Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo

Language School
Prof. Ángel Ortega
IDI-234 Stylistics
Stylistics
Definitions
 What is stylistics?
• Stylistics is a method of textual interpretation in which
primacy of place is assigned to language. (Simpson 2004:
2.)
• Stylistics, sometimes called linguo-stylistics, is a branch of
general linguistics that deals with :
a) the investigation of the inventory of special language
media which by their ontological features secure the
desirable effect of the utterance and
b) Certain types of texts (discourse) which due to the
choice and arrangement of language means are
distinguished by the pragmatic aspect of the
communication.
 What is stylistics?
• Stylistics must take into consideration the "output
of the act of communication“, but stylistics must
also investigate the ontological, i.e. natural,
inherent, and functional peculiarities of the means
of communication which may ensure the effect
sought.
• "A current definition of style and stylistics is that
structures, sequences, and patterns which extend,
or may extend, beyond the boundaries of
individual sentences define style. and that the
study of them is stylistics.“ (Archibald A. Hill)
 What is stylistics?
Stylistics is the description and analysis of the
variability of linguistic forms in actual language
use.
The concepts of ‘style’ and ‘stylistic
variation’ in language rest on the general
assumption that within the language system,
the same content can be encoded in more than
one linguistic form. Operating at all linguistic
levels (e.g. lexicology, syntax, text linguistics,
and intonation), stylisticians analyze both the
style of specific texts and stylistic variation
across texts.
• "Style is a quality of language which communicates precisely emotions or thoughts, or a
system of emotions or thoughts, peculiar to the author.“
(J. Middleton Murray)

• "... a true idiosyncrasy of style is the result of an author's success in compelling language
to conform to his mode of experience.“ (J. Middleton Murray)

• "Style is a contextually restricted linguistic variation." (Enkvist).

• "Style is a selection of non-distinctive features of language." (L. Bloomfield)

• "Style is simply synonymous with form or expression and hence a

superfluous term." (Benedetto Croce)

• "Style is essentially a citational process, a body of formulae, a memory

(almost in the cybernetic sense of the word),
 Roman Jakobson´s functions of Language
Roman Jakobson's ‘Poetic Function’

• Roman Jakobson proposes a model of language which comprises six key

functions.
1. The conative (The aspect of mental processes or behavior directed
toward action or change and including impulse, desire, volition,
and striving)
2. Phatic (relating to speech used to share feelings or to establish a
mood of sociability rather than to communicate information or
ideas)
3. Referential (the content carrying component of a message)
4. Emotive (the expression of attitude through a message)
5. Metalingual. Language used to describe language.
6. Poetic (projects the principle of equivalence from the axis of
selection into the axis of combination).
 Varieties of Language
• SPOKEN
Contracted forms (Phonetic)

• Colloquial Words (Lexical)

• Intensifying words
• Interjections
• Vulgarisms

• Fill-up or empty words (Syntactic)

• Ellipsis
• String or short sentences with no connectors or with and
• Unfinished sentences
• Statement word-order in questions
• Repetitions of subject
• Emotive syntactic structures

• WRITTEN
 Linguistic Branches/Fields
Level of language Branch of language study
• The sound of spoken language; the way words • Phonology; Phonetics
are pronounced.

• The patterns of written language; the shape of • Graphology

language on the page.

• The way words are constructed; words and their • Morphology

constituent structures.

• Syntax; Grammar
• The way words combine with other words to
form phrases and sentences.

• Lexical Analysis; Lexicology

• The words we use; the vocabulary of a
language.
• Semantics
• The meaning of words and sentences.
• Pragmatics; Discourse Analysis
• The way words and sentences are used in
everyday situations; the meaning of language in
context.
Spoken vs. Written language: Phonetic Differences

• SPOKEN

• Contractions: ain’t ; can’t ; ‘sposed

• WRITTEN
Spoken vs. Written language: Lexical Differences
• SPOKEN

• Colloquial Words :
Kid, ma, buddy, chap, beaver, chick, fan, teen, get going, kick the bucket

• Intensifying words :
I’d sure like..;you should be darn proud of your son; get the hell out of here; tell that man
there he’s not welcome around here

• WRITTEN

• Bookish-educated, Above-standard words:

• Prosecutor (lawyer); accolyte (fan, admirer): neophite (rookie; new into an activity;)
therefore (because of this; this is why)
Spoken vs. Written language: Lexical Differences

• SPOKEN

• Intensifying words : I’d sure like..;you should be darn proud of your son; get the
hell out of here; tell that man there he’s not welcome around here ; Get the heck
out my crib
• Interjections: wow! May God grant you love and peace! Shut up!

• Vulgarisims: god damn! Oh shit! fuck!

