2121 11

PROSE STYLES:PROSE STYLES:TOUGH, SWEET AND TOUGH, SWEET AND

STUFFYSTUFFY

by Don L. F. Nilsenby Don L. F. Nilsen

2121 22

POINT OF VIEW:

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

ETHOS PATHOS LOGOS

TOUGH SWEET STUFFY

1ST PERSON 2ND PERSON 3RD PERSON

SUBJECTIVE SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE

INFORMAL INTIMATE FORMAL

2121 33

TOUGH LANGUAGETOUGH LANGUAGE

Tough language is the rhetoric of Frederic Tough language is the rhetoric of Frederic Henry in Ernest Hemingway’s Henry in Ernest Hemingway’s Farewell to Farewell to ArmsArms::

““In the late summer of that year we lived in a In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the house in a village that looked across the river and the pain to the mountains. In the river and the pain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels.”in the channels.”

2121 44

It is the language of intimacy, the language of It is the language of intimacy, the language of no pretentions. The words are simple and the no pretentions. The words are simple and the grammar is simple.grammar is simple.

The writing is not planned, but just happens, The writing is not planned, but just happens, in a stream of consciousness kind of way—in a stream of consciousness kind of way—you are there.you are there.

The sentences are short and choppy. If there The sentences are short and choppy. If there is conjunction it is coordination, not is conjunction it is coordination, not subordination.subordination.

It is the language of the loosened tie and the It is the language of the loosened tie and the rolled up shirt sleeves, with no pretentious rolled up shirt sleeves, with no pretentious multi-syllable or low-frequency words.multi-syllable or low-frequency words.

2121 55

Being egocentric, it is subjective, and Being egocentric, it is subjective, and whether it is written from the author whether it is written from the author participant or the author omniscient point of participant or the author omniscient point of view, it is concerned with communicating view, it is concerned with communicating people’s innermost feelings.people’s innermost feelings.

Tough language is the language of fiction, Tough language is the language of fiction, and therefore the process of “in medias res” and therefore the process of “in medias res” is totally appropriate to this style—”In is totally appropriate to this style—”In thethe late late summer of summer of thatthat year we lived in a house in a year we lived in a house in a village that looked across village that looked across thethe river and river and thethe plain to plain to thethe mountain. mountain.

2121 66

SWEET LANGUAGESWEET LANGUAGE

Sweet language is the language of Sweet language is the language of advertisors. Walker Gibson calls this advertisors. Walker Gibson calls this language AROMA (Advertising Rhetoric language AROMA (Advertising Rhetoric of Madison Avenue).of Madison Avenue).

Sweet language is listener-oriented in Sweet language is listener-oriented in an attempt to seduce listeners into an attempt to seduce listeners into buying products they don’t want or buying products they don’t want or need.need.

2121 77

It is language full of innovative It is language full of innovative spellings, creative grammar, and wild spellings, creative grammar, and wild punctuation. punctuation.

Sweet writing contains many sentence Sweet writing contains many sentence fragments, and would rather flaunt a fragments, and would rather flaunt a grammatical rule than conform to it: grammatical rule than conform to it: “Winston tastes good like a cigarette “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. What do you want, good should. What do you want, good grammar, or good taste?”grammar, or good taste?”

2121 88

Sweet language is the language of Sweet language is the language of sensationalism, the language of superlatives sensationalism, the language of superlatives and hyperbole. and hyperbole.

It is the language of diversion; it plays tricks It is the language of diversion; it plays tricks on the reader with its puns, its word on the reader with its puns, its word coinages, its humor, its packaging, its sex, coinages, its humor, its packaging, its sex, and other aspects which have nothing to do and other aspects which have nothing to do with the product itself.with the product itself.

It is informal, or sometimes even intimate or It is informal, or sometimes even intimate or cutesy in tone.cutesy in tone.

2121 99

Contractions, clippings, blendings, and Contractions, clippings, blendings, and deletions abound, making it all the more deletions abound, making it all the more cryptic and intimate.cryptic and intimate.

It’s full of slang expressions like “no It’s full of slang expressions like “no doubt about it,” “cut it out,” and “where doubt about it,” “cut it out,” and “where else?” It can be cutesy, as in “Dry skin? else?” It can be cutesy, as in “Dry skin? Not me, darling. Every inch of little me Not me, darling. Every inch of little me is as smooth as (well, you know what).”is as smooth as (well, you know what).”

2121 1010

Gibson says that a common kind of coinage Gibson says that a common kind of coinage in sweet language is the noun-adjunct in sweet language is the noun-adjunct construction (a noun modified by another construction (a noun modified by another noun).noun).

We see this kind of coinage in We see this kind of coinage in “Speakerphone,” “Fooderama living,” “Speakerphone,” “Fooderama living,” “decorator colors,” and “Supermarket “decorator colors,” and “Supermarket selection.” selection.”

The Bell Company praises the beauties of its The Bell Company praises the beauties of its “hands-free, group-talk, across-the-room “hands-free, group-talk, across-the-room telephone.telephone.

2121 1111

STUFFY LANGUAGESTUFFY LANGUAGE

Where tough language is I-oriented, Where tough language is I-oriented, and sweet language is you-oriented, and sweet language is you-oriented, stuffy language is it-oriented.stuffy language is it-oriented.

It is the language of laboratory It is the language of laboratory experiments , of research papers and experiments , of research papers and theses and dissertations and scholarly theses and dissertations and scholarly books, and academia in general.books, and academia in general.

2121 1212

Stuffy language is highly grammatical Stuffy language is highly grammatical and highly formal.and highly formal.

