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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 clichs;
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 (Ill, dont);
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
clichs.
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 (-
);
unceremonious (-
);
popular speech/ common parlance
().

- 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
(Dont you forget it);
In the senseless repetition of words and
phrases;
The use of double negative (Dont bring no
money; Aint nobodys business).
Professor Skrebnev:
Colloquial style = oral speech? But: lectures or a
students 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 dont know).
Explication - in analytical morphology:
The use of emphatic forms (e.g. continuous Im
thinking, Im 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.
Youre going? Sugar, Dr.Trent?
The use of pseudo-interrogative sentences:
Why dont 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-f)
Informal grammar
the noun the use of double genitive; the use of
plural forms:
A good friend of my husbands; Im friends with him. He
has brains;
the article can be omitted, but it can be used with
proper names:
the Johnsons; Hes married to a Miss Brown; He bought a
Picasso; I dont claim to be a Caruso; Here again was Tom,
the Tom;
the pronoun: objective forms
Jack was four year older than me. Youre 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
Dont 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
aint, 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:

Cant afford to buy it. // Dont worry. Only makes your


hair gray. // Nice talking to you. // Oh, being sarcastic.
The use of conjunctionless complex sentences:
The book Im reading; he says he has no appetite; its
a good thing he did; the thing is it gets so awfully hot
in here.

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