MUMBOJUMBO Marginalization Estrangement materia magica agents of magic

MUMBOJUMBO

Marginalization & Estrangement • materia magica • agents of magic • rituals of separation • borrowed (foreign) names • “nonsense” chants (voces magicae) • mumbojumbo

Uses of Language Referential/Deictic This frog is bleeding. Performative I curse you, frog! Expressive/Emotive Bleed, frog! Analogical Just as this frog bleeds… Metaphorical The heaventree of stars hung with humid nightblue fruit. Magical Performative Emotive Analogical Metaphorical Mumbojumbo

Mumbojumbo TROPE EXAMPLE transposition sabaoth / asbotha psinôther nôpsithernôpsi recombination kuk bakakuk bakaxikuk rhyme abracadabra mumbojumbo repetition (rhythm) (3 x), (9 x) palindrome ablanathanalba akramakariramamariramakarka tonic vowel palindrome a—e—ê—i—o—u—ô—u—i—ê—e—a numerological cypher khabrakh thneskêr phikhrô phurô phôkhô bôkh shape pterygma, word square, concrete poetry

Contagious Magic Sympathetic Magic thing image word garlic eaten garlic hung around the neck amulet shaped like garlic hung around the neck amulet with a picture of garlic hung around the neck “garlic” on a piece of paper hung around the neck “garlic” spoken out loud

thing image word thing “garlic” spoken = garlic eaten

Names & Things • the naturalness of one’s own language • the essential character of one’s own name • naming rituals • private vs. public names • names and curses • names and invocations ( )יהוה • naming and creation

Linguistic Sign Referent Sign

Magical Estrangement • conventional link between Sign (carrier) and Signified/Referent (meaning/thing) broken by tropes of rhyme, rhythm, repetition… • attention shifted from Signified/Referent (meaning/thing) to Sign (carrier) itself • formerly transparent Sign becomes “thicker, ” “denser, ” more opaque • Sign (carrier) becomes thing-like • speech becomes creative

Linguistic Sign Referent

rose =

A rose is a rose is a rose. A rose is a rose.

rose