MORPHOSYNTACTIC ARCHITECTURE IN SHADAB ZEEST HASHMI’S THE GREEN WALLS: A DISTRIBUTED MORPHOLOGY APPROACH

Abstract

This study examines Shadab Zeest Hashmi’s poem The Green Walls through the lens of Distributed Morphology
(DM), a generative model that views word formation as a syntactic process with post-syntactic phonological
realization. The poem employs dense lexical clustering, hyphenated words, and strategic punctuation to
reconstruct memory, social experience, and identity. Drawing on the theoretical contributions of Halle and
Marantz (1993, 1994) and subsequent refinements by Embick and Noyer (2007), the study analyzes how commas,
full stops, and hyphenated constructions function as morphosyntactic cues analogous to DM features. Using a
qualitative textual analysis, the paper demonstrates that these elements—through compounding, derivation, and
root assembly—encode continuity, termination, and semantic complexity. The findings reveal that the poem’s
morphosyntactic structure actively shapes rhythm, meaning, and ideological commentary, showing how form and
interpretation are inseparable in poetic language.