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The difference between expressive means and stylistic devices of a languageLECTURE 1 Stylistics as a branch of linguistics. Expressive means and stylistic devices. Problems for discussion: The object and the aims of stylistics Expressive means of a language Stylistic devices of a language The difference between expressive means and stylistic devices of a language Key words:style, linguostylistics, fields of investigation, expressive means, stylistic devices, language means, functional styles, phraseological and syntactical forms, morphological expressive means, phonetic expressive means, lexical level, syntactical level 1.Stylistics, sometimes called linguostylistics, is a branch of linguistics which deals with the result of the act of communication, investigating a system of interrelated language means which serve a definite aim in commu?nication. It investigates language potentialities of making the utterance more effective, paying much attention to the analysis of stylistic means of the language, of their nature and functions, their classification and possible interpretation of the additional meanings they may carry in a message. One of the tasks set before stylistics is a thorough stu?dy of all changes in vocabulary, set phrases, grammatical constructions, their functions, an evaluation of any brea?king away from the established norm, and classification of mistakes and failures in word-coinage. Stylistics has two separate fields of investigation. The first field of investigation deals with the sys?tem of special language means which serve to achieve the desired effect, called the stylistic means of the language. The stylistic means of the language can be divided into expressive means and stylistic devices. The second field of investigation of stylistics is certain types of texts, distinguished by different aspects of communication, called functional styles of the language. Thus stylistics is a linguistic subject that studies the system of stylistic devices and expressive means as well as the functional styles of the language. 2. All stylistic means of a language can be divided into expressive means and stylistic devices. The expressive means of a language are those phonetic means, morphological forms, means of word-building, and lexical, phraseological and syntactical forms, all of which function in the language for emotional or logical intensification of the utterance. These forms are described in the textbooks of lexicology, stylistics, gram?mar and various dictionaries. Dictionaries label them as i ntensifiers. In most cases they have corresponding neutral synonymous forms. The most powerful expressive means are phonetic. Among phonetic expressive means we distinguish such as pitch, melody, stress, pausation, whispering, and others. Among the morphological expressive means the use of the Present Indefinite instead of the Past Indefinite must be mentioned. This has been acknowledged as a spe?cial means and is named the Historical Present. In descri?bing some past event the author uses the present tense, thus achieving a more vivid expression of the thought. The use of shall in the second and third person may also be regarded as an expressive means: ?He shall do it?. (I shall make him to do it). Among word-building means we find forms which make the utterance more expressive and fresh. The dimi?nutive suffixes as -y (ie), -let, e.g.: dear - dearie; stream -streamlet, add some emotional colouring to the words. At the lexical level there are a great many words with emotive meaning only, like interjections, words which have both referential and emotive meaning, words which retain a twofold meaning: denotative and connotative; words belonging to special group of literary English or of non-standard English (poetic, archaic, slang, vulgar, etc). The same can be said of the set expressions of the language. Proverbs and sayings serve to make speech more emphatic. At the syntactical level there are many synonymous constructions, where the second in each pair contains em?phatic elements: 1)1 have never seen such a film. Never have I seen such a film. 2) Mr. Smith came in first. It was Mr. Smith who came in first. These expressive means are widely used for stylistic purposes. 3.The stylistic device is a conscious and inten?tional literary use of some of the facts of the language (including expressive means) in which the most essential features of the language are generalized. Problematic question: What function do stylistic devices perform in the text? Most stylistic de?vices are regarded as aiming at the further intensification of the emotional or logical emphasis contained in the cor?responding expressive means. Stylistic devices must always have some function in the text, besides they bring some additional information. The conception that words possess several meanings give rise to such stylistic devices as metaphor, metonymy, iro?ny, epithet and others. Thus, a metaphor is a conscious intentional intensification of semantic properties of a word:?Oh, Rain?-said Mor. He enveloped her in a great embrace. (J.Murdoch) The dictionary meaning of the verb ?envelop? is ?to wrap up, cover on all sides?. The contextual meaning is ?to embrace?. Speaking about stylistic devices we must mention the cases when two or more expressive means or stylistic de?vices meet in one utterance. Such clusters of stylistic devices are called convergence. 4.The typical features of proverbs and sayings serve as the foundation for a stylistic device which is called epig?ram, i.e. brevity, rhythm and other properties of proverbs: 1. A thing of beauty is a joy for ever. (J.Keets). 2. Sweet is pleasure after pain. (J. Dryden) 3. What the eye does not see, the stomach These phrases are not proverbs, they are the creations of writers and poets. When such phrases are used in the text they accumulate great emotive force and function and easily become a stylistic device. The same can be said about syntax. The typical structural features of oral speech - violation of word or?der, omission of some parts of the sentence, repetition of certain words - may be intensified and gain a generalized status. Such stylistic devices as inversion, parallel constructions, chiasmus etc. are the result of these stylistic transformations. It is important to know that the stylistic use of exp?ressive means must not necessarily lead to the formation of a stylistic device. For example, repetition is widely used in folk songs, poetry and oral speech to make our speech emotional and expressive, but we can?t say that in such cases we use a stylistic device: When the weather is wet We must not fret. When the weather is cold We must not scold. Questions 1. What is stylistics? 2. What does stylistics investigate? 3. What is the task set before stylistics? 4. Characterize two fields of investigation of stylistics. 5. What is the characteristic feature of the expressive means? 6. What is the linguistic nature of a stylistic device? 7. What is the difference between expressive means and stylistic devices? Literature: 1. Akhmanova O. S. Linguostylistics. Theory and Method. M., MGU,1972 2. Anderson W. E. The Written Word. Some uses of English. Oxford University,1971 3. Arnold I. V. The English Word. M., Higher School, 1973 4. Galperin I. R. Stylistics M., Higher school, 1977 5. Murry, J. Middleton. The problems of Style. Ldn, 1961 6. Turner G. W. Stylistics. Peguim Books,1975 7. Warner A. A. Short Guide to English Style 8. ?????????? ?.?. ?????? ???? ????????????. ?., ?қ??????, 1995 9. www.linguistlist.org LECTURE 2 Date: 2016-06-12; view: 4934
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