As we will see, the approach that he uses often successfully achieves both these ends, by drawing on poetic devices and imagery for its content, while in its form generally (though not necessarily) remaining light and colloquial. In an in depth linguistic study (2) of the repertoire, undertaken by the Dipartimento di Italianistica at the La Sapienza University in Rome the "...ritmo dialogico e colloquiale dell'orditura sintattica" (dialogical and colloquial rhythm of the syntactical disposition-there's academics for you) was carefully and thoroughly investigated and laid bare. This has already been in evidence in some of the examples in the previous article.

3.1.1 Register

If we take a look again at the song Dancing, we can see from the very beginning how the wording is generally familiar and reasonably straightforward: "C'è stato un'attimo che tu / mi sei sembrata niente / è stato quando la tua mano / mi ha lasciato solo, e inesistente, / hai volteggiato e sei tornata qui…" (There was an instant when you seemed like nothing, it was when your hand left me alone, and non-existent you spun around and you came back here). "C'è stato... che tu mi sei sembrata... sei tornata....poi nessuno…" are all completely natural speech forms that surround the key words, giving a reasonably light tone and not letting them overburden the musical base. The colloquial quality is also respected here, because throughout the song there is no use of syntactical inversion.

3.1.2 Use of imagery

Yet the images contained within these opening verses still manage to be surprisingly evocative: the dance step in which the two partners separate and then regroup after the women's pirouette, is instinctively and hyperbolically transformed into an instant in which the man suddenly feels her complete and utter disappearance as if he has been cast away, while the speed and lightness of her spinning actually makes her invisible. Meanwhile the use of a typical low register form of anaphora ("e inesistente... e sei tornata...e poi"), here, but also throughout the song, has the typical effect of emphasising and strengthening the precipitation of events.

So far what has been emphasised is not only the dynamism of the situation but also the relationship in the dance between the couple. This is then further explored in the next verses and revealed almost as a subconscious confrontation, an undeclared duel. It is just hinted at, subtly suggested, where, for apparently no reason at all, the couple are said to smile almost comically and fictitiously and to greet each other: "ci siam sorrisi e salutati e siam rimasti in pista" (we smiled and greeted each other and we stayed on the floor). The bittersweet quality of the relationship is then explicitly revealed: "questa nostra danza / mezza dolce e mezza amara / e siam rimasti in gara" ("this dance of ours half bitter and half sweet and we stayed in the game").