II. Colloquial Stratum of Words

I. State the function of slang in the following examples, also paying attention to the morphological and syntac­tical characteristics of slang units and semantic and

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structural changes some of them underwent to become a slang expression.

1. "I'm the first one saw her. Out at Santa Anita she's hanging around the track every day. I'm interested: pro­fessionally. 1 find out she's some jock's regular, she's living with the shrimp, I get the jock told Drop it if he don't want conversation with the vice boys: see, the kid's fifteen. But stylish: she's okay, she comes across. Even when she's wearing glasses this thick; even when she opens her mouth and you don't know if she's a hillbilly or an Okie or what, I still don't. My guess, nobody'll ever know where she came from. (T. C.)

2. Bejees, if you think you can play me for an easy mark, you've come.to the wrong house. No one ever played Harry Hope for a sucker! (O'N.)

3. A cove couldn't be too careful. (D. C.)

4. I've often thought you'd make a corking good actress. (Dr.)

5. "When he told me his name was Herbert I nearly burst out laughing. Fancy calling anyone Herbert. A scream, I call it." (S.M.)

6. I steered him into a side street where it was dark and propped him against a wall and gave him a frisk. (O'N.)

7. "I live upstairs."

The answer seemed to explain enough to relax him. "You got the same layout?"

"Much smaller."

He tapped ash on the floor. "This is a dump. This is un­believable. But the kid don't know how to live even when she's got the dough." (T. C.)

8. It is. But not so much the hope of booze, if you can believe that. I've got the blues and Hickey's a great one to make a joke of everything and cheer you up. (O'N.)

9. "George," she said, "you're a rotten liar. . . The part about the peace of Europe is all bosh." (Ch.)

10. She came in one night, plastered, with a sun-burned man, also plastered . . . (J. O'H.)

11. "Your friend got stinko and Fane had to send out for a bouncer." (J. O'H.)

12. "That guy just aint hep," Mazzi said decisively. "He's as unhep as a box, I can't stand people who aint hep." (J.)

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11. Specify hackneyed vulgarisms and vulgarisms proper; determine the kind of emotion which had caused their usage.

1. . . .a hyena crossed the open on his way around the i hill. "That bastard crosses there every night," the man said. h. (H.)

2. Suddenly Percy snatched the letter . . . "Give it back

to me, you rotten devil,." Peter shouted. "You know damn ST-well it doesn't say that. I'll kick your big fat belly. I swear I will." (J. Br.)

3. "Look at the son of a bitch down there: pretending he's one of the boys today." (J.)

4. "How are you, Cartwright? This is the very devil of a business, you know. The very devil of a business." (Ch.)

5. "Poor son of a bitch," he said. "I feel for him, and I'm sorry I was bastardly." (J.)

6. I'm no damned fool! I couldn't go on believing for­ever that gang was going to change the world by shoot­ing off their loud traps on soapboxes and sneaking around blowing up a lousy building or a bridge! I got wise, it was all a crazy pipe dream! (O'N.)

HI. Differentiate professional and social jargomsms; classify them according to the narrow sphere of us­age, suggest a terminological equivalent where possible:

1. She came out of her sleep in a nightmare struggle for breath, her eyes distended in horror, the strangling cough tearing her again and again . . . Bart gave her the needle. (D. C.)

2. I'm here quite often—taking patients to hospitals for majors, and so on. (S. L.)

3. "I didn't know you knew each other," I said.

"A long time ago it was," Jean said. "We did History Final together at Coll." (K. A.)

4. They have graduated from Ohio State together, him­self with an engineering degree. (J.)

5. The arrangement was to keep in touch by runners and by walkie-talkie. (St. H.)

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6. "Okay Top," he said. "You know I never argue with the First Sergeant." (J.)

7. Stark bought each one of them the traditional beer a new noncom always buys. (J.)

8. "All the men say I'm a good noncom ... for I'm fair and I take my job seriously." (N. M.)

9. "We stopped the attack on Paragon White В and С ... Personally I think it was a feeler, and they're going to try again to-night." (N. M.)

10. Dave: Karach . . . That's where I met Libby Dod-son . . . Me and him were going to do everything together when we got back to Civvy Street.. . I'll work as a chippy on the Colonel's farm. (A. W.)

11. "So you'll both come to dinner? Eight fifteen. Dinny, we must be back to lunch. Swallows!" added Lady Mont round the brim of her hat and passed out through the porch.

"There's a house-party," said Dinny to the young man's elevated eyebrows. "She means tails and a white tie." "Oh! Oh! Best bib and tucker, Jean." (G.)

