Stylistic classification of the english vocabulary

1. Stylistically-neutral words

2. Stylistically-coloured words:

A. Super-Neutral Words: • learned words; • archaisms; • professional terms

B. Sub-Neutral Words: • colloquial words; • slang; • dialect words

The words are used in speech with a different extent of regularity. Some words occur more frequently than the others, and they are indispensable in every act of communication, while other words are used only in some special spheres of linguistic intercourse. In accordance with the differentiation of the language into three subsystems we can sub-divide the vocabulary of the language into three groups, accordingly: neutral, sub-neutral and super-neutral.

1. Stylistically-neutral words

Stylistically-neutral words are also called the basic vocabulary of the language. They can be used in all kinds of situations, both formal, and informal, in speech and in writing. They denote objects and phenomena of everyday importance (e.g. house, milk, dog, cat, to walk, to run, and etc.). Their meanings are broad, general, and bear no additional information.

CONTRACT a formal agreement between two or more parties or a document that states the terms of such an agreement; synonyms : agreement, treaty, convention

2. Stylistically-coloured words

Stylistically-coloured words can be subdivided into two groups: super-neutral and sub-neutral.

Super-neutral words are appropriate in formal situations. The words of formal style fall into 3 groups:

1. Learned words

These words are associated with printed page. They are also called “bookish”. They can be subdivided into:

• scientific prose words – dry, matter-of-fact flavour words;

• “officialese” – official bureaucratic words;

• literary words – lofty words used in descriptive passages of fiction;

• modes of poetic diction – high-flown words used in poetry.

2. Archaisms

These words are old and are not used in modern English. They are subdivided into:

• obsolete words – very rare, cannot be understood without special explanation;

• archaisms proper – can be understood because they were used in the XIXth century;

• historical words – denote objects or phenomena which have disappeared.

3. Professional Terminology

They are words and phrases used by professional groups of people.

Sub-neutral words are appropriate in the immediate circle: family, relatives, or friends. The words of informal style fall into 3 groups:

1. Colloquial words

Colloquial words can be subdivided into:

• literary colloquial – words used by everybody;

• familiar colloquial – words used mostly by the young and semi-educated;

• low colloquial – rough and coarse words used by the illiterate.

2. Slang

There is no exact definition of slangy words; slang is everything that is not included into the textbooks.

3. Dialect words

There are certain regional forms of the English language in which dialect words appear. The British dialects are Northern, Midland, Eastern, Western, Southern; the American dialects are Northern, Midland, Southern.

For the United Kingdom received pronunciation (RP) is considered to be the standard, for the USA it is Uniform American English (Californian English).

The interaction of stylistically-coloured and stylistically-neutral words in one and the same context may cause different stylistic effects.

When a super-neutral word is placed in a stylistically-neutral context, it gives the latter either an elevated colouring or a humorous effect, depending on the subject of speech.

When a sub-neutral word is placed in a neutral context, it lowers the stylistic value of the latter. When a sub-neutral word is placed in a super-neutral context or vice-versa, it almost always produces a humorous effect.

neutral words : house, milk, dog, cat, to walk, to run; scientific prose : dialectical, emphasize, empirical; “officialese” : hereinafter, de jure, de facto; literary words : heritage, hierarchy, cordial; modes of poetic diction : woe, realm, soliloquy; archaisms : albeit (although it be that), clad (to clothe), thy (your); professional terminology : performance rating, feasibility study; colloquial : dad, chap, freezer, ain’t; slang : cutie, undies, jaw-breaker.