STYLE VARIETY AS GLOBAL STYLISTIC CATEGORY.
Stylistic classification of the English vocabulary.
GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Like any linguistic issue the classification of the vocabulary here suggested is for purely stylistic purposes. This is important for the course inasmuch as some SDs are based on the interplay of different stylistic aspects of words. It follows then that a discussion of the ways the English vocabulary can be classified from a stylistic point of view should be given proper attention.
In order to get a more or less clear idea of the word-stock of any language, it must be presented as a system, the elements of which are interconnected, interrelated and yet independent. Some linguists, who clearly see the systematic character of language as a whole, deny, however, the possibility of systematically classifying the vocabulary. They say that the word-stock of any language is so large and so heterogeneous that it is impossible to formalize it and therefore present it in any system. The words of a language are thought of as a chaotic body whether viewed from their origin and development or from their present state.
Indeed, the coinage of new lexical units, the development of meaning, the differentiation of words according to their stylistic evaluation and their spheres of usage, the correlation between meaning and concept and other problems connected with vocabulary are so multifarious and varied that it is difficult to grasp the systematic character of the word-stock of a language, though it co-exists with the systems of other levelsphonetics, morphology and syntax.
To deny the systematic character of the word-stock of a language amounts to denying the systematic character of language as a whole, words being elements in the general system of language.
The word-stock of a language may be represented as a definite system in which different aspects of words may be singled out as interdependent. A special branch of linguistic science lexicologyhas done much to classify vocabulary. A glance at the contents of any book on lexicology will suffice to ascertain the outline of the system of the word-stock of the given language.
For our purpose, i.e. for linguistic stylistics, a special type of classification, viz. stylistic classification, is most important.
In accordance with the already-mentioned division of language into literary and colloquial, we may represent the whole of the word-stock of the English language as being divided into three main layers: the literary layer, the neutral layer and the colloqial layer. The literary and the colloquial layers contain a number of subgroups each of which has a property it shares with all the subgroups within the layer. The common property of the literary layer is its markedly bookish character. It is this that makes the layer more or less stable. The main property of the colloquial layer of words is its lively spoken character. It is this that makes it unstable, fleeting.
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The main property of the neutral layer is its universal character. That means it is unrestricted in its use. It can be employed in all styles of language and in all spheres of human activity. It is this that makes the layer the most stable of all.
The literary layer of words consists of groups accepted as legitimate members of the English vocabulary. They have no local or dialectal character.
The colloquial layer of words as qualified in most English or American dictionaries is not infrequently limited to a definite language community or confined to a special locality where it circulates.
The literary vocabulary consists of the following groups of words:
1. common literary; 2. terms and learned words; 3. poetic words; 4. archaic words; 5. barbarisms and foreign words; 6. literary coinages including nonce-words.
The colloquial vocabulary falls into the following groups: 1. common colloquial words; 2. slang; 3. jargonisms; 4. professional words; 5. dialectal words; 6. vulgar words; 7. colloquial coinages.
The common literary, neutral and common colloquial words are grouped under the term standard English vocabulary. Other groups in the literary layer are regarded as special literary vocabulary and those in the colloquial layer are regarded as special colloquial (non-literary) vocabulary.
It is known that linguistic expression of a certain meaning may acquire different forms and even if semantics of the utterance or text is virtually the same, its linguistic embodiment may vary considerably.
(Leech): They chucked a stone at the cops, and then did a bunk with the loot.
After casting a stone at the police, they absconded with the money.
Chuck, cop, - informal, do a bunk slang; abscond formal
The first sentence belongs to low style and characterizes the communicative situation as very informal, with the status of the speaker and addressee being very informal. The second utterance shows formal relations between the speaker and addressee at the expense of one formal word abscond on the neutral background. It should be noted that relations existing between speakers and addressees are not stylistic but pragmatic factors. The juxtaposition of these two utterances demonstrates a very tight link (if not merger itself) of stylistic and pragmatic aspects of the speech act and real weight of their stylistic constituent.
Stylistic aspect is especially essential at textual level as all linguistic elements of any text are the result of conscious choice from the linguistic means of potential variability. Variability, on the other hand, is the main factor contributing to style differentiation. Considering any text from the point of view of variations inherent in it, one should remember that text is a definite phenomenon, but style is abstract with relation to text. Style is a kind of abstraction fixed in the collective mind of a certain nation. Style may be considered as a certain type of system variability of the language.
Taking into account style manifestation on a textual level and the fact that style is systematic by its nature it is expedient that written literary speech should be considered as the main sphere of our interest in terms of stylistics. Variability in the sphere of oral communication is of quite a different character: it draws on such factors as situation, social or any other status of communicants, and it is evident that such forms of variability dont possess systematic character.
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Functional style and individual style are the most obvious manifestations of stylistic variability, with any individual style developing within the framework of a functional style, but never vice versa. Functional style is a category of the literary national language belonging to the whole community of people whereas individual style is a phenomenon of language usage belonging to an individual. Functional style is prescriptive and obligatory, individual style is arbitrary and optional. Both of them, though, are observed on the textual level only. Theres no style beyond text. It should be noted that all stylistic qualities of the text are its inherent properties, not only a feature aimed at creating a certain effect.
Functional style is a form of variability of the literary language in its written variety. There exists, though, another point of view as well, whose supporters believe that language is stylistically homogeneous but all stylistic differences are manifested in speech only. This point of view does not seem to be right, as if the program of style differentiation was not inherent in the language as a whole language users would not be able to choose stylistically different forms of expression. Most people, though, cope with it without effort even having no higher education.
Galperin I.R. distinguishes 5 functional styles of the English language: belle-lettres, publicistic, newspaper, scientific prose styles, and the style of official documents. This classification can be extended at the expense of professional technical and religious styles. There are other classifications of functional styles as well which are different from this one but scientific, publicistic and official document styles are included in all classifications.
It should be noted that in English-American tradition style differentiation of the language is based on a criterion of REGISTER, which is a variety of a language according to USE, which means that this notion is directly connected with the notion of situation, with the latter being perceived in a rather general way. According to the conception of REGISTER such spheres of communication as shopping, advertising, church services, medicine, football turn out to be in the same row, though they present different linguistic categories of different size.
Such series of communication spheres have no single criterion of their differentiation and one can observe a confusion of stylistic and thematic factors.
Register principle of style differentiation makes no distinction between oral and written varieties of the language and the number of registers is not restricted.
Besides Functional Style and Register one of the widely acceptable criteria of language differentiation is DIALECt. Dialectal words are those which in the process of integration of the English national language remained beyond its literary boundaries, and their use is generally confined to a definite locality. In comparison to REGISTER which is a variety of language according to use, dialect is a variety according to user.
The issue of Stylistic Variety can also be approached from the point of view of existing deviations, which can be judged about keeping in mind the notion of a certain norm that is by all means familiar to all language users. The British scholars distinguish such kinds of deviations as Lexical, Grammatical, Graphological, dialectal, register deviation, Phonological, Semantic deviation and that of historical period.
Examples of terms used in literary texts:
they were galvanized into activity
They went full steam ahead
It sparkled off a chain reaction
Poetic and highly literary words
Examples: There dwelt a youth (lived)
He spent his days in riot (wasteful living) most uncouth (unusual)
And vexd (disturbed) with mirth (fun) the drowsy ear of night.
Ungodly (wicked) glee (entertainment) (Byron)
Obsolescent: pronouns thee, thy, thine, he maketh (instead of s), thou makest
(-e), pronoun ye.
