CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONAL STYLES Lecture 2 continued The

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONAL STYLES Lecture 2 - continued

The publicistic style

The publicistic style Includes: � the style of newspaper and magazine articles, � essays, � oratorical speech � the style of radio and TV commentaries. Oral + written form Aim: to convince + to cause to accept

The publicistic style Peculiarities: � logical argumentation + emotional appeal = (scientific prose and belle-lettres style). � the emotional appeal – the use of words with emotive meaning + the use of stylistic devices (not fresh or genuine!) � the form of a monologue, � the coherent and logical syntactical structure � careful paragraphing, extended system of connectives � a great number of literary and bookish words.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles The aim: � interpret the news � comment on the events of the day � convince [the reader that …] Vocabulary: � terms (political, economic, etc. ); � newspaper clichés; � emotionally coloured vocabulary; � stylistic devices.

Essays short literary articles on philosophical, aesthetic or literary subject; never go deep; individual (often in 1 st person); very popular in the 18 th cent. : � the principal literary form, � written on important topics of the day, � often criticizing the short-comings of the political and social system in England.

Essays Features: � brevity of expression; � the use of 1 st person singular, personal approach; � the use of emotionally coloured words; � the use of epigram, paradoxes, aphorisms.

Oratorical Speech Includes : � parliamentary discourse, � speeches at Congress, � sermons, � orations, � speeches on solemn public occasions. Aim – to convince the audience and evoke an immediate desired reaction.

Oratorical speech Features of the oral speech: � the use of direct address (My Lords! Mr. Chairman! Ladies and Gentlemen!); � the use of contractions (I’ll, don’t); � the use of pronouns I and we; � the use of colloquial words and phrases, � the use of alliteration.

Oratorical speech The speaker wants: � to keep up the interest of the audience and hold it in suspense, consequently: emotionally coloured words; lexical and syntactical TRITE stylistic devices; repetition; allusions (to contemporary or historical events, to wellknown people, to literary characters, mythology and the Bible; used to draw the historical parallels and to confirm the statement).

Oratorical speech Syntactical features – � the sentences are long, can contain many dependent clauses and parenthetical clauses; � the use of gradations: Such a claim was all a part, a trick, a trap to provide the Republican party with a scapegoat at that time; � antithesis, rhetorical questions, exclamatory sentences, suspense: We fought Lexington to free ourselves. We fought Gettysburg to free others. (antithesis, parallelism, repetition)

Oratorical speech Rhetorical questions � draw the attention of the audience � and break the monotony of a series of declarative sentences, � have a strong emotive colouring (the speaker strives to call for a sympathetic reaction on the part of the listeners); � fulfill the function of a statement, not a ? Non-rhetorical Q. are also effective.

The publicistic style Summary � The use of direct address and 1 st person pronouns. � A rather wide use of connectives. � The abundant use of expressive and emotive words. � The use of tropes, especially sustained metaphors and similes. � The use of traditional set expressions and clichés. � The use of colloquial vocabulary.

The problem of colloquial style

The colloquial style informal speech of everyday conversation. The 1 st problem – classification: can it be regarded as a functional style? - I. R. Halperin (functional styles belong only to the written variety of the literary language) + I. V. Arnold, Y. M. Skrebnev, V. A. Maltsev

The colloquial style literary colloquial (литературно-разговорный); unceremonious (фамильярно-разговорный); popular speech/ common parlance (просторечье). - our everyday means of communication.

Peculiarities 1. Typified constructions -> speech almost automatic: � social phrases: greetings, words of parting; introductions and wishes; congratulations, requests, thanks, apologies, assent and dissent, hesitation el. ; � the formulae of direct address: a) socially oriented: Sir, Madam, first name, Professor … b) bearing personal emotiveness: endearments, abusive. The use of interjections – signs of emotions, sometimes with a very vague meaning.

Peculiarities 2. Vocabulary. The word-stock falls into 3 layers: the literary; � the neutral; � the colloquial. � Colloquial words are always more emotionally coloured. � (kid – infant, daddy – parent) cock-and-bull – long, complicated story, cliff-hanger – prolonged tense situation, from A to Z – thoroughly. Thematically colloquial lexical units are more anthropocentric � (monkey – mischievous child; splinter – splitting headache).

