ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the language-style and linguistic properties of English-language haiku and argues for the importance of “disjunction” – in contrast to juxtaposition or superposition – as a central poetic device in haiku. The chapter outlines numerous kinds of disjunction found in the form, reframing haiku as an art form based on various modes of disjunction. The concept of semantic kireji is outlined as a form specific to the English language. By comparing and contrasting modes of disjunction with the prevailing concept of juxtaposition (superposition), it is hoped that ideas such as the insufficiency of the “one image” haiku, and the limits of “proper haiku,” may be re-examined.
