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 1st person); very popular in the 18th 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 1st 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 well-known 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 1st 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 1st 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.

(kid – infant, daddy – parent) Colloquial words are always more emotionally

coloured. 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 going? Sugar, Dr.Trent?

The 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 She has the longest straightest legs; a more older man; the

most carelessest man; the bestest man; The adverb – the use of adjectives instead of adverbs

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.