Die funksie van leksikale herhaling in die kortprosabundel Een-en-twintig van Jan Sebastiaan Rabie

Abstract

In this research the terms 'style' and 'stylistics' are analysed and defined so that textual cohesion in Rabie's Een-en-twjntjg can be theoretically explored and the differences between grammatical and lexical cohesions discovered. The following aspects of lexical cohesions were extracted: ellipse, syntactical repetition, homonymy, simile, synthesis, reference, epithet, synonymity, antonymy, hyponomy and repetition. Jan Rabie's volume Een-en-twjntjg (1975) was used as source for a research of the role and function of lexical repetition in a literary text. A very important conclusion of this study is that the author has certain preferences, which play an important role in the selections he has made for the text. These stylistic features give the critic a systematic procedure with which he can analyse, interpret and consider all the grammatical components of the text. An analysis is also made of the way in which the lexical repetition and cohesion in a text can be highlighted in order to help the linguist and literary critic to come to certain conclusions. Cohesion may occur internally or externally in the narrative and this also contributes to illuminate the motive in a work and to bring it in line with the central theme of the work. An analysis of repetition shows the interwoven quality of a specific narrative and the way in which it is bound to the other narratives in the same volume. By means of the lexical repetition the central moments of insight in Een-en-twintig are pointed out. These moments can be described as follow: the character comes to perception, but this notion is immediately shattered and this causes a continuous spiral. Two moments are present in every story, namely the insight of the reader as well as the insight of every character. In Rabie's Een-en-twintig there is a firm cohesion and the lexical repetition contributes to the coherence of the text.