V. Стилістика

1. Основні поняття стилістки англійської мови та інтерпретація художнього тексту

The word ‘stylistics’ is derived from ‘style’ which originates from the Latin ‘stylus/stilus’ – a slender pointed writing instrument (a small stick with a pointed end) used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as they scratched letters on wax-covered plates (or wax tablets). Stylistics is a linguistic discipline which studies nominative and communicative language units and the principles according to which the units of all language levels are selected for achieving a certain pragmatic aim in different communicative situations. It is the study of style, which can be defined as the analysis of distinctive expressions in language and the description of its purpose and effect.

An expressive means is a marked member of a stylistic opposition which has an invariant meaning on language. (O.M. Morokhovsky)

Expressive means of a language are those phonetic, lexical, morphological and syntactic units and forms which make speech emphatic. Expressive means introduce connotational (stylistic, non-denotative) meanings into utterances. Phonetic expressive means include pitch, melody, stresses, pauses, whispering, singing, and other ways of using human voice. Morphological expressive means are emotionally coloured suffixes of diminutive nature: -y (-ie), -let (sonny auntie, girlies). To lexical expressive means belong words, possessing connotations, such as epithets, poetic and archaic words, slangy words, vulgarisms, and interjections. A chain of expressive synonymic words always contains at least one neutral synonym. For ex-le, the neutral word money has the following stylistically coloured equivalents: ackers (slang), cly (jargon), cole (jargon), gelt (jargon), moo (amer. slang), etc. A chain of expressive synonyms used in a single utterance creates the effect of climax (gradation). To syntactic expressive means belong emphatic syntactic constructions. Such constructions stand in opposition to their neutral equivalents. The neutral sentence "John went away" may be replaced by the following expressive variants: "Away went John" (stylistic inversion), "John did go away" (use of the emphatic verb "to do"), "John went away, he did" (emphatic confirmation pattern), "It was John who went away" ("It is he who does it" pattern).

A stylistic devise is and intentional change of a fixed distribution of language units in speech. (O.M. Morokhovsky). Stylistic devices (tropes, figures of speech) unlike expressive means are not language phenomena. They are formed in speech and most of them do not exist out of context. According to principles of their formation, stylistic devices are grouped into phonetic, lexico-semantic and syntactic types. Basically, all stylistic devices are the result of revaluation of neutral words, word-combinations and syntactic structures. Revaluation makes language units obtain connotations and stylistic value. A stylistic device is the subject matter of stylistic semasiology.

Style is a distinctive way of using language for some purpose and to some extend (P. Verdonk)

Individual style – a writer’s individual manner of using language means to achieve the effect he desires. Can be recognized by peculiar combination of language means and SD.Deliberate choice must be distinguished from habitual idiosyncrasy. Idiolect – the speech of an individual, characterized by peculiarities typical of that particular individual.

The norm may be defined as a set of language rules which are considered to be the most standard and correct in a certain epoch and in a certain society. “The invariant of the phonemic, morphological, lexical and stylistic patterns circulating in language-in-action at a given period of time” (I.R. Galperin)

Types of norm: language norm

stylistic norm

ethic/ecological norm

A linguistic context is the encirclement of a language unit by other language units in speech. Such an encirclement makes the meaning of the unit clear and unambiguous.  Foregrounding is the stylistic effect achieved by what is salient or unexpected or abnormal in the use of language. 

2 ways of producing foregrounding:

- parallelism: unexpected regularity, “more of the same”

- deviation: unexpected irregularity

Types of foregrounding:

- convergence: combination or accumulation of stylistic devices promoting the same idea (e.g. “and heaved, and heaved, still unrestingly heaved the black sea, as its vast tides were a conscience” – simile, repetition, inversion)

- coupling: semantically relevant appearance of equivalent elements in equivalent position. Coupling is based on the affinity of elements that occupy similar positions throughout the text. The affinity may be different in nature: phonetic (provided by phonetic stylistic devices: alliteration, assonance, paranomasia; + by rhyme, rhythm, meter), structural (achieved by all kinds of parallelism and syntactic repetition), semantic (demonstrated by the use of synonyms and antonyms).

- in defeated expectancy some elements of the text receives prominence due to an interruption in the pattern of predictability.

- strong (salient) positions (the title, the beginning, the end, the epigraph)

Graphon is an intentional violation od the graphical shape of a word (or word combination) used to reflect its authentic pronunciation. (V.A. Kukharenko)

Types of graphon: multiplication, hyphenation, capitalization, apostrophe. Functions: - to give the reader an idea about smth (level of education, emotional state, origin). – to attract attention. – to make smb memorize it. – to show smth, explain. Graphical means are popular with advertisers. They individualize speech of the character or advertising slogan. A better stain getter. How do you spell relief? R-O-L-I-P-S – to make reader / listener to remember it.