Gl0ssary 0f major terms necessary for text interpritation
While analyzing the text student should point out the expressive means and stylistic devices which are employed by the author in order to unfold the massage. These can be divided into 4 major groups: phonetical, lexical, syntactical and lexico-syntactical.
1. Phonetic expressive means and stylistic devices:
Alliteration – deliberate reproduction of the same or similar consonant in close succession to achieve a certain acoustic effect.
E.g. No longer mourn for me when I am dead. Then you shall hear the surly sullen bell. /Shakespeare/.
Assonance - deliberate repetition of similar or the same vowels in close succession to achieve acoustic effect.
E.g. Tenderly bury the tender young dead… /La Costa/.
Onoamatopoaia - deliberate use of words or word combinations whose sounds produce an imitation of natural sound.
E.g. And the silken sad uncertain…
Rustling of each purple curtain. /E. Poa/
2. Lexical. Expressive means and stylistic devices:
Archaic words - words which are not in the current use but understood by the speaking community.
E.g. I saw thee weep – the big bright tear
Come o'er that eye of blue.
And then methought it did appear.
A violet dropping dew. /C.Byron/.
Barbarisms - words borrowed from a foreign language and not assimilated in English.
E.g. "Why don't you like those cousins, Father?" Soams lifted the corner of his lips.
"What made you think of that?".
"Cela se voit."
“That sees itself” What a way of putting it!" /J.Calaworlhy/.
Bookish or learned words - words of high-flown stylistic colouring used usually in official or high flown style. Compare pairs of bookish end neutral word combinations:
a great crowd came to see - a vast concourse was assembled to witness; great fire - disastrous conflagration; sent for the doctor - called into requisition the services of the family physician /O.Jespersen/,
Colloquial words - words used in private, unofficial type of communication but not violating the received standard.
E.g. “Oh, I have nothing against him. He's quite well born and that sort of thing.” /S.Maugham/.
Dialect words - words characteristic of some local or social dialect. They have stylistic value only when used out of their special sphere of application.
E.g. "I'll show you some day when ye come ben my house" /A.Cronin/.
Historical words - words used to designate objects and phenomena peculiar to some past epoch.
E.g. "Prithee, do me so much favour, as to inquire after my astrologer. Martimus Galeotti, and send him hither to me presently." "I will without fail my Liege" - answered the jester…" /W.Scott/
Jargonisms social and cantish words – words and word combinations used by particular social groups to conceal their true meaning, to prevent other people from understanding.
E.g. “How long did they cook (to interrogate) you?” “Since eight this morning... over twelve hours.” “You didn't unbutton (to confess) then?” /Howard/.
Jargonisms professional – words and word combinations used by promotional groups to indicate objects and notions characteristic of the given profession.
E.g. Frank soon picked up all the technicalities of the profession. A “bull”, he learned, was one who bought in anticipation of a higher price to come; and if he was “loaded up” with a “line” of stocks he was said to be “long”. /Th.Dreiser/.
Neologisms stylistical - words or word combinations created by the author in accordance with the existing models of wordbuilding.
E.g. She objected to George because he use George. It was, as it were, his essential Georgeness that offended her. /Wodehouse/.
Slang words -words of highly colloquial character whose impressiveness novelty and I certain coarseness make them emphatic and emotional compared to their neutral synonyms.
E.g. “This is my real. Goya,” said Soames dryly.
"By George! He was swell…/J.Galworthy/.
Terms - words or word combinations used to express special notions, object phenomena, etc. characteristic of some branch of science. Terms have stylistic value only - when used out of their specific sphere of application.
E.g. Properties and qualities of a Forsyte… Hereditary disposed of myopia, he recognized only the persons and habitats of his own species amongst which he passes an existence of comparative tranquillity. /J. Galworthy/
Vulgarisms - words and word combinations denoting the notions which are taboo in a given speech community or words and word combinations with a strong emotive colouring of coarseness or rudeness.
E.g. It’s a good life. I am saying to myself, if you don’t give it to coppers and Borstal – bosses… They can’t kid me, the bustards /A.Sillitos/.
Allegory - expression of an abstract idea through some concrete image.
E.g. All is not gold that glitters; still wares run deep; to turn swords into ploughs etc.
Antonomasia - usage of a proper name for a common noun, or the usage of a common noun as a proper name.
E.g. He is the Napoleon of crime /Conan Doyle/; Lady Sneerwell, Sir Peter Teazle /Sheridan/; Miss Knowman, Miss Showman. /Byron/; Becky Sharp, Miss Toady /Thackeray/.
Climax - structure in which every successive sentence, phrase or word is emotionally stronger and logically more important than the preceding one.
E.g. For that one instant there was no one else in the room, in the house, in the world, besides themselves. /H.Wilson/.
Anticlimax - counterpart of climax, where emotional or logical importance is accumulated only to be unexpectedly broken and brought to a sudden break...
E.g. This was appalling - and soon forgotten. /J. Galsworthy/.
Epithet - word or word combinations used attributively to give not logical but expressive characteristic of an object.
E.g. The iron hate the Soul pushed him on again. /M.Wilson/
Euphemism - variety of periphrasis which substitutes an expression which seems to be rude or unpleasant for one more mild and delicate.
E.g. They think we have come by the horse in some dishonest manner (stole the horse). /Ch. Dickens/.
Hyperbole - deliberate overstatement;
E.g. The car which picked me up on that particular guilty evening was a Cadillac limousine about seventy-three blocks long. /J. Baldwin/.
Irony – opposition of the meaning expressed and the meaning meant when the meaning expressed substitutes the meaning meant.
E.g. She turned with the sweet smile of an- alligator.
Metaphor - transfer of a name from one object to another based on the supposed likeness of some features of the two.
E.g. He smelled the ever-beautiful smell of coffee imprisoned in the can. /J.Steinbeck/.
Metaphorical epithet - epithet based on a metaphor and expressed usually by an "of"-phrase.
E.g. A ghost of a smile appeared on Soame’s lips /Galsworthy/
Metonymy - transfer of a name from one object or a person to another due to some relations of the two.
E.g. The man looked a rather old forty-five... /R.Prtchard/
Oxymoron - presentation of two contrasting ideas expressed by words syntactically dependent upon each other within one syntagma.
E.g. He caught a ride home in the crowded loneliness of the barracks. /J.Jones/
Personification - ascribing to a phenomenon or an idea qualities, feelings and thoughts of a living being.
E.g. the face of London; the pain of the ocean.
Synecdoche - type of metonymy in which a part represents the whole or the whole represents the part.
E.g. Return to her?...
No, rather I abjure all roofs and choose...
To be a comrade with the wolf and owl... /Shakespeare/.