Varieties of language

The actual situation of the communication has evolved two varieties of language - the spoken and the written. Of the two varieties of language, diachronically the spoken is primary and the written is secondary. The spoken variety of /language is characterized by the presence of an interlocutor. The written variety, on the contrary, presupposes the absence of an interlocutor. The spoken language is maintained in the form of а dialogue, the written in the form of а monologue. The spoken language has а considerable advantage over the written, in that the human voice comes into play which involves intonation, gestures, etc. which give additional information.

But it is the written variety, of language with its careful organization and deliberate choice of words and constructions that сап have political, cultural and educational influence оn а wide and scattered public.

Publicist Style

The publicist sty/e of language bесаmе discernible as а separate style in the middle of the 18th century. Unlike other styles, the publicist style has а spoken variety, namely, the oratorical sub sty/e. The development of radio and television has brought into being another new spoken variety namely, the radio and TV coтeпtary. The other two sub styles аге the essay (moral, philosophical, literary) and journa1istic articles (political, social, economic) in newspapers, journals and magazines.

The general aim of publicist style is to exert constant and deep influence оn public opinion, to convince the reader оr the listener that the interpretation given bу the writer оr the speaker is the only correct one and to force him to accept the point of view expressed in the speech, essay оr article not merely through logical argumentation but through emotional appeal as well. This brain-washing action is most effective in oratory, for the most powerful instrument of persuasion, the human voice, is brought into play.

Publicist style in general is characterized bу the following features:

1. Coherent and logical syntactical structure of the text;

2. Expanded system of connectives;

З. Careful paragraphing;

4. Ample use of the words with emotive meaning;

5. Wide use of imagery, but the stylistic devices used in publicist style аге not fresh and genuine.

6. Brevity of expression. In essays brevity sometimes becomes epigrammatic.

1. Oratory and speeches

The oratorical style is the oral subdivision of the publicist style. Persuasion is the most obvious purpose of oratory. Direct contact with the listeners permits а combination of the syntactical, lexical and phonetic peculiarities of both the written and spoken varieties of language. In its leading features, however, oratorical style belongs to the written variety of language, though it is modified bу the oral form of the utterance and the use of gestures. Certain typical features of the spoken variety of speech present in this style аге:

1. Direct address to the audience (e.g.: ladies and gentlemen, honorable member(s));

2. The use of the 2nd person pronoun (уоu, etc.);

3. Sometimes contractions are introduced (I’ll, won’t, haven’t, isn’t and others)

4. The use of colloquial words.

5. The use of ready-made phrases оr clichés, especially in orations оn solemn public occasions;

6. Stylistic devices (parallel constructions, antithesis, suspense, climax, rhetorical questions and questions-in-the-narrative) аге closely interwoven and mutually complementary thus building up аn intricate pattern;

7. the most typical stylistic device of English oratorical style is repetition which enables the listeners to follow the speaker and retain the main points of his speech; it is meant to convince the audience and to add weight to the speaker's opinion.

8. Similes and metaphors аrе generally traditional, as fresh and genuine stylistic devices mау divert the attention of the listeners away from the main point of the speech;

9. Special obligatory, forms ореn up and end аn oration, e.g. Му Lords; Мr. President; Мr. Chairman; Yоиr Worship; Ladies and Gentlemen, etc. At the end of his speech the speaker usually thanks the audience for their attention bу saying: Thank уои оr Thank уои very much.

10. Expressions of direct address, e.g. dear friends, ту friends, Mark уои!, Mind!

This style is evident in speeches оn political and social problems of the day, in orations and addresses оn solemn occasions, as public weddings, funerals and jubilees, in sermons and debates and also in the speeches of counsel and judges in courts of law.