Article

Name: Andalusian Strophic Poetry: A Singular Case of Interlinguistic Contacts in Medieval Europe?

Authors: A. B. Kudelin

Institute of World Literature, Russian Academy of Sciences

Abstract: In the article the peculiarities of mixed poetical systems in multilingual environment are studied, the hybrid arabo-romanic strophic form is analyzed as an example. In Medieval Spain, there existed favorable linguistic circumstances for contacts between Cristian and Islamic worlds. The situation of multilingualism was formed by two literary languages (classic Arabian and classic Latin) and by two vernaculars (Arabian and Vulgar Latin) as well as Berber and Hebrew. Muwashshah is medieval poetic form popular in Iberian Peninsula, its main part is written in classic Arabian and kharja is written in an Arabian dialect using colloquial words or in romance vernacular, in the latter case verse in romance was written using Arabian or Hebrew letters. Thus, the situation of bi- or trilingualism was created in one poem. The multilingualism is considered the main feature of poetics of muwashshah. The aesthetical effect is related to the collision of different poetic traditions and to the collision of languages. The heterogeneous situation adequate to the expectations of multilingual readers is created. Multilingualism of muwashshah can be also analyzed in the context of interest in Medieval Europe to the multilingual forms.

Keywords: multilingualism, kharja, Spanish poetry, Arabian poetry, muwashshah

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