12. "I think we've had enough of the metrop for the time being and require a change." (P. G. W.)

13. He learned his English as a waiter in Gib. (H).

14. They can't dun you for bills after seven years, can they? (Ch.)

15. "How long did they cook you!" Dongere's stopped short and looked at him. "How long did they cook you?"— "Since eight this morning.

Over twelve hours . . ."

. . ."You didn't unbutton then? After twelve hours of it?"

"Me? . . . They got a lot of dancing to do before they'll get anything out of me." (Т.. Н.)

16. But, after all, he knows I'm preggers. (T. C.)

IV. Observe the dialectal peculiarities of dialogue in the following examples; pay attention to changes in spelling caused by specific pronunciation.*

1. "By the way, Inspector, did you check up that story of Ferguson's?"

"Ferguson?" said the Inspector, in the resentful accents of a schoolboy burdened with too much homework. "Oo, ay, we havena forgot Ferguson. I went tae Sparkes of them

* More on this particular subject see in Exercises on graphon on p. 109-112.

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remembered him weel enough. The lad doonstairs in the show-room couldna speak with cairtainty tae the time, but he recognized Ferguson from his photograph, as havin' brocht in a magneto on the Monday afternoon. He said Mr.^p Saunders wad be the man tae that, and pit a ca' through on the house telephone tae Mr. Sparkes, an' he had the young fellow in. Saunders is one o' they bright lads. He picked the photograph at once oot o' the six I showed him an' timed up the entry o' ithe magneto in the day-book."

"Could he swear to the time Ferguson came in?"

"He wadna charge his memory wi' the precise minute, but he had juist come in fra' his lunch an' found Ferguson waitin' for him. His lunchtime is fra' 1.30 tae 2.30, but he was a bit late that day, an' Ferguson had been waitin' on him a wee while. He thinks it wad be aboot ten minutes tae three."

"That's just about what Ferguson made it."

"Near enough."

"H'm. That sounds all right. Was that all Saunders had , to say?"

"Ay. Forbye that he said he couldna weel understand whit had happened tae the magneto. He said it looked as though some yin had been daein' it a wilfu' damage." (D. S.)

2. "That's so, my Lord. I remember having tae du much the same thing, mony years since, in an inquest upon a sailing-vessel ran aground in the estuary and got broken up by bumping herself to bits in a gale. The insurance folk thocht that the accident wasna a'togither straightforwards. We >tuk it upon oorselz tae demonstrate that wi' the wind and tide setti' as they did, the boat should ha' been well-away fra' the shore if they started at the hour they claimed tae ha' done. We lost the case, but I've never altered my opeenion." (D. S.)

3. "We'll show Levenford what my clever lass can do. I'm looking ahead, and I can see it. When we've made ye the head scholar of Academy, then you'll see what your father means to do wi' you. But ye must stick in to your lessons, stick in hard." (A. C.)

4. I wad na been surpris'd to spy You on an auld wife' flainen toy: Or aiblins some bit duddie boy, On's wyliecoat (R. B.)

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V. Comment on the structure and function of the standard colloquial words and expressions.

1. "Can we have some money to go to the show this aft. Daddy?" (H.)

2. "We Woosters are, all for that good old medieval hosp. and all that, but when it comes to finding chappies collaring your bed, the thing becomes a trifle too mouldy." (P.G.W.)

3. "Officers' dance last night, Sir," this tech said . . . "Congrats." (J. H.)

4. Winter garments surpassed even personal gossip as the topic at parties. It was good form to ask, "Put on your heavies yet?" (S. L.)

5. I was feeling about as cheerio as was possible under the circs when a muffled voice hailed rue from the north­east . . . (P.G.W.)

6. "What did Blake say about the pictures of Godfrey?" "About what I expected. He's pretty sure the man he

tailed was Godfrey, but refuses to positively identify him from the pix." (Br. H.)

7. "I was snooping round for news of you, when I con­nected with this dame. She wasn't at all what I thought she'd be—some swell naughty Society lady that'd scare the life out of me." (Ch.)

8. His expenses didn't go down . . . washing cost a packet and you'd be surprised the amount of linen he need­ed. (S.M.)

9. I was the biggest draw in London. At the old Aquarium, that was. All the swells came to see me ... I was the talk of the town. (S. M.)

10. "Say, what do you two think you're doing? Telling fortunes or making love? Let me warn you that the dog is a frisky bacheldore, Carol. Come on, now, folks, shake a leg. Let's have some stunts or a dance or something." (S.L.)

11. A heart man 'told me I was going to die in six months. (I. Sh.)

12. "Hello, kid! Gee, you look cute, all right." (Dr.)

