25. Stylistic devices based on the interaction of logical and nominal meanings (Periphrasis, Euphemism, Hyperbole)

In linguistics, periphrasis is a device by which a grammatical category or grammatical relationship is expressed by a free morpheme (typically one or more function words modifying a content word), instead of being shown by inflection or derivation. For example, the English future tense is periphrastic: it is formed with an auxiliary words (shall or will) followed by the base form of the main verb. Another example is the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives, when they are formed with the words more and most rather than with the suffixes -er and -est: the forms more beautiful and most beautiful are periphrastic, while lovelier and loveliest are not. Periphrasis is a characteristic of analytic languages, which tend to avoid inflection. Even synthetic languages, which are highly inflected, sometimes make use of periphrasis to fill out an inflectional paradigm that is missing certain forms.

A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others are created to mislead or at least put a positive spin on events. Euphemisms can also be used in the place of words considered profane.

Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a stylistic device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally. Hyperboles are exaggerations to create emphasis or effect. As a literary device, hyperbole is often used in poetry, and is frequently encountered in casual speech. An example of hyperbole is: "The bag weighed a ton." Hyperbole helps to make the point that the bag was very heavy, although it is not probable that it would actually weigh a ton.In stylistic, some opposites of hyperbole are meiosis, litotes, understatement, and bathos (the 'letdown' after a hyperbole in a phrase).

26. Compositional Patterns of the English classical verse

It is customary to begin the exposition of the theory of English ver­sification with the statement that "...there is no established principle of English versification/'Eut this statement may apply to almost any branch of linguistic science. Science in general can live and develop only pro­vided that there are constant disputes on the most crucial issues of the giver; science.English versification is no exception. The most observable and widely recognized compositional patterns of rhythm making up classical verse are based, on:

1) alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables, x

2) equilinearity, that is, an equal number of syllables in the lines,

3) a natural pause at the end of the line, the line being a more or less complete semantic unit,

4) identity of stanza pattern,

5) established patterns of rhyming.

Less observable, although very apparent in modern versification, are all kinds of deviations from these rules, some of them going so far that classical poetry ceases to be strictly classical and becomes what is called free verse, which in extreme cases borders on prose.

The nature of the English language with its specific phonetic laws, however, is incompatible with the demand for strict regularity in the alternation of similar units, and hence there are a number of accepted deviations from established metrical schemes which we shall discuss in detail after point­ing out the most recognizable English metrical pa ft e r n-s.

There are five of them:

1. Iambic metre, in which the unstressed syllable is followed by a stressed one. It is graphically represented thus: (w-).

2. Trochaic metre, where the order is reversed, i.e.. a stressed syllable is followed by one unstressed (-^).

3. Dactylic me t r e—one stressed syllable is followed by two unstressed (-w).

4. Amphibrach i с metre—one stressed syllable is framed by two unstressed ^~w.

1 Many linguists hold that verse rhythm is based on alternation between stronger and weaker stresses. They maintain that four degrees of stresses are easily recognizable. But for the sake of abstraction—an indispensable process in scientific investigation — the opposition of stressed—unstressed syllables is the only authentic way of presenting tne problem of verse rhythm.

5. Anapaestic me tr e—iwo unstressed syllables are followed by one stressed (w-).

These arrangements of qualitatively different syllables are the units of the metre, the repetition of which makes verse. One unit is called a foot. The number of feet in a line varies, but it has its limit; it rarely exceeds eight.