’s poems. However, an analyst should be careful when making conclusive
statements based on an etic perspective. In some situations sounds may meld when
spoken, producing elisions of sound, shortening the syllabic count by reading a poem
aloud. This is illustrated in some of the examples in the discussion that follows. The
degree to which such elisions can be ascertained via the written form reveals that poets
who write syllabic verse are primarily concerned with how the poem will sound when it