Order of speech elements

The English sentence has strict word order. It means that any deviation from usual order of words which is permissible is very effective stylistically.

Stylistic inversion

Any kind of deviation from the usual order of words in the sentence is called inversion. Stylistic inversion is placing a part of a sentence into a position, unusual for it for the purpose emphasise.

E.G. They slid down.

Down they slid.

Interaction of syntactical structures

Parallelism means a more or less complete identify of syntactical structures of two or more contiguous sentences or verse lines. Parallelism is often accompanied by the lexical identify of one or several members of each sentence. In this case parallelism serves as a syntactical means of the recurrent parts prominent more conspicuous than their surroundings.

Chiasmus is a special variety of parallelism. It’s a reproduction in the given sentence of the general syntactical structure as well as of the lexical elements of the preceding sentence, the syntactical position of lexical elements undergoing inversion.

Anaphora is the use of identical words at the beginning of two or more contiguous sentences or verse lines, sometimes it’s combined with parallelism.

Epiphora is recurrence of identical elements at the end of two or more contiguous utterances. Epiphora contributes to rhythmical regularity of speech making prose resemble poetry. It may be combined with anaphora and parallelism.

Stylistic value of syntactical categories

Detachment means that a secondary member becomes phonetically separated, obtains emphatic stress and sometimes changes its habitual position. This secondary part of the sentence remaining what it has been (an attribute, an adverbial modifier etc) at the same time assumes the function of an additional predicative. It comes to resemble the predicate. Detachment makes the word prominent, thus from the point of view of stylistics detachment is nothing but emphasis.

Parenthetic elements. Words, phrases and clauses disconnected grammatically with their syntactical surroundings also posses stylistic value.

Rhetorical question. It’s an affirmative or negative statement which only assumes the form of a question. The use of the interrogative form performs an expressive function since it implies direct appellation to the hero’s opinion.

Functional styles

A functional style can be defined as a system of coordinated and interrelated language means intended to fulfill a specific function of communication and aiming at a definite effect

Functional styles:

1. Belles-lettres

There are several substyles:

1. Poetry

2. Emotive prose

3. The drama

The belles-lettres styles possesses the following linguistic features:

• It is genuine, not-trite. Imagery is achieved by purely linguistic devices

• The use of words in contextual and very often in more than one dictionary meanings or at least greatly influenced by a lexical environment

• A vocabulary which will reflect to a greater or a lesser degree. The author’s personal evaluation of things or phenomena

• A peculiar individual selection of vocabulary and syntax. A can of lexical and syntactical idiosyncrasy (отличительнаяособенность)

• The introduction of typical features of colloquial language

2. Publicistic. It includes:

   1. Oratory and speaches

   2. The essay

   3. The articles

Unlike other styles the publicistic functional style has spoken varieties. Due to its characteristic combination of logical argumentation and emotional appeal, the publicistic style has features common with the style of scientific prose on the one hand and that of emotive prose on the other. The stylistic devices used in publicistic style are not fresh or genuine. The publicistic style also characterized by brevity (краткость) of expression.

3. Newspaper style. Substyles

   1. Brief news items and communiqués

   2. Advertisements and announcements

   3. Headline

   4. The editorial (передовица, от редакции)

4. Scientific prose. The language means used in scientific prose tend to be precise, objectional, unemotional, divided of any individuality. There is a striving for the most generalized form of expression. There are some characteristic features:

• Logical sequence of utterances with clear indication of their interrelations and intodependace

• The use of terms specific to a certain branch of science

• Sentence pattern of 3 types:

  • Postulatory

  • Argumentative

  • Formulative

• The use of quotations and references

• Frequent use of footnotes (сноски)

• Impersonality of writing

5. Official documents. Styles:

   1. The language of business documents

   2. The language of legal documents

   3. The language of diplomacy

   4. The language of military documents

Characteristic features:

• The use of abbreviations, conventional symbols and contractions

• The use of words in their logical, dictionary meaning

• Compositional patterns of the variants of the style

• Absence of any emotiveness