6. Expressive means of the language

The l-ge means used for the aims of intensification of the utter-ce – EM. They are phonetic, word-building, lexical, morphological, phraseological and syntactic units and forms which exist in l-ge as a system. Expressive means introduce connotational (stylistic, non-denotative) meanings into utterances. The most powerful means of any l-ge – phonetic. Pitch, stress, melody, position, certain stylistic whispering, a sing-song manner & other ways of using the voice are much > effective than other means in intensifying the utter-ce either emotionally/logically. Morphological EM may be observed in the use of auxilary shall in the 2^nd&3d person (the historical present). To word-building EM belong emotionally coloured suffixes of diminutive nature: -y (-ie), -let (sonny auntie, girlie). To this level also belong neologisms (newspaperdom) or nonce-words(all-rightnic).To lexical expressive means belong words, possessing connotations, such as epithets, poetic and archaic words, slang words, vulgarisms, professionalisms, bookish w-ds & interjections. A chain of expressive synonymic words always contains at least one neutral synonym. Ex: the neutral word money has the following stylistically coloured equivalents: ackers (slang), cole (jargon), gelt (jargon), moo (amer. slang), etc. A chain of expressive synonyms used in a single utterance creates the effect of climax (gradation). To syntactic expressive means belong emphatic syntactic constructions. Such constructions stand in opposition to their neutral equivalents. The neu­tral sentence "John went away" may be replaced by the following expres­sive variants: "Away went John" (stylistic inversion), "John did go away" (use of the emphatic verb "to do"), "John went away, he did" (emphatic confirmation pattern), "It was John who went away" ("It is he who does it" pattern). All kinds of set phrases (phraseological units) generally possess the property of expressiveness. Set phrases, catch words, proverbs, sayings comprise a considerable number of language units which serve to make speech emphatic, mainly from the emotional point of view

Stylistics studies the expressive means of language, but from a spe­cial angle. It takes into account the modifications of meanings which various expressive means undergo when they are used in different func­tional styles. Expressive means have a kind of radiating effect. They noticeably color the whole of the utterance no matter whether they are logical or emotional.

The notion of expressive means.

Expressive means of a language are those phonetic, lexical, morphological and syntactic units and forms which make speech emphatic. Expressive means introduce connotational (stylistic, non-denotative) meanings into utterances.

Phonetic expressive means include pitch, melody, stresses, pauses, whispering, singing, and other ways of using human voice.

Morphological expressive means are emotionally coloured suffixes of diminutive nature: -y (-ie), -let (sonn^y auntie, girlies).

To lexical expressive means belong words, possessing connotations, such as epithets, poetic and archaic words, slang, vulgarisms, and interjections.

A chain of expressive synonymic words always contains at least one neutral synonym. For example, the neutral word money has the following stylistically coloured equivalents: ackers (slang), cly (jargon), cole (jargon), gelt (jargon), moo (amer. slang), etc. A chain of expressive synonyms used in a single utterance creates the effect of climax (gradation).

To syntactic expressive means belong emphatic syntactic constructions. Such constructions stand in opposition to their neutral equivalents. The neu­tral sentence "John went away" may be replaced by the following expres­sive variants: "Away went John" (stylistic inversion), "John did go away" (use of the emphatic verb "to do"), "John went away, he did" (emphatic confirmation pattern), "It was John who went away" ("It is he who does it" pattern).