memoria ethnologica nr. 44 - 45 * iulie - decembrie 2012 ( An XII ) DELIA RĂCHIŞAN DĂNCIUŢ1, ROMÂNIA Cuvinte-cheie: jocuri de copii, limbaj verbal, limbaj nonverbal, paralimbaj, numărători, frământări de limbă, descântece, invocaţii Jocurile de copii. Aspecte ale limbajului poetic Rezumat Jocul ca joc, apanajul fiinţei umane, este o componentă inalienabilă a culturii, o constantă de ordin epistemologic, o activitate esenţială şi indispensabilă pentru om, asemenea religiei, limbii, filosofiei, artei. Formalismul pregnant, limbajul bazat pe euritmie, eufonie este întâlnit în frământările de limbă. Actul de divinaţie al copiilor, comparativ cu descântecul propriu-zis, este minimalizat printr-un joc de-a limbajul, menit să producă amuzament, plăcere, armonie. Limbajul poetic din jocurile de copii, determinând un veritabil joc de-a limbajul, o punte de acces spre / dinspre repertoriul adulţilor, relevă un folclor infantil cu repertoriu de sine stătător, autonom. 1 Universitatea Tehnică Cluj Napoca, Centrul Regional Nord, Baia Mare, România 88 memoria ethnologica nr. 44 - 45 * iulie - decembrie 2012 ( An XII ) Key-words: children’s game, verbal language, nonverbal language, metalanguage, counting formulas, incantations Games for Kids. Aspects of the Poetic Language Summary The game, as a proper game, the privilege of the human being, is the inalienable component of culture, an epistemologic element which preserves its constancy, an essential and indispensable activity, similar to religion, language, philosophy or art. The striking formalism, as well as the language based on eurhytmics and euphony is mainly encountered in . The children’s divination act, unlike the incantation itself is being reduced to its proportions throughout a specific language game, which is meant to produce entertainment, pleasure and harmony. The poetic language which accompanies children’s game, and which determines a factual language game, an access bridge towards /from adults’ repertoire highlights the borders of children’s folklore, a specific area which has its own, particular repertoire. 89 memoria ethnologica nr. 44 - 45 * iulie - decembrie 2012 ( An XII ) Games for Kids. Aspects of the Poetic Language The game as play, appanage of the human being, is an inalienable part of culture, an epistemological constant, an essential, indispensable activity for the individual, as religion, language, philosophy, art. In and through play, the transmitter and receiver, knowing the playfulness code, achieve a reverse connection: "The language issue is an individual mood and organizes a social report”2. In children folklore we observe a dynamic system of syncretic related elements, in which the word (verbal language) combines with gestures, mimicry, movement (non-verbal language), with emphasis, tambre, intonation, silence (paralanguage). When there is a prejudice, rupture of the message occurs, and sharing roles, the feed-back stop. Children lack the aesthetic consciousness, however adults can see in infantile folklore (in texts) poetry, a beauty of functional and syncretic nature. For children, language is a semiotic system developed by society, for adults, poetic language of children games lacks special language skills, considering it rather "a rudimentary form of folk beauty”3. The word becomes an instrumental sign, the opposition signifier / signified disappears, language adopts a status of poetry4, the latter no longer representing the children’s game bearing for existence, means: "one of the activities characteristic to humanity that resembles the game to a higher extent”5. Thought of like a game, poetry must "fall from time to time in pure speech to draw attention to its ceremonial" 6, the game being an activity performed observing "voluntarily accepted, but absolutely binding rules.”7, receiving features of a ritual. The language is subordinated to rhythm which establishes order, through game attempts are made to repeat the universal order. Childish rhythm, emphasized by words is a vocal rhythm that does not necessarily imply music8. To verbal language is added musical language, infant of rhythm resulting a symbiosis between musical and poetic text, or functional syncretism. Constantin Brailoiu focuses on the series of eight measures. The pace is subject to isochrony (equal measures), while syllables (in the children games) are subject to duration. Eugen Coseriu considers that language has gained independence and is used to communi- cate, but it's also a way of intuitive knowledge. Human beings have built a real world (work) and spiritual one (language)9. The Jakobsonian functions: emotional / expressive, referential, poetic, phatic, co native, metalinguistic target what is specific to them (sender, context, message, actor, receiver, code), so that one of the functions will affirm itself. 