Sonnet 14 written by William Shakespeare is one of the 17 procreation sonnets which is a term given to the Shakespearean sonnets from 1 to 17. Sonnet 14 is one featuring the speaker declaring that he has the power to predict the future, but he does not do so by reading the stars or anything of the like, and he does not predict disasters or how well a prince will rule, and he takes his knowledge from the eyes of the poem’s addressee, and from them he predicts that his death is in fact the death of beauty itself (Wikipedia, 2012). The word “prognosticate” appears in the 13th line, the previous line of the couplet. Many scholars who study Shakespearean sonnets contend that Shakespeare’s diction is neutral and middle. “Prognosticate”, such kind of formal and big word hardly exists in Shakespearean sonnets. In fact, “prognosticate” is the most formal word used by Shakespeare in his sonnets. Heated arguments are raised because of the formalness and seriousness of this word, and discussions of the appropriateness of this diction came into being. And this paper will discuss the appropriateness of the word “prognosticate”, for the formalness, seriousness, and intention bringing up the appropriateness.
It is the words that construct poems. For words, they can create rhythms, they can define the speaker, listener, and they can also carry the ideas and the emotions of the poem (“Words: The Building Blocks of Poetry”: 577). Words are the building blocks of poetry. Perfect words in the right place will add flashing points to the poems, on the contrary, just give fractures.
First of all, formalness is the need of Sonnet 14, beginning with the definition of prognostication. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English short for LDOCE defines prognostication as a statement about what you think will happen in the future (2011: 1309). Prognostication is the formal word which contains the meaning of forecast. The original sonnet 14 will help understanding.
SONNET 14
Not from the stars do I my judgment pluck;
And yet methinks I have astronomy,
But not to tell of good or evil luck,
Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality;
Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell,
Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind,
Or say with princes if it shall go well,
By oft predict that I in heaven find:
But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive,
And, constant stars, in them I read such art
As truth and beauty shall together thrive,
If from thyself to store thou wouldst convert;
Or else of thee this I prognosticate:
Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date. (Li Mingqiang, Shakespeare’s Sonnets, 2008: 33 )
In the 1st line, “my judgment pluck” is used, in the 9th line, “my knowledge I derive” is used, but in the 13th line, the expression of “I prognosticate” is used. The formalness of the words is layer by layer, lines by lines. Formal diction is elevated and elaborate; it requires the proper words in the proper order and avoids idioms, colloquialisms, contractions, or slang (“Words: The Building Blocks of Poetry”: 583). Coming to the last couplet “Or else of thee this I prognosticat/Thy end is turth’s and beauty’s doom and date”, the level of formalness reaches its peak. In terms of formalness of diction, the word “prognosticate” well performs the effects.
Furthermore, seriousness is expressed through this word. Prognosticate is the most serious and formal word used by Shakespeare. For the sake of rhyme and meter, prognosticate is an appropriate choice. For more, seriousness of the word itself performs mainly. Compared with “anticipate”, a word has the same syllables and meaning, prognosticate is better than that. Archaic words take the original formalness, so it will not be used frequently. And the word contains the intention to persuade the listener to reproduce his beauty. The speaker pays a lot of attention to the listener, persuading the listener to make babies is a serious matter, so a serious word should be used. And the word “prognosticate” is the right word that can produce the influence.
In addition, intention is the essence of this poem. Each poet seeks the perfect word and indispensable word, the word that looks right, sounds right, and conveys all the compressed meanings, overtones, and emotions that the poem requires (“Words: The Building Blocks of Poetry”: 583). The word, prognosticate just fit in this area. Maybe some will argue that “anticipate” is also a word which contains 4 syllables and has the meaning of predication, why it is not there. Right word should be in the right place. The tone of this sonnet is a little bit serious. Anticipate is a word contemporary, but prognosticate is a word of archaic. For in Shakespeare’s period, prognosticate is a right word and in the right place.
To summarize, as one of the riches languages in the world, English inevitably faces the hardness of words choices. Diction refers to the specific word and types of words selected by a writer to produce a desired effect (“Words: The Building Blocks of Poetry”: 583). Just like the word in Sonnet 14, the word “prognosticate” used by Shakespeare is the proper word to produce his intention.
References:
1. Li Mingqiang. Shakespeare’s Sonnets Edited, with notes and Chinese translation in prose, by Li Mingqiang. Yunnan University Press. 2008.
2. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press. 2011.
3. Anonymous. Material 14. “Words: The Building Blocks of Poetry”.