Journal of Language Studies
Tikrit University

A Linguistic Analysis of Oxymoron in Ahmed Matar’s Selected Poems

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Ruqaiya Burhanuddin Abdurrahman

University of Tikrit, College of Education for Women

10.25130/Lang.8.12.19
Abstract
The study deals with the oxymoron as a rhetorical device where two words or phrases with opposing meanings are deliberately combined to create a specific effect. The effect can be ironic, sarcastic, humourous, paradoxical or merely emphatic. The study addresses the grammatical, semantic and pragmatic perspectives of oxymoron. It investigates the way these opposing terms function with poetic structure in Matar’s poetry to find out their role in shaping meaning. The study aims to examine the different types of oxymoron in Matar’s poetry, analyze them, and clarify the way Matar employs oxymoron to evoke dramatic and rhetorical effects. The study hypothesizes that the deliberate use of oxymoron creates dramatic atmosphere to enrich the layers of meaning in Matar’s poetry. The study applies syntactic, semantic and pragmatic analysis. The study concludes that the strategic use of oxymoron in Matar’s poetry enhances the dramatic intensity and creates a unique literary style that combines contradictions with deeper thematic resonance.

Keywords

: Flouting
Grice maxims
Oxymoron
Sarcastic

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