Poiesis and fabrica – An Investigation Linking Language to Architecture

Abstract

In this paper, my intention is to find the extent to which the domain of architecture, more specifically the manifestation of the creative act, can be approached from the viewpoint of linguistics. To this aim, I brought into discussion two ancient concepts, poíēsis (of Greek origin) and fabrics (of Latin origin), which I subjected to an etymological and semantic analysis in order to see if and how they converge in the architectural practice. Additionally, I analyzed contrastively some translations (in English and Romanian) of a short fragment from Vitruvius’ De architecturepoíēsis, fabrics, architecture, linguistics, in order to explore the shades of meaning offered by the translators, with regard to architectural practice. In this way, I have combined the diachronic approach with the synchronic one, being aware of the fact that all this will contribute to a better, clearer understanding of the creative act in architecture.