• Fill-up or empty words : mmm..errrr, so..you know (whattamsaying)

• WRITTEN

• Bookish, educated, Above-standard words

SPOKEN vs. WRITTEN: Lexical differences

Fill-up or empty words (examples)

• She dressed up , put on fancy jewells, made
her face up and all that
• Well, so (tosay), (you) see, you
know….(whattamsaiyn)
• You understand, dig? Got it rigth,
• Mumbling words and sounds like “errr”,
“mmm”.
 SPOKEN vs. WRITTEN: Syntactic Differences
• SPOKEN
• Ellipsis: you…here!! (you stay/sit/stand here); who you with? (who are you with?);
wanna seeit now? (do you want to see it now?)
• String of short sentences with no connectors or with and: he came. He looked
around. Didn´t notice anything strange. He stepped forward. He took his right
hand into his pants pocket. He felt something..etc

• Unfinished sentences: pick it up right goddamn now or….

• Statement word order in questions: you saw him do it?; you are the manager?
• Repetition of subject: johnny, he did it.
• Emotive syntactic structures: there you have it!

• WRITTEN

• Complicated sentence units with many connectors:

• Peter is a famous baseball player who lives in a beautiful house in Miami. Therefore, he often flies around
the United States to play away games. Both fans and coaches love his excellent pitching abilities. Every
week he plays home games in Glover Stadium which is usually sold out. Glover Stadium is an old stadium
 Ellipsis (examples)
• (i’ll) Tell you what…
• Who you with?
• Care to hear about my ideas?
• Wanna see it now or rather later?
• Just doing a short stop to kill time.
 Stylistic Classification of English
Colloquial

• kid
• daddy
• chap
• get out
• go on
• teenager
• flapper
• go ahead; get going; make a move

Neutral

• child
• father
 Classification of English words
Compare:
– Feeling fatigued, Tom retired early. (literary)
– Tom felt so dog-tired he hit the sack early. (colloquial)
– John was dismissed for petty thieving. (common)
– John was fired for petty thieving. (colloquial)
– Penalties for overdue books will be strictly enforced
(literary)
– You have got to pay fines for overdue
books.(colloquial)
– They approved of the plan. (literary)
– They agreed to the plan.(common)
 Common words

• Common words: they are used by

common people on every day situation,
and appear in all kinds of writing

• Common words are good for all kinds of

writing
 Colloquial words
• Colloquial words are mainly used in
informal or familiar conversation.
• 1) they are usually short words of one or
two syllables and most of them are of
Saxon origin
• 2) seldom used in formal writing, unless
for some special purpose or effect
 Slang

• often used by uneducated

speakers, with dialectal words

• highly informal, vivid and

interesting
 Slang
● Slang is defined as language, words or phrases of a
colorful, facetious (playfully jocular; humorous), or taboo
nature, invented for specific occasions, or uses, or derived
from the unconventional use of the standard vocabulary.
The chief reason for the formation and use of slang
expressions is to secure freshness and novelty. A slang
usage is not generally used in formal conversation unless
the speakers are on intimate terms; slang embraces those
daring and new expressions that have not been accepted
by the majority of people as Standard English.
 Slang (examples)
– Beaver (girl)
– Smoky, bear (police)
– Nut, dome, upper, bean, block (head)
– Elevated, merry, jolly, comfortable,
boiled, tight, blue-eyed, stiff (drunk)
Technical words (terms and neologisms)
● Most of these technical terms are Latin or Greek in origin. In
fact, they are part of literary words.

● Most of the technical words remain essentially foreign to

outsiders, even to educated native speakers. However, under
the influence of radio, television, newspaper and the Internet,
we are witnessing a remarkable breaking down of the barrier
between technical and common words.

● Many technical neologisms created yesterday by specialists

are today heard in ordinary conversation, e.g. moonwalk,
space shutter, gene, transgenic, clone, etc.
 Types of words
• Content words
1) mainly used for its lexical
content
2) has separate entry in the
mental lexicon
e.g. charming, fish, fly
 Types of words

• Function words
• mainly used for its grammatical function

• has separate entry in the mental lexicon

• e.g. and, then, under

 Types of words
• Word form
• shape of word

• Doesn't have separate entry, but is

included in entry information

• e.g. fly, flying, flies, flew

 Types of words
word, e.g. break
word form (inflection)
break
breaks
breaking
broke
function word content word
and, then, there car, happy, steal
 Types of words
• Common words • Formal and
• only a few thousand technical words
words • useful & formal words
• the core of the English • by people of special
vocabulary professions or fields
• ordinary people for • political, legal,
ordinary purposes scientific, technical,
• learn and remember business and literary
 Common words
• Same, speech, learned, destroy
，stiff, try, piece, and so on.
• used in everyday conversation
& in informal writing
 Formal words
• identical，oration，erudite，
annihilate，rigid，endeavor，
fragment
• used only in formal writing like
articles, documents, research
papers, manuals and in public
speaking
 Technical words
Technical or special words refer to those words used
in various special fields. Every branch of science,
every profession or trade, every art and every sort of
sports has its own technical terms. Most of the
technical terms are Latin or Greek in origin. In fact,
they are part of literary words.

Since language is constantly changing, the

Classification of words by level of usage is not
absolute.