2 Tudor Vianu, “Dubla intenţie a limbajului şi problema stilului”, în vol. Arta prozatorilor români, 1941; 3 Ovidiu Bârlea, Poetica folclorului, Editura Univers, Bucureşti, 1979, p.28; 4 Maria Foarţă, Jocurile de copii. O definiţie poetică, în “Folclor literar”, vol. IV, Timişoara, 1977 p. 164; 5 G. Călinescu, Principii de estetică, Editura Litera Internaţional, Bucureşti, 2003, p. 96; 6 ibidem, p. 81; 7 Johan Huizinga, Homo ludens, trad. H. R. Radian, Editura Univers, Bucureşti, 1977, p. 70; 8 Constantin Brăiloiu, “Ritmica copiilor”, în Studii muzicologice, vol. I, Bucureşti, 1965, p. 64-65; 9 Eugen Coşeriu, “Prelegeri şi conferinţe”, în Supliment al Anuarului de lingvistică şi istorie literară, tom XXXIII, 1992 / 1993, p. 8-26; 90 memoria ethnologica nr. 44 - 45 * iulie - decembrie 2012 ( An XII ) In children’s games multiple functions of language are manifested simultaneously, some being, however, dominant in certain sequences. The main function of language is communication. Through the poetic function (aesthetics), the message isn’t a simple tool, but text with repetitions, rhythm, rhyme, figurative words, etc. The expressive function centered on the emitter has a certain weight in children's games. There is a concept that works with style – expressiveness, influencing children’s games. Roman Jakobson affirms that expressiveness relates to aesthetics (emotional function poetic func- tion), while Stefan Munteanu asserts that- it determines the necessary ratio between form and sub- stance. Whether expressiveness is spontaneous or contemplative, it involves emotion, feeling. Opposing arbitrary, expressiveness operates on texts as well, with new lexical forms (pseudo- words), apparently without logic: Uni, duni, tini, pani, cinca, rinca, ochi, scochi, baba, clonţ. the first five words suggest numbers (false suffixes ), the other being a reflex of indicating different parts of the head (rinca < gr. nose, clonţ < beak, fig. mouth). The word baba (omitted consonant) refers to chin, the word scochi10 is associated with eyes, and in Vasile Bogrea’s opinion it suggests the number eight. Elisions, the various appendices, the parasitic sound connections, the aloglote loans from other languages reveal a cryptic language, morpho-lexic plasticity, the aesthetics of language, al- lusion to the expressive meaning /the children’s manner to master foreign words: "Carno / Parno / Socardea / Şoşearea / Sunacbun"; "Nu mă redoa, / Nu ma gule, / Nu mă camân, / Nu mă cufre, / De m-ar redoa / M-aş gule; / De m-ar cămân / M-aş cufre"11. înserare), often mistaken for the cow, is conformed to desemantisation. In rural areas, rain is banished with an ax, with the help of an enchantress, certified practice by Tudor Pamfile / found Memories...of Ion Creanga “Ieşi copile…la soare, doar s-o îndrepta vremea…şi vremea se îndrepta, mama alunga norii, înfingând toporul în pământ afară, dinaintea uşii.” (the magical power of the word, taking the urge, homeopathic magic.) Not just rain, but also the clouds are chased away through threats / preventions: "Negurice-rice / Du-te-n pădurice / C-o să vie soarele / Să-ţi taie picioarele" (Emilia Comişel, p. 147) or by abrigding, the clouds are allured to bring rain: "Nor, nor drageilaş, / Adă ploaie, nouraş, / Ca să crească grânele, / Să se facă pâinile" (Nelu Ionescu, p. 21). The lunar celestial body, generator nocturnal light: Lună plină, lună plină, /Dă-ne nouă lumină" (Nelu Ionescu, p.19) highlights people’s desire to have a rich harvest: ”Lună nouă, / Lună nouă, / Sănătoşi ne-ai găsit, / Sănătoşi să ne laşi (anaforă) / Lună nouă / Lună nouă, / Tare ca argintul ne-ai găsit, / Tare ca argintul să ne laşi / Lună nouă, / Lună nouă, / Cu bani ne-ai găsit, / Cu bani să ne laşi” (G. Dem. Teodorescu). The repetitive structure Lună nouă, lună nouă (New 93 memoria ethnologica nr. 44 - 45 * iulie - decembrie 2012 ( An XII ) moon, New Moon) reiterated three times marks the beginning of a new sequence, so that the listener enters and leaves the action. Conjurations to the moon reveal: healing properties: „Lună nouă, lună veche / Scoate-mi apa din urechi " (Virgil Medan, p. 80), cleanliness - „Lună nouă-n case, / Puricii să iasă, / De la noi a treia casă ". (Emilia Comişe1). The repetitive structure appeals to the figure three, in order to obtain success. Conjuration-chant highlights the intention to annihilate the evil (puricii- fleas). The figure three, by the idea of totality, distinguishes the intention of destroying all hellkite that breaks the order. Using the conjunctive tense with imperative value - să iasă (to leave) - will implement the performer's intention to act with force of the magic word. The celestial universe (sun, moon) is prefigured not only in infantile folklore, but also in the ballads, carols, fairy tales, etc. Plasticized sometimes, abstract concepts are closer to reality, so that riddles take the path of stylistic figures through anadiplosis (