17. Correlation of notions functional style and discourse.

The term style is the basic notion of Stylistics.Functional style can be understood as a set of interrelated language means serving a definite aim in communication; functional styles are products of concrete social tasks set out by the language community (Galperin,). They are the tools which help people to understand one another in different, spheres of communication, including literature, science, and politics, social and private life.

It is necessary to bearin mind thatby now the term discourse has acquired a wide popularity in many humanitarian disciplines including linguistics. It tends toreplace not only the term text, but also the term FS thatis a purely linguistic one.The words text and discourse are often treated by linguists as synonyms.In case they are used' in different senses, text is regarded as an abstract unit belonging to language-as-a-system, and discourse is understood as current speech generated and perceived in its oral or written form, in other words, as language-in-action.

The relationship of the notion of’ functional style and that of discourse are well traced through the notion of text.At the same time, the notion of discourse seems to be wider than that of FS as the former implies many more extra-linguistic characteristics of the text (e.g. ideological, social, cultural) than the latter one.

Exist 2 diametrically opposite estimations of the term FS. Arnold considers it to be very accurate, emphasizing the fact that the specify of each style is predetermined by the specificity of functions carried out by language in a particular sphere of communication. Karasik, on the contrary, qualifies the term FS as the “least successful” in linguistics. He uses the nomination format of discourse instead of FS. The format of discourse – is variety of discourse singled out on the basis of the communicative distance, degree of self-expression, existing social institutions, register of communication, and language clichés.

18. THE SCIENTIFIC PROSE STYLE

The function of the scientific prose style is to work out and ground theoretically objective knowledge about reality. The style has 3 subdivisions: 1)the substyle of humanitarian sciences; 2) the substyle of exact sciences; the substyle of popular scientific prose.The type of scientific prose may vary depending on a particular sphere of investigation (maths, history).

Still the salient features of scientific Engl. Are: objectivity, logical sequence, lucidity, exactness, impersonality. The most notable feature of scientific vocabulary is the use of terms — words which are most likely to occur only in a scientific text and contribute to its exactness. Emotionally colored words, elements of expressive-syntax (e.g. gradation, antithesis, rhetorical questions, parallel constructions) and such lexical stylistic devices as metaphors and similes are difficult to avoid in popular scientific prose.

A general and impersonal character of scientific writing is created by means of impersonal sentences, passive constructions and active forms with the so-called "plural of modesty" - WE.

A distinguishable feature of the style in the text level is the frequent use of quotations, references and footnotes which, besides securing the logical coherence and objectivity of the expressed ideas, also actuate the category of intertextuality understood as a dialogue going on between the author of the text and other scholars.

In actual communication the style of scientific prose is presented by a variety of genres including experimental articles, monographs, research and critical papers, reports, lectures, theses, scientific essays, reviews, text-books, research projects.