5. Stylistics and information theory

Language or speech communication, putting it more accurately, should be regarded as a specific kind of human activity. It is the process of converting the language system into speech in accordance with fixed rules and patterns (Vorobyova et al.).

While communicating, we actually use a host of different language means. The same thought, idea, belief, opinion, emotion, feeling or attitude can be expressed in more than one way. Cf.:

1. My dear father has passed away. My father has died. My old man has kicked the bucket.

It is apparent from the above examples that a natural language provides us with a number of vocabulary items and grammatical structures to convey the same idea but the attitude differs greatly in each case. The pragmatic aim is also quite different.

Linguistics, and stylistics in particular, is closely connected with information theory, i.e. a branch of the cybernetic theory of communication by signal.

communication (oral/written) = a transfer of information

information = inner content

language = a code

code= a set of signs used for making signals

signal carries information

sign is a component of a signal

signs: phonemes, morphemes, words, phrases, sentences (utterances), paragraphs and whole texts

C. Shannon, W. Weaver - information theory model:

Stages of the communication act :

1. encoding of the message;

2. its transmission;

3. its realization as a signal;

4. through a channel;

5. its reception;

6. its decoding

• Text constitutes the middle element of the communicative act, which in its simplified version may be presented as a three-member structure:

the addresser – the text – the addressee

V. Kukharenko - the author-reader communication = funnel

Reality perceived by the author - text - reality re-created by the reader

In language as a code there is always a potential, a stock of similar signs which could be used to convey the same message. This feature of the language is called 'redundancy'. It is redundancy of the language code that provides the opportunity of choice.

the same message - different signs = redundancy of language code opportunity for choice

N.E. Enkvist - kinds of choice:

- choice of extralinguistic motivation;

- grammatical choice presupposes the encoder's knowledge of grammatical rules.

- stylistic choice is associated with different attitudes of the speaker to the subject of speech, with different social situations (formal, informal, etc.).

What are you doing?

Whaddya doin'?

Whach doon?

In these examples the phonemic and grammatical stylistic variations reflect different styles of speaking as well as social and regional features.

• Materials:

1. А.Н. Мороховский Стилистика английского языка. - 1991.

2. I. R. Galperin Stylistics. – 1981.

3.V. A. Kukharenko A Book of Practice in Stylistics. - 2000.

4. Методичні вказівки до семінарських та практичних занять з стилістики англійської мови для студентів ІУ курсу. – 2001.

5. И.В. Арнольд Стилистика современного английского языка. – 1981.