Word Formation Models in Xlebnikov’s Poetry

Abstract

Among major figures in Russian literary history, the Silver Age poet Velemir Xlebnikov is the one who made the most extensive use of word formation devices to enrich his poetic voice. Some of his poetry is literally untranslatable, because its meaning is derived from the newly coined words that the poet includes. They often comprise a remarkably high percentage of the entire poem, and the translator has no equivalent resources to render these artistic formations. This feature of Xlebnikov’s work has made him a popular target for linguists interested in artistic aspects of the Russian language. In this paper I’d like to present a small typology of Xlebnikov’s artistic formations, categorizing them in three groups: 1) real potential words; 2) remotely possible words; 3) virtually impossible words that still function artistically. I analyze examples in each category in terms of their status within the Russian system of derivational morphology and their artistic function within the poem. It should be understood that I approach these literary texts as a linguist, not a literary critic. I am interested in them primarily for the unique examples they provide, not for global generalizations about Xlebnikov’s style, philosophy, or poetic voice.