Scrambling Syllables in Sung Poetry of the Maldives

The most popular form of poetry in Dhivehi (an Indo-Aryan language of the Maldives) before the twentieth century, raivaru, utilizes the scrambling of syllables as a poetic device. Scrambling harnesses processes typically associated with language games. Yet, while players of language games transform words according to rigid processes, Maldivian poets scramble syllables in response to six poetic constraints. Two broad forms of scrambling may be distinguished: intraword vs. long-distance. One factor that may influence the poet’s decision to scramble syllables in particular ways is the recitation melody.