Metasemantics (the term originates from the prefix μετά and the word σημαντικός) is a literary technique theorized and used by Fosco Maraini, in his collection of poems "Gnòsi delle fànfole "of 1978
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Definition
Semantics is that part of linguistics that studies the meaning of words (lexical semantics), of the sets of words, of phrases (phrasal semantics), and of texts. Metasemantics, in the sense given by the Maraini, goes beyond the meaning of words and consists of the use, within the text, of words without Referent, but by the familiar sound to the language to which the text itself belongs, and which must still follow the syntactical and grammatical rules (in the case of Fosco Maraini, the Italian language). One can attribute more or less arbitrary meanings to these words by their sound and their position within the text .
Currently, the technique has a number of culptors among Italian poets, especially among amateurs.
A language similar to this technique (mostly defined as Nonsense ) was also used by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky published in 1871.
Other examples of proto-metasemantics expressions in the English language date back to the beginning of 16th century with the onomatopoeic sounds typical of Gibberish
Examples
The most famous example of metasemantics, in the original meaning of the term as given by Maraini, is his poem Il Lonfo , also known for its interpretation made by Gigi Proietti.