Assessing Character-Habitat Dynamics: The Efficacy of Leech’s Componential Analysis in D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers
الموضوعات :Rawa Abdulshareef Kadhim Alsaeedi 1 , Mohsen Shahrokhi 2 , Raad Shakir Abdulhasan Alnawas 3 , Ehsan Rezvani 4
1 - Department of English Language, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Department of English Language, Shah. C., Islamic Azad University, Shahreza, Iran
3 - Raad Shakir Abdulhasan Alnawas, English Department, College of Education for Humanities, Thi-Qar Univesity, Iraq
4 - Department of English Language, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
الکلمات المفتاحية: Componential Analysis, Character-Habitat, D.H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Stylistics,
ملخص المقالة :
The intricate interaction of characters with their world is a crucial feature of literary fiction, but its thoroughgoing linguistic analysis continues to be an issue. The present study investigated the adequacy of Geoffrey Leech’s (1981) componential analysis (CA) model as a semantico-stylistic tool for inquiring into and quantifying the ‘logical compatibility’ between characters and their world in D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers (1913). Applying CA’s binary distinctive features to selected lexical items conveying characters’ internal states and their corresponding habitats during the main plot stages of the novel, the study applies a mixed-methods design. The analysis probes to what degree the systematic use can yield quantifiable semantic congruence estimates and further assist with an objective and more sensitive account of Lawrence’s stylistic choices in creating such central narrative dynamics. Empirical evidence from analysis of model passages indicates that Leech’s CA offers a useful, if not problem-free, model for this kind of investigation, providing a systematic means of overcoming the limits of purely impressionistic interpretation. The study discusses the value of CA in creating close, feature-based textual analysis and its limitation in semantic reductionism and handling intricate literary language. Lastly, the article argues for the utility of CA, along with qualitative interpretation, as a technical device for tracing the lexical contours of character-environment dynamics, hence serving the purposes of methodological refinement for stylistics and enhanced comprehension of Law-rence’s authorial technique.
Al-Zoubi, M. (2009). The validity of componential analysis in translating metaphor. Perspectives: Studies in Translatology, 17(3), 151-160.
Belfarhi, K. (2013). The componential analysis of literary meaning. Colombian Applied Linguistics Journal, 15(2), 288-301.
Cruse, D. A. (1986). Lexical semantics. Cambridge University Press.
Eesa, M. (2007). The validity of componential analysis in translating metaphor. Almustansiriyah Journal of Arts, 16(1), 2-17.
Hobi, E. (2019). componential analysis of meaning. College of Arts Journal, 98, 109-122. Jeffries, L., & McIntyre, D. (2010). Stylistics. Cambridge University Press.
Kinkead-Weekes, M. (1996). D. H. Lawrence: Triumph to exile 1912-1922. Cambridge University Press.
Leech, G. N. (1981). Semantics: The study of meaning (2nd ed.). Penguin Books.
Lodge, D. (1992). The art of fiction: Illustrated from classic and modern texts. Penguin Books.
Lyons, J. (1977). Semantics (Vol. 1). Cam-bridge University Press.
Nida, E. A. (1975). Componential analysis of meaning: An introduction to semantic structures. Mouton.
Nwachi, E., Babarinde, O., & Ahamefula, N. (2020). componential analysis of ‘Gba’ verbal complex and its relevance in second language teaching. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 11(6), 1027-1036.
Short, M. (1996). Exploring the language of poems, plays and prose. Longman.
Simpson, P. (2004). Stylistics: A resource book for students. Routledge.
Wales, K. (2011). A dictionary of stylistics (3rd ed.). Pearson Longman.
