IRONY is based on a contrast between what is said and what is implied.

Some linguists consider irony to be hidden negation. E.g. It must be delightful to find oneself in a foreign country without a penny in one’s packed.

Irony can be understood in 2 senses: narrow & broad.

In a narrow sense irony is a use of a word with a positive connotation to express one’s negative attitude. The word contradicts the context & acquires the meaning contrary to its usual one.

Some words & phrases has a fixed ironic connotations, registered in dictionaries. E.g. A wise guy – умник, a smart Alec, the battle of books, a young hopeful.

The majority of words develop an ironic connotation in a certain context due to peculiar ways of combining words. E.g. It’s naturally led to some pleasant chart about fevers, lung diseases, etc.

In a broad sense, irony is created by the discrepancy between form & context. For example, when a trivial situation is retold in a formal style with the use of bookish words & terms. The representation of a situation in an exaggerated way contributes ironic sense.

The type may be ironical, but its irony is proceeded only after having read the whole text. E.g. A devoted friend.

Paradox – statement based on contrast, that contradicts some self-evidence of proverbial truth. E.g. *In married life three is a component and two is a numb. *Wine costs money. Blood costs nothing.

The appeal of the Paradox. is that however contradictory it may seem to some truism it always contains a certain grain of truth, which helps to express the author’s satire.

20.Stylistic use of Phraseological Units: structural & semantic modifications of PhU.

Here belongs the use of idioms, set-phrases, cliches, proverbs.

Idioms & set phrases sound more expressive that their unidiomatiс equivalents. 1.They impact local coloring, 2.they make the speech more emotional, expressive & natural.

In fiction PhU occur mostly in conversations, however they are seldom used in fiction as they are very often transformed by authors in order to convey their own view on what they represent in fresh and in unconventional way.

2 basic kinds of transformation are structural & semantical.

Structural Transformation involve expansion or shortening of the idiom and substitution of its components. When an idiom is expanded, additional elements are added in its styl.structure.

eg. Hell is paved with good intentions => Hell isn't nearly paved with good intention, it's walled and roofed with them.

Shortening implies some elements, e.g. When proverb are turned into set phrases or idioms.

eg. Half a loaf is better than no ? =>You've giving ham laff a low.?

Substitution of elements always leads to the change of meaning. Sometimes authors keep only the syntactical structure, filling it with absolutely dif.words.

Eg. Take clear as the pants and the pounds will take care of them themselves. =>L.Carroll: take care of the sense and the sounds will take care of themselves.

Semantical change is also called decomposition or breaking up of set expression

Semantically an idiom has transferred meaning and it understood as an independent unit, the meaning of which is not equal to the meaning of the components – semantic integrity.

During the semantic change an idiom is made to be understood in its direct meaning. Its sem. integrity is destroyed in the context. The writer pretends to understand an idiom literally which creates a humorous effect. The structure is not changed.

e.g. - Alfred, my nephew, my sisters' child, he wouldn't harm a fly, I assure you.

-Next time, I''ll have a fly caught especially for him not to harm it.

Date: 2015-01-02; view: 1033