The Linguistic Message and its Functions in samples of Al-Tughraii’s poetry

Abstract

The linguistic message constitutes one of the foundational elements in every communicative event. It ranks among the core components articulated by Roman Jakobson in his model of linguistic functions, through which the sender fulfills multiple functions (expressive/emotive, conative, phatic, poetic, referential, etc.).

A literary author seeking to convey a message directs their focus during communication toward both the message itself and its structural composition. Thus, they craft their constructions within a specific linguistic system, endowing them with distinctive characteristics that differentiate them from other types of messages. Consequently, the poetic function dominates the discourse. Nevertheless, this differentiation and the predominance of the poetic function do not negate the existence of other functions; indeed, the linguistic message frequently performs multiple functions simultaneously.

Al-Tughraii (d. 515 AH/1121 CE), an innovative poet, mastered the integration of diverse linguistic functions in his epistles through his unique stylistic approach.