LECTURE 1 STYLISTICS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS

LECTURE 1 STYLISTICS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AS A SUBJECT. FUNCTIONAL STYLES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

analyses forms of words SYNTAX treats words, their meaning and vocabulary structure GRAMMAR deals with speech sounds and intonation LEXICOLOGY PHONETICS UNITS OF LANGUAGE ON DIFFERENT LEVELS ARE STUDIED BY studies the function of words in a sentence

v. The word “stylistics” is a derivative (производное) from “style” which originates from the Latin “stylus/stilus” – a slender pointed (тонкий острый) writing instrument (a small stick with a pointed end) used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as they scratched letters on waxcovered plates (or wax tablets).

THE WORD “STYLE” IS USED IN MANY SENSES WE CAN SPEAK ABOUT: 1) the way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed (that is a style in architecture, a style of speech and writing) 2) the fashion of the moment (especially a style of dress; hairdo) 3) the combination of distinctive features of literary and artistic expression, or performance characterizing a particular person, group, school or era (different styles in arts, literature, and in many other fields of human activities)

DEFINITIONS OF “STYLE” GIVEN BY DIFFERENT SCHOLARS the Academician V. V. Vinogradov Style is «socially recognized and functionally conditioned internally united totality of the ways of using, selecting and combining the means of lingual intercourse in the sphere of one national language or another. . . »

Prof. Y. M. Skrebnev «Style is what differentiates a group of homogeneous texts (an individual text) from all other groups (other texts). . . Style can be roughly defined as the peculiarity, the set of specific features of a text type or of a specific text» .

Professor I. R. Galperin Style «… is a system of interrelated language means which serves a definite aim in communication» .

STYLISTICS is a separate branch of linguistics studying the expressive possibilities of the English language. Its final aim is to study the language behaviour (selection and combination of the language means). It covers such factors as: situation, aim, sphere of communication, pragmatic effect, emotiveness and expressiveness.

Functional Styles of the English Language Functional style – a system of interrelated language means, which serves a definite aim in communication and is used in a definite sphere in communication thus fulfilling social functions: asthetico-cognitive, informative, convincing, progressing of ideas, reaching agreements, regulating, coordinating relations between people and states etc.

According to Professor I. R. Galperin and other Russian linguists we may distinguish the following styles: The Belles-Lettres Style which falls into three varieties: Ø poetry proper(or simply verse – стих); Ø emotive prose; Ø the language of the drama.

The Belles-lettres Style rests on certain indispensable linguistics features which are: Ø Genuine imagery, achieved by purely linguistic devices; Ø The use of words in contextual and very often in more than one dictionary meaning; Ø A vocabulary which will reflect the author’s personal evaluation of things or phenomena; Ø A peculiar individual selection of vocabulary and syntax used to convey author’s personal ideas; Ø The introduction of the typical features of colloquial language and its emotive signs

Publicistic Style also falls into three varieties: Øoratory and speeches; Øthe essay; Øarticles.

The general aim of publicistic style: Øto exert a constant and deep influence on public opinion, Øto convince the reader or the listener that the interpretation given by the writer or the speaker is the only correct one and to cause him to accept the point of view expressed in the speech, essays or article not merely by logical argumentation but emotional appeal as well.

Newspaper Style Ø brief news and communiques (информационный сюжет и официальное сообщение, коммюнике); Ø headlines, editorials (передовица, редакционная статья); Ø press reports (сообщение печати); Ø advertisements and announcements; Ø articles purely informative in character.

The function of a brief items, headlines, advertisements and announcements is to inform the reader. It states only facts without giving comments. The bulk of the vocabulary is neutral and common literary.

News items, press reports and headlines contain: special political and economic terms (capitalism, constitution, apartheid) non-term political vocabulary (public, unity, peace, nationwide) newspaper clichés (vital issue, pressing problem, military expenses) neologisms (e. g. sputnik, a splashdown) abbreviations of various kinds: names of organizations, public and state bodies, political associations (as TUC (Trades Union Congress), UNO (United Nations Organization, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, EEC (European Economic Community.

Scientific Prose Style has two main divisions Ø the prose used in humanitarian sciences; Ø the prose in the exact sciences. Its aim is to prove hypothesis, to create new concepts, to disclose the internal laws of existence, development, relations between different phenomena, etc. The language means used, therefore, tend to be objective, precise, unemotional, devoid of any individuality

The most noticeable features of scientific prose style are Logical sequence of utterances; Use of terms specific to each given branch of science; Sentence-patterns (предложения-шаблоны). There are of three types: postulatory, argumentative and formulative; Use of quotations and references (ссылки); The frequent use of footnotes (подстрочное примечание, сноска), not of the reference kind but digressive in character (отвлеченные)ж The impersonality of writing. This quality is mainly revealed in the frequent use of passive constructions (ex. : “It should be pointed out”, “It must not be assumed”, “It must be emphasized” etc. ).

The Style of Official documents is represented by the following variants: Ø business (commercial) documents; Ø legal documents (юридический, правовой документ); Ø diplomatic documents; Ø military documents.

The main aim of this type of communication is to state the conditions binding two parties in an undertaking citizen and citizen two or more governments, the state and the citizen a person in authority and a subordinate. society and its members These parties may be: two or more enterprises

The integrating features of this style are: Ø conventionality of expression (консерватизм, традиционность); Ø absence of any emotiveness; Ø the encoded (закодированный, шифрованный) character of language; symbols (including abbreviations); Ø a general syntactical mode of combining several pronouncements (утверждений) into one sentence.

THANK YOU FOR ATTENTION