13. Mr. Marbury captured her with a loud, "Oh, quit fussing now. Come over here and sit down and tell us how's tricks." (S. L.)

14. "Sayl You cut out o'this now before I do something

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to you, do you hear? I'm not the one 'to let you pull this stuff on me ... Beat if before I do something to you, do you hear?" (Dr.)

VI. Compare the neutral and colloquial (standard or with a limited range of application) modes of expression.

1. "Get on a little faster, put a little more steam on, Ma'am, pray." (D.)

2. "I gave him your story in the magazine. He was quite impressed . . . But he says you're on the wrong track. Negroes and children: who cares?"

"Not Mr. Berman, I gather. Well, I agree with him. I read that story twice: Brats and niggers." (T. C.)

3. "I do think the Scandinavian are the heartiest and best people—"

"Oh, do you think so?" protested Mrs. Jackson Elder. "My husband says the Svenskas that work in the planing-mill are perfectly terrible-^-" (S. L.)

4. He tried these engineers, but no soap. No answer. (J. O'H.)

5. H: I'd have been elected easy.

M: You would, Harry, it was a sure thing. A dead cinch, Harry, everyone knows that. (O'N.)

6. "Big-'Hearted Harry. You want to know what I think? I think you're nuts. Pure plain crazy. Goofy as a loon. That's what I think." (J.)

7. There were . . . with a corner of 'the bar to them­selves what I recognized at once to be a Regular Gang, a Bunch, a Set. (P.)

8. "I met a cousin of yours, Mr. Muskham."— "Jack?"—"Yes." "Last of the dandies. All the difference in the world, Dinny, between the 'buck', the 'dandy', the 'swell', the 'masher', the 'blood', 'the 'knut', and what's the last variety called—I never know. There's been a steady decrescendo. By his age Jack belongs to the masher' period, but his cut was always pure dandy." (G.)

VII. Compare the literary and colloquial modes of expression.

1. "The scheme I would suggest cannot fail of success, but it has what may seem to you a drawback, sir, in that it requires a certain financial outlay."

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"He means," I translated to Corky, "that he has got a pippin of an idea but it's going to cost a bit." (P. G. W.)

2. "I say old boy, where do you hang out?" Mr. Pickwick responded that he was at present suspended at the George and Vulture. (D.)

3. "Prithee, give me some ham, piping hot, fragrant with the flavour of cloves, brown sugar and tasty sauce. Serve it between fresh slices of nourishing brown and buttered bread. And draw for your faithful servant a cup of aromatic coffee with cream that is rich and pure."

The girl gave him a frigid glance and cried to the kitchen. "Pig on rye and Java with." (Ev.)

4. "Obviously an emissary of Mr. Bunyan had obtained clandestine access to her apartment in her absence and purloined the communications in question."

It took Lord Uffenham some moments to work this out, but eventually he unravelled it and was able to translate it from the butlerese. What the man was trying to say that some low blister, bought with Bunyan's gold, had sneaked into the girl's flat and pinched the bally things. (P. G. W.)

5. "Here she is," said Quilp . . . "there is the woman I ought to have married—there is the beautiful Sarah— there is the female who has all 'the charms of her sex and none of their weakness. Oh, Sally, Sally." (D.)

, 6. I need the stimulation of good company. He terms this riff-raff. The plain fact is, I am misunderstood. (D.duM.)

VIII. Analyse the vocabulary of ^{the following; indicate the type and function of stylistically coloured units.

1. "What the hell made you take on a job like that?" "A regrettable necessity for cash. I can assure you it

doesn't suM my temperament." Jimmy grinned. "Never a hog for regular work, were you?" (Ch.)

2. "You'll probably see me at a loss for one to-night." "I bet. But you'll stick to me, won't you?"

"Like a bloody leech, man." (K. A.)

3. At the counter of the Greek Confectionery Parlour, while they ate dreadful messes of decayed bananas, acid cherries, whipped cream, and gelatinous ice-cream, they screamed to one another: "Hey, lemme' lone," "Quit dog­gone you, looka what you went and done, you almost

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spilled my glass swater," "Like hell I did," "Heygol darn your hide, don't you go sticking your coffinh nail in my i-scream," "Oh you Batty, how juh like dancing with Tilly McGuire last night? Some squeezing, heh.kid?" (S. L.)

4. "Listen, you son of a bitch," he said feeling an icy calm that was a flaming rapture of abandon. "Keep your big yap away from me, or I'll sow it shut for you." (J.)

5. "Now that the g. d. war is over and you probably have a lot of time over there, how about sending the kids a couple of bayonets or Swastikas . . ." (S.)

