GENERAL NOTES ON STYLE AND STYLISTICS Introduction 06

GENERAL NOTES ON STYLE AND STYLISTICS Introduction 06. 09. 2012

TOPICS l The definition of the term style. Norm and deviation. Semi-marked structures. l The connection of stylistics with other branches of linguistics. l 06. 09. 2012

Etymology l l στύλος - Greek Stilus – Roman A pointed stick used for writing on waxed tablets. 06. 09. 2012

Further widening of meaning l l the manner of writing speaking doing smth the manner of expression in art the manner of speaking/writing peculiar to a definite sphere of communication the way of writing peculiar to some author The concept is so broad that it is hardly possible to regard it as a term. 06. 09. 2012

IN LINGUISTICS 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) the aesthetic function of language; the expressive means in language; synonymous ways of rendering one and the same idea; emotional colouring of language; a system of special devices called stylistic devices; the individual manner of an author in making use of language. 06. 09. 2012

Roger Fowler: l l Any language consists of compulsory features (constants) and optional features (variables). Style resides in the manipulation of variables, in the selection of optional features. 06. 09. 2012

Noam Chomsky l l “the degree of grammaticality” He worked out a model according to which all structures can be placed between two polar structures – marked and unmarked 06. 09. 2012

Marked str-s – semi-marked str-s – unmarked str-s a year ago Normal Grammatical Constant a grief ago Deviation from standard grammatical compatibility 06. 09. 2012 *a the ago Ungrammatical Unacceptable

A scale of semi-marked, deviant structures: l l l l many moons ago 10 games ago several performances ago a few cigarettes ago 3 overcoats ago 2 wives ago a grief ago a humanity ago 06. 09. 2012

Criticism The critics of this theory say that deviations from the basic grammatical rules do not always create a high degree of expressiveness unless they are combined with deviations from standard lexico-grammatical or lexical compatibility. 06. 09. 2012

Stylistics a linguistic science dealing with the principles of choice and usage of lexical, grammatical and phonetic means for expressing thought and emotion under different conditions of communication. 06. 09. 2012

1900 s l l Charles Bally's Traité de stylistique française proposed stylistics as a distinct academic discipline the Prague School developed the concept of foregrounding, whereby poetic language stands out from the background of nonliterary language by means of deviation 06. 09. 2012

1958 l l Roman Jakobson (the Russian Formalists and the Prague School, before emigrating to America in the 1940 s). Closing Statement at a conference on stylistics at Indiana University in 1958. Published as Linguistics and Poetics in 1960, “the first coherent formulation of stylistics”: the study of poetic language should be a sub-branch of linguistics. The poetic function was one of six general functions of language he described in the lecture. 06. 09. 2012

I. R. Galperin Stylisitics is a branch of general linguistics, which deals with the following two interdependent tasks: a) studies the totality of special linguistic means (stylistic devices and expressive means) which secure the desirable effect of the utterance; b) studies certain types of texts ("discourses“) which due to the choice and arrangement of the language are distinguished by the pragmatic aspect of communication (functional styles). 06. 09. 2012

According to subject matter St may be subdivided into: Linguistic St l Literary St l Comparative St l Stylo-statistics / computational St. l Decoding stylistics. l 06. 09. 2012

Any kind of stylistic research will be based on the level-forming branches: l l l Stylistic Phonetics (or Phonostylistics) Stylistic Lexicology Stylistic Grammar (Morphology and Syntax) 06. 09. 2012

Abridged lecture notes l l http: //uni-altai. ru Факультеты/Лингвистический институт/кафедра английской филологии/информация для студентов 06. 09. 2012

Thank you! 06. 09. 2012