Accent, Between the Littoral and the Literal: An Approach Based on Creative Processes in Musical Composition

Abstract

This article investigates accent at the intersection of musical composition and Lacanian psychoanalysis. Drawing on experiences from the creative process of songwriting, it proposes understanding accent not only as a marker of linguistic, geographical, and cultural belonging, but also as a phenomenon related to voice, sonority, and lalangue. The study articulates Lacan’s concepts of letter, voice, and lalangue with observations on the presence of accent in musical creation, particularly in its rhythmic, melodic, and poetic dimensions. It also discusses accent as both a collective and singular mark, associated with the body, social bonds, linguistic resistance, and transference dynamics. Finally, accent is proposed as a kind of littoral between language and body, meaning and sound, subject and Other, traversing the Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary registers. The article thus highlights the potential of musical composition as a field of inquiry for psychoanalysis, especially regarding the sonic materiality of language and singular ways of dealing with lalangue.