Tradition and innovation in the poetic discourse of Joja Ricov

Abstract

The paper examines traditional and innovative elements in the collection of dialect poetry Čȁ sē ȉs nãmīn mȍrbīnu͠ aš by Joja Ricov. In the analyzed verses, linguistic features of the Kali Chakavian dialect were observed, and a selection was made to include examples of those themes and motifs, lexical choices and tropes which demonstrate a link with the literary tradition and where departures from it were achieved by experimenting with word formation and the use of punctuation. It has been established that rather than being at odds, tradition and innovation are synchronized and inspire admiration in readers.