Animal and Ordinary Language-Michelle Wolff

In Ghost Tantras, author Michael McClure combines “animal language” and “ordinary language.”

In tantra #48 of Ghost Tantras, McClure writes:

“REEEZE AH TOWW OOOH THAH HEEN

shao sharrrr dreeth garr neeth breeze ahm veee

tah heeer, tha ooom leed pyorr drowth em lay hahz

NOOOOOOOR ! NOOOOOOOR ! NOOOOR

in the full noon that deeh est ahhum graype

fahr dah-theorreept vaysse wharr oooh norrr…” (McClure 48).

McClure does a variety of different things in his piece. In this excerpt, he combines upper case and lowercase words to show the difference in tone and energy. Uppercase words make the phrase more intense and make it seem louder than normal. Also, it is interesting how McClure uses uppercase in this example for animal language to almost illustrate that the words are to be “screamed.” Also in this passage, McClure uses both animal and ordinary language to possibly symbolize a blend between the two. Because the ordinary language is blended in with the animal language, so much so that they are both in lowercase and in the same line with no separation, it is easy to see them as one or as similar. McClure might be hinting at the idea that animal and ordinary language are one in the same and actually not that different. Even when an actual animal communicates with another animal, they are probably having the same conversation that one human being would have with another human being; the only different being that they would sound verbally different.

McClure varies up his incorporation of animal and ordinary language. Sometimes, there is more animal language and sometimes there is more ordinary language. Sometimes, uppercase and sometimes lowercase.

For example, in tantra #63, McClure writes:

            “OH THOU FARTHER AWAY THAN HEAVEN,

            APPEAR FOR I MISS THEE…

I long

                        In the gloom foggy noon for thy intentness

The blue-black & gleaming blot of spirit drips…

GRAYOHH GREYGRAHARR YEO YI-EEE…” (McClure 63).

            Unlike the way that the previous tantra I talked about earlier in this post, this tantra showcases the combination of the two types of language in a different way. This time, both the animal language and ordinary language are shown in uppercase letters. The ordinary language is shown in both uppercase and lowercase letters, but by showing it in uppercase letters like the animal language, we are able to see them as one in the same. Also, there is no type of clear transition between the two, enhancing the similarities even more.

When reading this for the first time, I thought that the animal language did not blend in at all with the human language. I believe, that this was mostly because I was trying to sort through the passage and pick out the words that I could recognize, those in ordinary language. But once I saw how much the two types of speech were together in the passages, I began to see how much the two in fact had similarities. They probably have similarities in their meaning, but not necessarily their sound.