Breaking The Walls of Language: A Constraint-Based Study of Aqib’s When Will These Walls Go Down

Abstract

This study explores the poetic and sociolinguistic dimensions of Farzana Aqib’s poem When Will The Walls Go Down (2021) through the analytical framework of Optimality Theory (OT), originally developed by Prince and Smolensky (2004). The primary objective is to analyze how Aqib strategically violates and satisfies linguistic constraints to create a powerful sociocultural narrative that challenges systemic boundaries- both linguistic and ideological. Using a qualitative approach, this study employs close textual analysis to identify and interpret instances of constraint interaction, particularly the tension between faithfulness (preserving standard linguistic forms) and markedness (allowing deviation for expressive effect). The study reveals that the poet purposefully re-orders constraint rankings to prioritize sociocultural resonance over formal correctness. This linguistic flexibility becomes a mode of resistance, breaking down normative “walls” of language and enabling suppressed voices to emerge. The study contributes to literary linguistics by demonstrating how Optimality Theory can effectively decode poetic deviation and link it to broader sociopolitical contexts. Ultimately, the research offers an understanding of how language operates as both a barrier and a means of liberation in contemporary poetic discourse.

Keywords: Optimality Theory, Farzana Aqib, constraint violation, poetic resistance, linguistic deviation, sociocultural identity, literary linguistics.