Stylistic morphology.

1. Expressivity of grammatical forms

2. synonymy

3. Grammatical transposition

4. Stylistic

Stylistic morphology is on of the least investigated areas of stylistic research. It is involved in the study of stylistic potentials of grammatical forms. Here we speak about word-building expressive means (expressivity of affixes and of word-building patterns). Every particular affix has its own connotational potential.

Screbnev classification.

There are 2 trends of stylistic significance in English morphology:

1. synonymy (paradigmatic equivalence or interchangeability of different morphemes);

2. variability of use (or interchangeability) of morphological categorical forms (i.e. component parts of the category) or of the members of the opposition that constitute the grammatical category (tense, person, number).

The stylistic potentials of grammatical forms.

Word-building expressive mean

Expressivity of affixes.

E.g. –ish has different meanings.

1.Brown – brownish (denotes a small degree of this or that quality). Blue –bluish;

2. Biggish (presents a lest straightforward, more tactful way of characterizing someone or something). Baldish, dullish.

3. Bookish, childish – if added to a noun, these adjectives have negative derogatory connotations, reveal irritation, disapproval. (girlish, boyish – exception). Doggish, goatish, sheepish, womanish, mannish;

4. Honey-moonish – the negative evaluation is intensified.

5. 40sh; She’s about fourtish – demonstrates uncertainty.

Negative evaluation is expressed by the following suffixes:

-ard (drunkard, coward)

-ster (gangster, mobster,oldster)

-aster (poetaster),

-eer (profiteer, black marketeer),

-monger (scare-monger, war-monger, panic monger, scandal monger),

-o (oldo).

Diminutive suffixes – point to a small size, but reveal tender, joking or scornful attitude.

–kin (lambkin, Thumbkin),

-let (Chicklet, starlet, rivulent),

-ling (weakling, duckling),

-y (daddy),

-ie (lassie, oldie, sweetie, cutie, girlie),

-ette (kitchenette),

-roo (buddyroo).

Negative affixes – traditionally represent absence of some quality. They may obtain evaluative connotation and demonstrate the speaker’s attitude (in-, un-,ir-, non-, -less).

• Un-birthday present,

• the uncola – 7up.

• The nature’s signs and voices shame the prayerless heart of man.

2 ways of foregrounded a morpheme

1) Morpheme repetition

2) Extension/Violation of normative

Expressivity of word-building patterns.

Violation of traditional valency creates comical effect.

• compound, blending (friend-in chief, love-coloured glasses, Snowdzilla (snow+ Godzilla), intrigue –o - meter).

• attributive phrase (God-I-want-it gaze);

• reduplication (helter-skelter, razzle-dazzle. Are you from Russia Russia?);

• abbreviation (celeb, fab, tec).

Synonyms of morphemes

Synonymy is not very well developed so all the cases when variants of grammatical morphemes are opposed to each other are of high stylistic prominence. Synonymy performs several functions:

1. expresses the grammatical meaning of plurality (-s books [s], boys [z], boxes, classes [iz]; -en – oxen,children, brethren; -a – datum – data, – es: crisis- crises, index-indices);

2. used in the so-called elegant variation – trying to avoid to repeat the same morphemes or parts of speech (Shakespeare’s plays, the plays of Shakespeare, Shakespearean plays, Shakespeare plays);

3. to draw the distinction between the literal and subliterary norm, formal or informal structure. E.g. real good = really good, John here? (Is John here?) , Where are you at?, Who/ whom are you talking about to&, If I was…/ If I were… , phrasal verbs instead of normal verbs.

4. the use of ungrammatical forms (ain’t(=am/is/are/have/has not); we/you/they was, There’s his shoes; I should have went; he don’t, says I, I/we/you/they gets; he comed/seed; innit (You’ve seen it, innit?); dunno (don’t know). – violation of grammar represented by means of graphon, serves as a sign of characters of laws of social educative…dialectal speech.

5. indicate to a particular functional styles (brethren vs brothers – religious) he hath, thou hast/ doest(obsolete) VS he has, you have/do, beauteous, plenteous(poetic, formal) VS beautiful, plentiful;

6. peculiarities of national variants (British vs American – at the corner – on the corner; out of the window – out the window; to get (got) – to get (gotten); I suggest that he should go – I suggest that he go;

7. emolinguistics (I’ll VS I will (implies that you are upset). I’ll see you at the cinema (neutral). I will see you at the cinema (= you are upset with your friend).

Grammatical transposition.

Grammatical transposition – the usage of certain forms of different parts of speech in non-conventional grammatical or lexical meanings. Helps to express emotions or attitudes to the subject of discussion.

Stylistic potentials of the parts of speech and grammatical categories.