1、Introduction to English Stylistics,Course requirements: Class attendance is required, not optional. Course evaluation: At the end of the course, each student is to submit a term paper related to stylistics.,Course description: Stylistics is a branch of linguistics which applies the theory and method
2、ology of modern linguistics to the study of style. In a much broader sense, it deals with the study of all kinds of writing/varieties of English.,In a narrower sense, it is an interdisciplinary subject. It is a study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation, that is, from a linguistic poi
3、nt of view (literary stylistics). Therefore, it differs from linguistics and literary criticism in that it essentially links these two.,Major topics to be discussed: 1. What is stylistics? What is stylistics meant to do? What is style? 2. Phonological stylistic markers 3. Lexical stylistic markers 4
4、. Grammatical stylistic markers 5. Norm and deviation 6. Varieties of English 7. Practical style,Reference books: 英语文体学引论，王佐良，外研社。 英语文体学教程，徐有志，高等教育出版社。 英语文体学教程，张德禄，高等教育出版社。 英语语体学，裴文，安徽大学出版社。 实用英语文体学，钱瑗，外研社。 文体学概论，秦秀白，湖南教育出版社。,Patterns in Language: Stylistics for Students of Language and Literature-T
5、homborrow, J., 1998. Style in Language-Sebeok, T. A. (ed.), 1960. The Five Clocks- Joos, M. , 1962. Linguistics and Style-Enkvist, N.E. & Spencer, 1964. Investigating English Style-Crystal, D & D. Davy, 1969. StylisticsTurner, G. W., 1973. Style in Fiction- Leech, G. & M. Short, 1981. The Stylistics
6、 of Fiction-Toolan, M., 1990.,The goals, components, and procedure of stylistic inquiry Goals The first goal of stylistics is to help readers understand a text better. In other words, it provides insights into the meaning of the text. The second goal is to explain why and how one text is better than
7、 another one. That is to say, stylistics is more directly concerned with interpretation of a text.,Components Description +interpretation +evaluation The most important thing is to remember there is actually no rigid and fixed procedure of stylistic analysis of literary work. Linguistic observation
8、and literary insight proceeds from each other and enhances each other and they form a cyclic motion.,Procedure: Analytic phase +interpretative phaseThe nature of stylistic analysis Generally, the stylistic analysis is mainly concerned with the uniqueness of the language use in a given text. That is
9、to show what is peculiar to the language in a text. This is determined by the nature of style itself. This naturally involves comparison between the language used in the text under investigation and the language used in a conventional way. So essentially speaking, stylistic study is essentially comp
10、arative in nature.,Generally, the procedure of stylistic analysis is often sequenced in two steps: a) linguistic description, b) contextual factors analysis. Linguistic description can be done at phonological, graphological, lexical, syntactical, semantic and textual level. Contextual factors analys
11、is include the following aspects: field of discourse, tenor of discourse and mode of discourse.,A checklist of linguistic description Phonological category: a. elision (omission of sound (s) b. sound patterning c. rhyme d. pause e. stress f. length g. tempo (the speed of speaking) h. intonation i. o
12、nomatopoeia,Graphological category: a. punctuation b. capitalization c. paraphrasing (the way a text is divided into paragraphs) d. italics e. format of printing f. graphic signs (size of shape of letters, tables, pictures, diagrams, drawings etc.),Lexical category: whether the lexis used is a. gene
13、ral or specific b. Anglo-Saxon or Latinate c. simple or hard d. descriptive or evaluative f. formal or informal g. standard or nonstandard h. dynamic or static i. archaic or neologism j. abstract or concrete,Syntactic / grammatical category: (how words are ordered and connected into sentences) a. se
14、ntence types b. sentence length c. clause types (SV, SVA, SVO, SVOA, SVOO, SVOC; finite/nonfinite; ) d. normal order of inverted e. tense (the prevailing tense) f. voice (active or passive),Semantic category: a. figures of comparison (simile, metaphor, analogy, personification) b. figures of replace
15、ment (metonomy, synecdoche, euphemism, overstatement, understatement, etc.) c. figures of repetition d. figures of contrast (antithesis, oxymoron, paradox, climax, anticlimax etc. ) e. figures of double meaning (pun, irony),The aim of this course is two-fold: To offer a chance to deepen / facilitate
16、 your understanding of the knowledge of linguistics you have just acquired and put it to practical use. 2) To cultivate stylistic awareness or insight into different styles of writing /varieties of English; to develop the ability to do stylistic analysis and hopefully pursuing a better understanding
17、 or appreciation of literary works and other styles of writing.,Chapter 1,I. Definition of stylistics “The study of that variation in language which is dependent on the situation in which the language is used. Although stylistics sometimes includes investigation of spoken language, it usually refers
