EYE Project

Non - linear language

A form where language is not linear is poetry, if we think that non linear has to do with how concepts are arranged. In the linear language we are used to, if you want to make a point, or tell a story, or teach a skill, you need to control the sequence in which the target receives information. In poetic language you cannot control that. Non linear, is that, in principle, any element should be able to connect to any other element, so long as it is a semantically plausible / meaningful connection – and for certain kinds of connections, this may mean multiple simultaneous connections. By emphasizing the illusionary nature of the relationship between linguistic and non-linguistic signs a multiplicity of potential meanings is achieved within the poem.