7.6. Functional types of monologue

According to their communicative function and the character of logical-semantic ties between sentences, monological utterances are subdivided into the following types: description, narration and argumentation (reasoning). This classification is based on such categories as space, time, cause and effect. A person can either describe facts of objective reality, conveying their spatial relations, or narrate about facts in their temporal relations, regarding time as a sequent order, or make reasons about these facts, taking into account their relations, the relations of cause and effect being the most significant.

Monologue-description is an assertive type of monologic utterance. In description, either presence or absence of certain features of an object is stated. Persons (nature, weather) are described as well as surrounding objects. Spatial relations of objects are characterised; their qualities and features are enumerated. Syntactically preferable in use are: simple and complex sentences with enumerative-adherent and consequent-adherent connection; ‘there is/are’ grammatical structures, Present Continuous, Present Indefinite, Past Indefinite tense forms; the real character of the events described is expressed by the Indicative Mood.

Monologue-narration is a dynamic type of monological utterance. It contains a narration about developing events, incidents, actions or states. The reality is perceived in the process of its development and changing in temporal sequence. Thus, the use of Past Indefinite and Perfect tense forms as well as conjunctions and adverbial conjunctions and adverbials are not denied in the narration. Simple and compound sentences with subordinate clauses of time are characteristic of the narration.

Monologue-storytelling and monologue-report/information are varieties of monologue-narration. While the narration deals with the objective facts of the life of the society as a single whole, the story tells about the facts from the life of a storyteller himself. Thus, the events described acquire subjective, personal colouring. Syntactical characteristics of storytelling are similar to those of the narration.

Monologue-report/information is a comparatively brief account of facts or events of actual reality done in a compressed, informative form. In reports, simple sentences with verbs in Present Indefinite and Perfect tenses prevail, as a report is characterized by temporal vagueness.

Monologue-argumentation/reasoning is based on deduction as a process of thinking. It allows drawing conclusions in the course of thinking based on initial premise or premises. The object of reasoning can be defined as problem solving. This is so since a certain problem is always being solved in the process of thinking. Therefore, there can be found mainly compound sentences with subordinate clauses of definition and objective clauses, as well as infinitive constructions. The main syntactical means of interphrasal connection are subordinate conjunctions and adverbial conjunctions (so, so that, though, why, that’s why, etc.). Monologue-argumentation generally consists of 3 logical parts: exposition, complication (usually brought up to climax) and denouement.

Monologue-persuasion is a variety of monologue-argumentation. Its purpose is to persuade the listener/listeners of something, to form in him/her concrete motives, opinions, to arouse certain desires, to induce them to certain actions. It should be noted that functional-semantic types of monologic utterances seldom occur in their ‘pure quality’. Thus, the argumentation can break into the description; the description can become a story and so on. The report, narration and story are intertwined most closely.