'Die schlesischen Weber' is one of the most famous German poems of all time. Frequently interpreted, the focus for the most part has been on its alleged political, historical and philosophical content, while its aesthetic form has been given only selective and fragmented attention. Based on Roman Jakobson's determination of the poetic function as combinatorial equivalence principle, this analysis acknowledges the poem as an important poetic work. It is demonstrated that all levels of its linguistic structure - rhythmic, phonetic, syntactic, lexical‑semantic, as well as its imagery - are interconnected in a complex way through both similar and contrasting relationships. Indeed, because of these relationships the formation of meaning is possible.
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