3. The problem of classification of functional styles.

Speaking of FS, I.V. Arnold suggested a classification of FS according the basic ling-c function they fulfill. She started w/a kind of abstract notion termed neutral style. It has no distinctive features and its func-n is to provide a standard background for the other styles. The other – 'real' styles can be broadly divided into two groups: 1.Colloquial styles: literary colloquial; familiar colloquial; low colloquial. 2.Literary bookish styles: a) scientific ; b) official documents; c) publicist (newspaper); d) oratorical; e) poetic (lofty-poetical). The func-n of colloquial styles is intercourse; of scientific prose and official doc-s – information; publicist, oratorical and poetic – influence. I.R. Galperin in his definition of a FS stresses the aim of communication. He distinguishes 5 substyles: 1.The belles-lettres style: a) poetry; b) emotive prose; c) the language of the drama. 2.The publicist style: a) oratory and speeches; b) the essay; c) articles. 3. The newspaper style: a) brief news items; b) headlines; c) advertisements and announcements; d) the editorial. 4. The scientific prose style: a) exact sciences; b) humanitarian sciences; c) popular science prose.

5. The style of official documents: a) business documents; b) legal documents; c) the lng of diplomacy; d) military doc-s. Y.M. Skrebnev uses the term sublngs in the mng that is usu. attributed to FS. According to him, style is a specificity of sublng, and any sublng has

a) absolutely specific ling-c items that belong to one sublng only (and actually make it), e.g. metre in poetry; b) relatively specific ling. items – applicable in several sublngs, e.g. the use of neologisms in scientific prose and newspapers; and c) non-specific ling-c items – common to all sublng. He maintains that the number of sublngs and their styles is infinite. Y.M. Skrebnev rejects the idea of the complete classification of styles and believes that ‘there are as many sublngs with their styles as you choose’ (including idiolects). The scholar recognizes only the two major varieties of lng use – formal and informal. V.L. Naer’s classification includes seven styles: official documents, scientific papers, professional-technical, newspaper, publicist, belles-lettres, religious texts. One of his merits consists in the fact that he was the only one among Soviet scholars to recognize the religious variety.

4. The style of scientific prose

Here belong manuals, monographs, articles, presentations, theses, dissertations, etc. The aim of the scientific prose style is to prove a hypothesis, to create new concepts, development, relations between different phenomena, etc. Peculiarities:

1.The use of terms of Latin, Greek, Arabic origin (make a more direct reference to something).

Terms are w-ds denoting various scientifical & techn. objects, phenomena & processes. They are found in techn. texts.They are emotionally neutral. 2. The use of numerous neologisms followed by an explanation. 3. The extensive use of bookish words and words that render abstract notions, e.g. nomenclature, algorithm. 4. The restricted use of expressive means and stylistic devices. Though emotiveness is not entirely excluded from scientific prose. There may be statements which are reinforced by some emotionally coloured words, interjections, expressive phraseology or a metaphor. 5. The use of a developed and varied set of connective phrases and words. 6. The use of three major types of sentence patterns (postulatory, argumentative (in the central part), and formulative (in the conclusion). 7. The use of quotations and references to ground the idea. 8. The frequent use of parentheses (explanatory or qualifying remarks) introduced by brackets, commas or a dash. 9. The use of 'the author's we' instead of I. 10. The impersonality is mainly revealed in the frequent use of passive constructions, it-sentences, non-finite verb forms, various generalizations and abstractions.