Graphical Stylistic Means

V. Kukharenko includes graphical stylistic means into 2 groups:

a) phono-graphical EMs (onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, and
graphon);
b) graphical EMs (italics, capitalization, spacing of lines, and spacing
of graphemes, such as hyphenation and multiplication).
Here also belong shaped text, bold type (жирный шрифт) and
punctuation.

1.11 Capitalization
Capitalization [kə,pitəlai'zei(ə)n] – some common nouns written with
capital letters. Capitalization takes place in the following cases:
- In address or personification, which gives some importance and
solemnity to the text.
E.g. Music! Sphere-descended maid; Friend of Pleasure, Wisdom’s aid! –
W. Collins
- To show that words are pronounced with emphasis or loudly.
E.g. “WILL YOU BE QUIET!” he bawled. – A. Sillitoe

Some poets of the 20th century, such as edward estlin cummings

(1894 – 1962), do not use capital letters at all. E.g.:
1 (a
1 (a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
1
ness

1.19 Grapheme multiplication

Grapheme multiplication ['græfi:mˌmΛltipli'kei(ə)n] – several or
many letters written instead of one letter.
Grapheme multiplication is a way of showing the speech intensity.
E.g.:
1 Alllll aboarrrrrd! – Ch. Dickens
2… open your eyes for that laaaaarge sun. – A. Wesker
 1.20 Graphon
Graphon ['græfən] (from Greek “I am writing”) – the intentional word
or word combination graphical shape violation used to reflect authentic
pronunciation.
Графон – түпнұсқаға сәйкес айтылуы үшін сөздің немесе сөз
тіркесінің әдейі бұрыс жазылуы.
Графон – намеренное неправильное написание слова или
выражения для отражения аутентичного произношения.
Graphon is an extremely concise but effective means of supplying
information about the speaker’s origin, social and educational background,
physical or emotional condition, and the author’s sarcastic attitude to him.
E.g., Mr. Babbit, S. Lewis’s character, says ‘Eytalians’ instead of “Italians”
and ‘peepul’ instead of “people”.

Some graphons show the physical defects of the speaker (stumbling,

lisping, etc.).
E.g.:
1 The b-b-b-b-bas-tud – he’d seen me c-c-c-c-com-ing. – R. P. Warren
2 You don’t mean to thay that thith ith your firtht time. – D. Cusack
3 I don’t weally know wevver I’m a good girl. – J. Braine

Some amalgamated graphon forms, such as gimme (give me), coupla

(couple of), gonna (going to), etc., became clichés.

1.22 Hyphenation
Hyphenation [,haifə'nein] – the reflection of rhymed or clipped
manner in which a word is uttered with the help of hyphens (more rarely –
dashes).
Hyphenation – дефис (кейде сызықша) көмегімен сөйлемді
айтудың үзік мақамы.
Hyphenation – отражение отрывистой манеры произнесения
фразы путем использования дефисов (реже – тире).
E.g.:
1 Adieu you, old man, I pity you, and I de-spise you. (Th. Dreiser)
2 I really do n – o – t love you.

1.25 Italics
Italics [i'tæliks] – sloping letters used for the following purposes:
- To show foreign words, i.e. alien for the text.
E.g.: I want to tell you something tête-à–tête.
- To produce the effect of emphasis.
 E.g.: Now listen, Ed, stop that, now. I’m desperate. I am desperate, Ed, do
you hear? – Th. Dreiser

The difference in type means the difference in intonation, which in its

turn shows different feelings and emotions.
Cf.: ‘You are a baby, Robert’ and ‘You are a baby, Robert’ (J. B.
Priestley). The second example sounds more affectionate.
Cf.: ‘You are a rotter, Stanton’ and ‘You are a rotter, Stanton (J. B.
Priestley).’ The first example sounds not so furious.

1.37 Punctuation
Punctuation [,pΛŋ(k)tu'ein], i.e. punctuation marks.
- Exclamation and question marks show strong emotions. E.g.:
“Oh, don’t be innocent, Ruth! This house! This room! This hideous, God-
awful room!”
- Dashes or three dots show emotional pauses caused by a person’s
embarrassment, hesitation, uncertainty, or nervousness. E.g.:
Pozzo: You took me for Godot.
Estragon: Oh, no, sir, not for an instant, sir.
Pozzo: You took me for him.
Estragon: That’s to say … you understand … the dusk … the strain …
waiting … I confess … I imagined … for a second … (S. Becket).

- Periods are used to describe events rapidly changing each other, as

they break texts into short sentences. E.g.:
Stone, bronze, stone, steel, oak leaves, horses’ heels over the paving;
And the flags. And the trumpets. And so many eagles.
How much? Count them. And such a press of people. – T. S. Eliot

Modern authors do not use periods at all. For example, the following
poem by e. e. cummings contains no periods or capital letters except “O”.

EXAMPLE
i'm
asking
you dear to
what else could a
no but it doesn’t
of course but you don’t seem
to realize i can’t make
it clearer war was just isn’t what
we imagine but please for god’s O
what the hell yea it’s true that was
 me but that me isn’t me
can’t you see now no not
any christ but you
must understand
why because
i am dead

1.43 Shaped text

Shaped (visual) text – a text, in which the lines form a recognizable
shape (figure), such as a cross, a star, a heart, etc. to reflect its contents. In
the example below the poem is shaped as a tree:

A man is made
Of flesh and blood
Of eyes and bones and water
The very same things make his son
As those that make his daughter.

A tree is made
Of leaf and sap,
Of bark and fruit and berries.
It keeps a bird’s nest
In its boughs
And blackbirds eat the cherries.

A table’s made
Of naked wood
Planed smooth as milk I wonder
If tables ever dream of sun,
Of wind, and rain, and thunder?

And when man takes

His axe and strikes
And sets the sawdust frying –
Is it a table being born?
Or just a tree that’s dying?

The following thoughts of A. Milne’s character are shaped to reflect

his sitting in the running kangaroo’s pocket:
shall
this
If is I never take
flying really to it.