As a word formation process, compounding is essential to poetry because it enriches the poetic language, making it more compressed, concise, metaphorically dense, and effective. The article aims to investigate the morphosyntactic and metaphorical aspects of the compound words employed by the American poet Walt Whitman in his renowned poem Song of Myself. Whitman’s way of compounding words is a distinctive stylistic feature that sets his poetry apart from the work of other American poets. He created compound words that are unconventional and innovative. A Constructional Morphology (CM) approach has been employed to analyze the data. The Blending Theory of Metaphor (BTM) was also highly utilized in interpreting any metaphor encoded in the compound words. The data were solely collected from Song of Myself. A total of 627 compounds were identified and statistically analyzed, while 10 compounds were randomly selected and qualitatively analyzed. Whitman’s creation of compound words is driven by his intention to shed light on certain unique themes that are closely connected to his beliefs, visions, poetic identity, and outlook. This reveals a close connection between Whitman’s poetics and the morphosyntactic and metaphorical aspects of his compounds. The article concludes that the syntactic pattern adjective + noun is the most frequent type of compounds used in the poem. It also recommends future studies that further explore other morphosyntactic aspects in Whitman’s poetry such as neologisms and borrowings.

Cite as:

Ali, A. H., Abdullah, A.A., Gharkan, E.R., & Suleiman. H. A. (2026). Investigating Morphosyntactic Patterns and Metaphorical Interpretation of Compound Words in Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself: A Construction Morphology Approach. Arab World English Journal, 17(3): 189-210.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol17no3.11

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Keywords

Blending Theory of Metaphor, compounds, construction morphology, Song of Myself, Walt Whitman

About the author

Ayad Hammad Ali is a professor at the University of Anbar. He has authored over 40 articles on different research areas, including Morphology, Semantics, Pragmatics, Syntax, Semiotics, Stylistics, Metaphor Studies and Translation Studies. He published three books specialized in Compounding Morphology (Modern Dictionary), Grammar, and Phraseology. He also participated in numerous international and national conferences held in Iraq and abroad. He was a member of the Editorial Board of AUJLL (2014 – 2018) and a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Language and Linguistics (2018 – 2022). ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5976-8311

Abdullah AbuBakr Abdullah is a researcher and instructor at the University of Al Maarif. His research interests include postcolonial literature, resistance literature, and critical literary theory. He is particularly interested in exploring the intersections of identity, power, and cultural resistance in literary texts, as well as applying contemporary theoretical approaches to the study of literature. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3905-8487

Estabraq Rafea Gharkan (Corresponding Author) is a researcher and instructor at the University of Anbar. His research focuses on Indigenous North American poetry, decolonial theory and postcolonial studies. He is also interested in doing research in stylistics and investigating morpho-syntactic aspects in literary works. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2735-4784

Hanaa Abbass Suleiman is a researcher and instructor at the University of Anbar. Her research focuses on Sociolinguistic issues. She is also interested in doing research in syntax and semantics, and investigating metaphorical aspects in literary works. Her doctoral dissertation investigates semantic extension and metaphorical transference of adjectives used in D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers by applying specific semantic approaches. ORCD: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-7293-3086

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