Semantic Deviations in The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy

Abstract

By far, human language is an effective means of communication, while linguistic choices assist in interpreting and understanding the meaning and message of the words used by the writers. In unison, linguistic deviation brings a telling diversity and evocative defamiliarisation to human interest. The present position paper attempts to analyse the semantic deviations in The Three Strangers, a short story by Thomas Hardy. Since figurative speech changes the meaning of an actual word. The present study will explain why writers opt for such deviations in writing. The data is examined through foregrounding theory, as Mukarovsky (1975) propounded. Thus, the present study aims to highlight and evaluate the semantic deviation (not confused with semantic evasion) in the selected sample. The study's findings and results reveal that the writer has employed the given stylistic technique in similes, metaphors, and personifications to help the reader have portrayed a vivid and vibrant visualisation of the storyline. Further research on stylistic deviations such as phonetic (e.g., alliteration, rhyme), morphological (e.g., word formation), and grammatical (e.g., inversion, ellipsis) levels can be done.