Seminar 4

Syntactical Stylistic Devices

Basic Terms

Antithesis –SD, based on relative opposition, arising out of the context through the expansion of objectively contrasting parts

Aposiopesis – sudden intentional break in the narration or a dialogue, based upon the aesthetic function of incomplete representation

Asyndeton – deliberate avoidance of connectives, where they are generally expected to be according to the norms of literary language

Chiasmus –SD, based on the repetition of the syntactic pattern, but it has cross order of words or phrases

Climax (gradation) –arrangement of sentences which is combined with gradual increase in the degree of some quality or in quantity, or in the emotional colouring

Detachment –SD, when one of the parts of the sentence is placed so that it seems formally independent of the word it logically refers to

Ellipses – intentional omission of one or both principle members of the sentence from the utterance

Inversion –violation of the direct (subject-predicate-object) word order

Litotes –SD, which presupposes double negation, weakening the expressed idea

Parallel constructions – a SD, based on the identical or similar syntactic structures in sentences or parts of the sentence in close succession

Polysyndeton – insisted repetition of a connective between words, phrases or clauses

Repetition –SD, based on the repeated occurrence of one and the same word or word group

Rhetorical question – statement expressed in the form of an interrogative sentence

Suspense (retardation) – deliberate delay in the completion of the expressed thought framed in one sentence

Items for discussion:

1. Compositional patterns of syntactical arrangement:

1. What are four groups of syntactic SD according to I.R.Galperin?

• Compositional patterns of syntactical arrangement (stylistic inversion, detached constructions, parallel constructions, chiasmus, repetition, enumeration, suspense, climax, antithesis)

• Particular ways of combining parts of the utterance (asyndeton, polysyndeton, the gap-sentence link)

• Particular use of colloquial constructions (ellipsis, break-in-the-narrative, question-in-the-narrative, uttered/unuttered speech)

• Stylistic use of structural meaning (rhetorical question, litotes)

2. What is the difference between stylistic and grammatical inversion?

Stylistic inversion is every noticeable change in word – order. It aims add attaching logical stress or additional emotional color to the atteance. A specific intonation is inevitable. Its not a violation of the norms. It’s a practical realization of what is potential in the language. Stylistic and grammatical inversion is not the same. Stylistic inversion doesn’t change grammatical meaning of a sentence. It aims add making interence more conspicuous, more important, emphatic. Grammatical inversion is used in questions.

3. What are the main patterns of stylistic inversion?

The flowing patterns of stylistic inversion may be observed:

- The object is placed at the beginning of the sentence e.g. Talent Mr. Macabre has; capital Mr. Mivawber has not. (Dickens)

- The attribute is placed after the word it modifies

- The predicative is placed before the subject

- The predicative stands before the link – verb and both are placed before the subject e.g. Rude am I in my speech…

- The adverbial modifier is placed at the beginning of the sentence e.g. Eagerly I wished the morrow

- Both modifier and predicate stand before the subject