18、 to the study of written language, including literary texts. Stylistics is concerned with the choices that are available to a writer and the reasons why particular forms and expressions are used rather than others.” (Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics),Stylistics is the st
19、udy of varieties of language whose properties position that language in context. For example, the language of advertising, politics, religion, individual authors, etc., or the language of a period in time, all belong in a particular situation.,Stylistics also attempts to establish principles capable
20、 of explaining the particular choices made by individuals and social groups in their use of language, such as socialisation, the production and reception of meaning, critical discourse analysis and literary criticism.,Widdowson provides a more informative definition: “By stylistics, I mean the study
21、 of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation and I shall take the view that what distinguishes stylistics from literary criticism on the one hand and linguistics on the other is that it is essentially a means of linking the two”,G. Leech defines style as the study of the use of language in l
22、iterature, a meeting-ground of linguistics and literary study.,In short, stylistics is defined as the study of discourse or text on the basis of modern linguistic theories.,The development of stylistics Modern stylistics got its development in the 19th and 20th centuries from rhetoric and from the i
23、nterpretation of literature. The first book on stylistics was written by a French scholar Charles Bally, student of F. D. Saussure in 1902, was considered a landmark of modern stylistics. Later, Spitzer, a German scholar began to analyze literary works form a stylistic point of view, and was often c
24、onsidered as the “father of literary stylistics.,2. From the beginning of the 1930 to the end of the 1950s stylistics was developing slowly and was only confined to the European continent. During this period, the Russian formalists, the Prague School and the French structuralists all contributed to
25、the development of stylistics.,3. From the end of 1950s to the present time, modern stylistics reached its prosperity. This can be further divided into roughly four periods: a. From the end of the 1950s to the end of the 1960s, formal stylistics prevailed. b. The second period is the 1970s, in which
26、 functional stylistics predominated. c. In the 1980s, discourse stylistics flourished. d. In the 1990s, the socio-historical/ socio-cultural stylistics or contextualized stylistics developed quickly.,Three movements that promote the development of stylistics:1.Modernist movement in art and literatur
27、e, which lasted from 1890 to World War I. This movement is characterized by its break away from the tradition. This break away lifted all restraints upon the content and language used in art and literature. This led to the tolerance, acceptance, and appreciation of the different kinds of language th
28、at appear in literature and art.,2. Another revolution occurred in the field of literary criticism, which had a profound radical influence upon stylistics. The most important proponent of this revolution is I. A. Richards, who was dissatisfied with the criticism of his age for in his opinion the cri
29、tics of his time had given too much attention to the moral aspect of literature, and he suggested that a more objective approach should be taken towards literary criticism. He based his approach upon close reading of the literary text and linguistic analysis of the language of the text.,3. The third
30、 revolution that had helped the emergence of stylistics is the one that took place in the science of linguistics in the late 1950s. This revolution was initiated by the work of Noam Chomsky and Michael Halliday whose thoughts were directly or indirectly influenced by the linguistic theory of F. De S
31、assure. And generally speaking, the development in the domain of linguistics provided the stylisticians with effective and new tools for analyzing the language in both literature and other types of discourse.,2. Classification of stylistics,stylistics,general stylistics,literary stylistics,general f
32、eatures of various types of language use,unique features of literary works,Theoretical stylistics,the theories, origin, trend, historical development of stylistics,In a broad sense: different kinds of writing /varieties of writing in a narrow sense: literary writing, including the study of writing s
33、tyle of writers II. The definition of style Manners indicating prominent linguistic features, devices or patterns, most (or least) frequently occur in a particular text or a particular variety of language.,II. The main job of stylistics,to show why and how certain works can get its particular meanin
34、g; namely, what does the text mean? How does the text mean what it means? Why is the text valued as it is? the study of how to use language effectively / appropriately instead of focusing on correctness,Appropriateness vs.Correctness,The following examples show us the relationship between appropriat
