2. Expressive means and stylistic devices

Every linguistic unit has its own semantics and sound form. It is due to interrelation of meanings and sounds that different styles of speech are formed.

Here the main notions of stylistics are stylistic devices and expressive means.

Expressive means are morphological, phonetic, lexical, word-building, phraseological and syntactical forms which function in the language for emotional or logical intensification of an utterance. They serve to strengthen the communicative effect of the speech.

Stylistic devices are a conscious and intentional usage of some language facts. If a language fact is widely used in one and the same function, it becomes generalized in this function. A stylistic device is choice or arrangement of units to achieve an expressive or an image-creating effect.

The use of stylistic devices gives an auxiliary meaning, idea, or feeling to the literal or written.

At each level of the language we can distinguish different stylistic devices, they are phonetic, lexical, and syntactic devices.

3. Functional styles of speech

Due to different language forms, every language has different ways of expressing people’s attitudes towards phenomena of objective reality; thus there exist different systems of expressing thoughts within one and the same language.

In Russian linguistic tradition these different manners of expressing thoughts are called functional styles; while foreign linguists often apply the term registers of speech to the same phenomenon.

Academician V. Vinogradov described the following styles of speech in respect to their functions.

1) colloquial style which serves the function of communication;

2) official and scientific styles which serve the function of informing;

3) publicist and belles-lettres styles which serve the function of producing emotional effect.

Colloquial style is characteristic of direct communication while other styles are characteristic of indirect communication.

In foreign linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.

For example, an English speaker may adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal (e.g. "walking", not "walkin'") and refrain from using the word "ain't" when speaking in a formal setting, but the same person could violate all of these prescriptions in an informal setting.

Questions to lecture #1

1. What is the origin of the word “style”?

2. How do you explain the meaning of the word “style’ for different spheres of application?

3. What is the concept of style in stylistics?

4. What does stylistics as a branch of linguistics deal with?

5. What are the three sub-systems of the language distinguished by Professor Yu. Skrebnev?

6. Give your own examples of neutral, sub-standard and super-standard types of sentences with the same general meaning.

7. What are the two characteristics of any linguistic unit?

8. What are the expressive means of the language?

9. What do we call stylistic devices?

10. What are the styles of speech described by Academician V. Vinogradov in respect to their functions?

11. What is a register of speech?

Lecture #2