FUNCTIONAL STYLISTICS Style – a system of coordinated, interrelated and interconditioned language means serving a definite aim in communication (I.R. Galperin) Colloquial speech vs literary communication I.R. Galperin (the Moscow school of stylistics) – style in the written variety of English Colloquial styles are not recognized Belles-lettres – a separate style I.V.Arnold (the Leningrad school of stylistics) – Colloquial styles are recognized unlike belleslettres The Moscow School of Stylistics 1. Belles-lettres style 2. Publicistic style 3. Newspaper style 4. Scientific prose style 5. Official documents style The Moscow School of Stylistics 1. Belles-lettres style - emotive prose - poetry - drama Aim – ambiguous Cognitive-aesthetic function Verbal art The Moscow School of Stylistics 2. Publicistic style - oratory and speeches - essays - newspaper articles Aim – to persuade the reader that the point of view expressed is the only correct one Publicistic style • Oratory and speeches: oral in its form but written in its essential features Oral communication: - direct form of address - repetitions (the audience can rely on their memory only) - trite imagery (the speech is linear), etc. Essays Moderate length – epigrammaticalness The author’s subjective view on the matter (pronouns, epithets) Topics (burning issues) can vary: political essays, literary reviews, essays on social problems, etc. Newspaper articles - Close to essays (feature articles) - A wide range of topics - Emotionally charged (ср. И.Р. Гальперин: СФИ, СКИ, СПИ («Текст как объект лингвистического исследования») N.B. Some works of publicistic style are close to belles-lettres style Newspaper style Aim – to inform (to impart information) N.B. Not all materials published in the newspaper belong to this style (e.g. feature articles, crossword puzzles, quizzes, etc.) Features: terms, paragraphing, syntactical structures (constructions) Newspaper style Substyles: - headlines - brief news items - advertisements and announcements - editorial Headlines – a wide range of patterns Do they all sound neutral? Are they emotionally charged? Where is the demarcation line between the two styles – newspaper style and publicistic style? Advertisements and announcements • Classified (marriages, births, in memoriam) • Non-classified • Advertisements and announcements are not equal to commercials (cf. the prevailing type of information in the former and in the latter) Editorial reveals the point of view of the editorial board and is stylistically charged Editorial as a borderline case - sharing some features both with publicistic style and newspaper style Scientific prose style • Aim – to prove hypothesis, to reveal the laws governing the Universe • Intended for experts in a certain sphere (cf. linguists vs physicists) Works: research papers, monographs, treatises, etc. Features: terms, paragraphing, impersonality, etc. • One can calculate the volume of the oblique prism in two different ways: to multiply the area of the basis by the height of the prism or to multiply the length of one of the edges by the area perpendicular to it. Undermining some style features Blend of styles AT THE BEGINNING of 2001, there was a lot of discussion of Stanley Kubrick’s famous movie: how close have we come to the world portrayed in 2001: Space Odyssey? When I was about 12, I decided to write my own dictionary. Style of official documents • Aim – to reach agreement between the two parties (the chairperson and the audience, the political parties, the government and the citizens, etc.) Documents: contracts and agreements, business letters, charters, etc. Business letters • What is typical of their layout? • What phrase is there at the beginning of a business letter? • What form of address is to be used in case the sex of the addressee is unknown? • What does the form of address Messrs. (Smith, Brown and Robinson) mean? Colloquial Styles (I.V. Arnold) Cf. colloquial sphere (Prof. Skrebnev) I.V. Arnold: Colloquial – neutral – bookish The bulk of the words used is neutral Colloquial Styles • Substyles: - Literary colloquial - Familiar colloquial - Low colloquial Which of the substyles does baby talk belong to? Colloquial Styles • Debatable/vulnerable item: What aim do colloquial styles serve? To communicate? Language in general is a means of communication Prof. Arnold’s point of view • Debatable items concerning belles-lettres style (the scholar did not recognize it as a separate style): - its aim is ambiguous - contemporary prose differs from the ‘classical’ prose compositions as it comprises features of colloquial styles Многоуважаемый товарищ Павленко! Вам пишет человек в отчаянном положении. Нынче 27-е августа, а с 1-го мы с сыном со всеми нашими вещами и целой библиотекой – на улице, потому что в комнату, которую нам сдали временно, въезжают обратно ее владельцы. Итак, я буквально на улице, со всеми вещами и книгами. Здесь, где я живу, меня больше не прописывают (университет), и я уже две недели живу без прописки. 1-го сентября мой сын пойдет в 167 школу – откуда? Частная помощь моих друзей и все их усилия не привели ни к чему. Положение безвыходное. Исхода не вижу. Взываю к помощи. Марина Цветаева. 27 августа 1940 г. Тридцать пять я получаю Ежемесячно рублей. И на них располагаю Вот как жизнию моей: Десять стоит мне квартира, Двадцать стоят хлеб и соль, Пять выходит для трактира, Итого в остатке ноль. Так нельзя ли, ваше превосходительство, прибавить мне что-нибудь на сапоги? 1900 Саврасов