35、eness and correctness eg: a. (Suppose you meet a foreign teacher on campus and greet him by asking:” Hi, Mr. Johnson, have you had your meal? b. ( suppose a person tries to comfort a young lady whose husband died and he says to her ) “Im terribly sorry to hear that your husband has just died, but do
36、nt let it upset you too much. You are an attractive, young woman. Im sure you will find someone else soon.”,Comment: Grammatically correct but a violation of the convention or customs in using the language. Native speakers of English would never say that way. In this sense, it is against the rule of
37、 appropriateness however correct the form is.,Discussion question: The following 4 sentences concern the way a housewife talks to a milkman. Which one do you think is the most appropriate? 1) Can you leave one bottle and four yoghourts tomorrow please? 2) Leave one bottle and four yoghourts tomorrow
38、 and dont forget. 3) It would be greatly appreciated if you kindly leave one bottle and four yoghourts tomorrow. 4) Would you leave one bottle and four yoghourts tomorrow, just for me.,1. When his dad died, Pete had to get another job. 2. After his fathers death, Peter had to change his job. 3. On t
39、he decease of his father, Mr. Brown was obliged to seek alternative employment.,Also compare:,III. Levels of styleThree levels of style: high, middle and low. Middle style will serve perfectly well for most of your writing. It is the style in which most of the worlds writing gets done.,High Style an
40、d Hard Words,The high style aims at loftiness and grandeur. Todays readers are likely to find it too ornate and ceremonious for all but a few occasions, but at certain periods in the past it was used more freely. Here, from two centuries ago, is High Style at its highestSamuel Johnson ruminating on
41、the dangers of the imagination: To indulge the power of fiction and send imagination out upon the wing is often the sport,of those who delight too much in silent speculation. When we are alone we are not always busy: the labor of excogitation is too violent to last long, the ardor of inquiry will so
42、metimes give way to idleness or satiety. He who has nothing external that can divert him must find pleasure in his own thoughts , and must conceive himself what he is not , for who is pleased with what he is? He then expatiates in boundless futurity, and culls from all imaginable conditions that whi
43、ch for the present moment he should most desire, amuses his desires with impossible enjoyments,Comment: 1.High style differs sharply from the style of everyday conversation. Usually it differs by virtue of its solemnity, its resounding rhythms, and the elaborate structure of its sentences. 2.Differe
44、nce in the sophistication of its wording. Very seldom does daily conversation contain such a phrase as “to indulge the power of fiction” or “silent speculation” or the ardor of inquiry”,3. Middle Style, as opposed to high style, doesnt aim for loftiness or grandeur, but for clarity and simplicity,Lo
45、w Style e.g. Im fed up with the way gals get treated in the latest flicks. For one thing, there arent many of them around anymore. The best flicks you see these days are mostly about guys: Patton, Godfather, The Sting. And when women do get a piece of the action, theyre either whores like the woman
46、played by Linda Lovelace or bitches like Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate or stupid Youll hear people laugh at the female stereotypes in the flicks of the forties and fifties, but women were at least important in a lot of those old flicks, and besides, the stereotypes were sort of interesting.,Comment:
47、 One of the features of Low Style is the use of colloquialisms. Although such diction fits perfectly well into casual conversation, the Middle Style uses it sparingly because it sounds so much like casual talk. The passage also contains slangspecifically flick, bitches, and dig. Slang words are coll
48、oquialisms so extreme that they must be used even more cautiously and less frequently. The right slang in the right place can add just the right touch of humor, realism, or localism.,Chapter 2 I. Phonological stylistic functions/ style marker in phonology1).Stress and intonation Words have weight, s
49、ound and appearance; it is only by considering these that you can write a sentence that is good to look at and good to listen to. ( W. Somerset Maugham ) “The sound must seem an echo to the sense.” (A. Pope),a. Stress: Word stress and sentence stress eg.: John bought that new car yesterday . 1 2 3 4
50、 5 6 Question: What difference does it make if each of the words in the sentence is stressed?,If “John” is stressed, it means: It was John (not anybody else ) who bought the new car yesterday. If “ bought “ is stressed, it means: a. He had been wandering to buy that new car and he did buy it yesterday . b. You said that he wouldnt buy that new car , but he bought it yesterday. c. He bought that new car yesterday; he didnt steal it .,