The syntax contains a great deal of The syntax contains a great deal of subordination, and the sentences are subordination, and the sentences are frequently long and complex.frequently long and complex.

Infinitives, gerunds, present and past Infinitives, gerunds, present and past participial constructions, nominative participial constructions, nominative absolutes, perfect, progressive, and absolutes, perfect, progressive, and passive constructions are almost passive constructions are almost totally confined to this style of writing.totally confined to this style of writing.

2121 1313

It is an impersonal style to the extent that It is an impersonal style to the extent that first-person pronouns are seldom allowed. first-person pronouns are seldom allowed. For this and other reasons, passive For this and other reasons, passive constructions and impersonal constructions constructions and impersonal constructions with abstract subjects are common.with abstract subjects are common.

Stuffy language is also the language of Stuffy language is also the language of limitations, restrictions and qualifications limitations, restrictions and qualifications because the writer doesn’t want to make because the writer doesn’t want to make claims beyond the evidence.claims beyond the evidence.

Limiting (as opposed to descriptive) Limiting (as opposed to descriptive) adjectives are frequent, as are prepositional adjectives are frequent, as are prepositional phrases and relative clauses.phrases and relative clauses.

2121 1414

THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS:THE BIRMINGHAM RIOTS:REPORTED IN THREE DIFFERENT STYLESREPORTED IN THREE DIFFERENT STYLES

““The police and firemen drove The police and firemen drove hundreds of rioting Negroes off hundreds of rioting Negroes off the streets today with high the streets today with high pressure hoses and an armored pressure hoses and an armored car.”car.”

New York TimesNew York Times May 8, 1963 May 8, 1963

2121 1515

““Three times during the day, waves Three times during the day, waves of shouting, rock-throwing Negroes of shouting, rock-throwing Negroes had poured into the downtown had poured into the downtown business district, to be scattered business district, to be scattered and driven back by battering and driven back by battering streams of water from high-streams of water from high-pressure hoses and swinging clubs pressure hoses and swinging clubs of policemen and highway of policemen and highway patrolmen.”patrolmen.”

New York Herald TribuneNew York Herald Tribune

2121 1616

““The blaze of bombs, the The blaze of bombs, the flash of blades, the eerie flash of blades, the eerie glow of fire, the keening glow of fire, the keening cries of hatred, the wild cries of hatred, the wild dance of terror at night—all dance of terror at night—all this was Birmingham, this was Birmingham, Alabama.”Alabama.”

TimeTime, May 7, 1963, May 7, 1963

2121 1717

SUMMARY OF WORD DEVELOPMENT:

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

COLLOQUIAL COLLOQUIAL FORMAL

SLANG: CHARACTER SLANG: AD NO SLANGDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

MODALS GERUNDSINFINITIVESPERFECTSPROGRESSIVES

SPELLING = SPELLINGS = SPELLINGS = CHARACTERS CREATIVE CORRECT

ANGLO-SAXON ANGLO-SAXON INKHORN TERMSWORDS WORDS GREEK & LATIN

2121 1818

SUMMARY OF SENTENCE DEVELOPMENT:

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

SHORT, CHOPPY LONG, COMPLICATED

FRAGMENTS PERFECT GRAMMARCOMMA SPLICES

SIMPLE SIMPLE LONG & COMPLEXRESTRICTIVE MODIFIER

SIMPLE SENTENCES COMPOUND &COMPLEX SENTENCES

CASUAL PUNCTUATION PERFECT PUNCTUATION

RHETORICAL SENTENCES DON’TQUESTIONS MAKE CLAIMS BEYONDIMPERATIVES EVIDENCETHEY,YOU,

2121 1919

!SUMMARY OF PARAGRAPH AND DISCOURSE DEVELOPMENT!

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

STREAM OF CASUAL STRUCTUREDCONSCIOUSNESS

INDUCTIVE WHATEVER DEDUCTIVE

NOTE: THE NEWSPAPER IS SUPER DEDUCTIVE BECAUSE PEOPLE READ HEADLINES; AND MAYBE FIRST PARAGRAPH (WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY, WHERE, HOW); AND LATER MATERIALS GET BURIED OR CUT

MUCH INUENDO INTIMATE & CUTESY CAUSALAND IMPLICATION

2121 2020

!!SUMMARY OF USE OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

AUTHOR PARTICIPANT ? AUTHORAUTHOR OBSERVANT OBSERVANTAUTHOR OMNISCIENT

MAINLY TROPES: MAINLY SCHEMES: LITERAL IN MEDIAS RES ALLITERATION METAPHOR ASSONANCEIRONY RHYMEPOETIC JUSTICE CUTESY TONESIMILESALLEGORIES

2121 2121

!!!SUMMARY OF PUNCTUATION

THE NOVEL: THE AD: THE TEXT BOOK:

CREATIVE CREATIVE FORMAL USE OF:PUNCTUATION PUNCTUATION SEMI COLONS

PERIODS PARENTHESESDASHES HYPHENSRESTRICTIVE AND NON-RESTRICTIVE CLAUSESPROPER CAPITALIZATIONUSE OF ELIPSES …[SIC]BRACKETS, ETC.

2121 2222

References:References:

Barry, Anita K. Barry, Anita K. English Grammar: English Grammar: Language as Human Behavior, 2Language as Human Behavior, 2ndnd EditionEdition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2002.Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2002.

Gibson, Walker. Gibson, Walker. Tough, Sweet and Tough, Sweet and Stuffy: An Essay on Modern Stuffy: An Essay on Modern American Prose StylesAmerican Prose Styles. Westport, . Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1966.CT: Greenwood Press, 1966.