Peculiarities 3. Simple verbs: phrasal verbs are mostly used instead of their literary synonyms: � to get out – retire; � to stand up to – support. The one-syllabled verbs, such as: � do, put, take, come, go, get, turn, run, fall, etc. , - produce an enormous multiplicity of meanings. 4. Simple sentences prevail.

Peculiarities 5. Combination of compression and redundancy Compression – realized in: Shortened forms of modal and auxiliary verbs; Omission of words (elliptical sentences: Been travelling? ); Clipped words; Words of broad semantics (thing, stuff, matter); Simplicity of syntactical constructions; The use of monosyllabic words.

Peculiarities Redundancy - is shown in: � So-called time-fillers or senseless expressions like “You know…”, “Well”; � In pleonastic use of personal pronouns (Don’t you forget it); � In the senseless repetition of words and phrases; � The use of double negative (Don’t bring no money; Ain’t nobody’s business).

Professor Skrebnev: Colloquial style = oral speech? But: lectures or a student’s answer > to bookish forms. Colloquial speech = “dialogue”? But: the dialogue of an Amb. with a foreign secretary. Lingual intercourse in coll. style is immediate. Emotive character of everyday speech? But: poetry - even more emotiveness. “Consituation” (the situation is common to each of its participants) A limited set of ready-made stereotyped formulas.

Prof. Skrebnev: 2 tendencies Explication + implication - on different levels of the language Phonetics: � The main feature is general carelessness and indistinctness of articulation. The expectancy factor makes indistinct speech comprehensible. � Explication: a loud voice, emphatic articulation (shown graphically in italics, dividing into syllables, etc. )

Prof. Skrebnev: 2 tendencies Morphology. � Implication: dropping of morphemes (eg. real good, pretty far, he don’t know). � Explication - in analytical morphology: The use of emphatic forms (e. g. continuous – I’m thinking, I’m being uneasy; Do come!) The use of multiple negation; The use of double subject; The use of double demonstrative pronouns (eg. Is this here that watch? ) The use of inclusive doubling (I will kill you dead)

Prof. Skrebnev: 2 tendencies Syntax: � Common word combinations perform the function of imperative sentences Tea. For two. Out here. � Non-interrogative sentences perform the function of interrogative. You’re � The going? Sugar, Dr. Trent? use of pseudo-interrogative sentences: Why don’t you sit down? Can you pass the salt?

Prof. Maltsev: word creation Changes in the meaning: metaphor: paralytic – helplessly drunk; peach – adult (slang); � metonymy: wig – judge; � antonomasia: Othello; � hyperbole: smash hit show. � Changes in form: � Compounding and blending (hasbeen, block-head, brunch); � Affixation (keener – inquis. person; oldster, kiddo, fatso) � Shortening / acronyms, back clipping, back formation, front clipping, middle clipping (e. g. maths, exams, lab, sci-fi)

Informal grammar the noun – the use of double genitive; the use of plural forms: �A good friend of my husband’s; I’m friends with him. He has brains; the article can be omitted, but it can be used with proper names: � the Johnsons; He’s married to a Miss Brown; He bought a Picasso; I don’t claim to be a Caruso; Here again was Tom, the Tom…; the pronoun: objective forms � Jack was four year older than me. You’re the only person. – Me? We are mad, you and me; Told who? You know who I mean.

Informal grammar The adjective: typical is the use of absolute superlatives � The adverb – the use of adjectives instead of adverbs � She has the longest straightest legs; a more older man; the most carelessest man; the bestest man; Don’t talk so loud!; The verb: the continuous forms instead of the indefinite more emotional and personal � How are you feeling? Oh, how the stars were shining!; the verb will is a simple mark as futurity, while shall denotes obligation; the use of forms with low colloquial or vulgar, illiterate connotations � ain’t, gotcha, wanna.

Informal syntax The use of elliptical constructions � (Pass. : the airport. – Dr. : ok. ); Functional words are clipped (‘d, ‘s) Leaving out the S or the functional verb or both: � Can’t afford to buy it. // Don’t worry. Only makes your hair gray. // Nice talking to you. // Oh, being sarcastic. The use of conjunctionless complex sentences: � The book I’m reading; he says he has no appetite; it’s a good thing he did; the thing is it gets so awfully hot in here.