6. Roma abandoned herself to the fascinations of the scene, and her gaiety infected everybody.

"Camillo, you must tell me who they all are. There now those men who come first in black and red?"

"Laymen," said the young Roman. "They're called the Apostolis Cursori. When a Cardinal is nominated they take him the news, and get two or three thousand francs for their trouble."

"Good for them! And those fine fellows in tight black vestment like Spanish bullfighters?"

"The Mazzieri! They carry the mace to clear the way."

"Go on, Camillo mio."

"Those men in the long black robes are lawyers of the Apostolis palace."

"And this dear old friar with the mittens and rosary and the comfortable linsey-woolsey sort of face?"

"That's Father Pifferi of San Lorenzo, confessor to the Pope. He knows all the Pope's sins ... He is a Capucin and those Frati in different colours coming behind him ..."

"I know them: see if I don't," she cried, as there passed under the balcony a double file of friars and monks nearly all alike fat, ungainly, flabby, puffy specimens of human­ity, carrying torches of triple candles, and telling their beads as they walked." (H. C.)

7. "Nicholas, my dear, recollect yourself," remonstrated Mrs. Nickleby.

"Dear Nicholas, pray," urged the young lady. "Hold your tongue, Sir," said Ralph. (D.).

8. When Mr. and Mrs. Sunbury went to bed on the night of Herbert's twenty-first birthday, and in passing I may say that Mrs. Sunbury never went to bed, she retired, but Mr. Sunbury who was not quite so refined as his wife always said: "Me for Bedford". . . (S. M.)

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9. There are many ways to do this and you learn most of them. But the jerks and 'twerps, the creeps and the squares and the strips flourish and seem, with the new antibiotics, to have attained a sort of creeping immortality, while people that you care for die publicly or anonymously each month. (H.)

10. "Now take fried, crocked, squiffed, loaded, plastered, blotto, tiddled, soaked, boiled, stinko, oiled, polluted."

"Yes," I said.

"That's the next set of words I am decreasing my vocabulary by," said Atherton. "Tossing them all out in favor of—"

"Intoxicated," I supplied.

. "I favor drunk," said Atherton. "It's shorter and mono­syllabic, even though it may sound a little harsher to the squeamish-minded."

"But there are degrees of difference," I objected.

"Just being tiddled isn't the same as being blotto, or—"

"When you get into the vocabulary-decreasing busi­ness," he interrupted, "you don't bother with technicalities. You throw out the whole kit and caboodle—I mean the whole bunch," he hastily corrected himself. (P. G. W.)

11. I repented having tried this second entrance, and was almost inclined 'to slip away before he finished cursing, but ere I could execute this intention, he ordered me in, and shut and refastened the door. There was a great fire, and that was all the light in the huge apartment, whose floor had grown a uniform grey; and the once brilliant pewter dishes, which used to attract my gaze when I was a girl, partook of a similar obscurity, created by tarnish and dust. I inquired whether I might call the maid, and be conducted to a bedroom. Mr. Earnshaw vouchsafed no answer. (E. Br.)

CHAPTER II

STYLISTIC DEVICES GUIDE TO STYLISTIC DEVICES

The main constituting feature of a stylistic device (SD)* is the binary opposition of two meanings of the employed unit, one of which is normatively fixed in the language and does not depend upon the context, while the other one originates within certain context and is contextual.

It is possible to single out the following main groups of SD:**

I. SD based on the binary opposition of lexical meanings regardless of the syntactical organization of the utterance—lexical stylistic devices.

II. SD based on the binary opposition of syntactical meanings regardless of their semantics—syntactical sty­listic devices.

III. SD based on the binary opposition of lexical mean­ings accompanied by fixed syntactical organization of employed lexical units—lexico-syntactical stylistic devices.

IV. SD based on the opposition of meanings of phono­logical and/or graphical elements of the language— graphical and phonetical stylistic means.

When the opposition is clearly perceived and both indicated meanings are simultaneously realized within the same short context we speak of fresh, original, genuine SD.

When one of the meanings is suppressed by the other we speak of trite, or hackneyed SD..

When the second, contextual,. meaning is completely blended with the first, initial one, we speak of thedisappear-

* /. R. Galperin. Javlajetza li stilistika urovnem jazika? In: "Problemi jazikoznanija", Mo$c, 1967, p. 198—203.

1959.

M. Riffaterre. Criteria for style analysis."Word", No. 1. N. Y.,

** Complete elaboration of the subject see in Prof. Galperin's book "Ocherki po stilistike anglijskogo jazika" (Mosc, 1958).

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ансе of SD and its replacement by polysemy or phraseo­logy.