Lecture 3
Stylistic syntax of the English language
1. Stylistic syntax.
2. Stylistic functions of syntactic constructions.
2.1. Stylistic properties of syntactic constructions based on the reduction of the sentence structure.
2.2. Stylistic properties of syntactic constructions based on the redundancy of the sentence structure.
2.3. Stylistic properties of syntactic constructions based on the violation of the grammatically fixed word order within a sentence.
2.4. Stylistic properties of syntactic constructions based on the shifts in syntactic meaning.
3. Stylistic effects of peculiar arrangement of syntactical constructions in a sequence.
LITERATURE:
1. Galperin I.R. Stylistics. M.: Higher School, 1977. P. 249-318.
2. / .., .., .., .., .: , 1991. . 227-240.
3. .. . .: : һ, 2003. 230 c.
4. .., .. . ³: , 2004. .17-23.
5. Kukharenko V.A. A Book of Practice in Stylistics: a Manual. Vinnytsia: Nova knyha, 2003. 160 p.
1. Stylistic syntax is aimed at finding out what expressive value a syntactical unit (sentence or other utterance) possesses. The stylistically unmarked English sentence pattern is (S P 0 D), thus all the deviations from it may acquire stylistic connotations. Stylistically significant deviations of a sentence structure are based on:
1) the reduction of the sentence pattern that lies in the deliberate omission of obligatory elements of the sentence structure (ellipsis, aposiopesis, nominative sentences, incomplete sentences and asyndeton);
2) the redundancy of the sentence pattern that results from the addition of some sentence elements or their deliberate repetition (repetition, enumeration, polysyndeton, emphatic constructions, parenthetical clauses or sentences);
3) the violation of the grammatically fixed word order within a sentence or a deliberate isolation of some parts of the sentence (stylistic inversion, syntactical split, suspense and detachment);
4) the shifts in syntactic meaning which result from changes in the use of syntactic forms (rhetorical questions).
Stylistic effect may be created by a peculiar arrangement of sentences in sequence. Hence, here we deal with parallelism, chiasmus.
Stylistic functions of syntactic constructions.
Stylistic properties of syntactic constructions based on the reduction of the sentence structure.
Ellipsis (Gk ‗ leaving out ) is the absence of one or both principal parts (the subject, the predicate) in a syntactical construction. The missing parts might be clearly understood from the context or are implied by the situation. Elliptical sentences are, first and foremost, typical of conversational English.
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Elliptical sentences used in works of fiction may reproduce colloquial speech, impart brevity, quick tempo and emotional tension to the authors narrative, as in:
He smiled again. Fine. Where were you last Friday evening
I had dinner with some friends I said.
Where?
Southport
And after that?
Had a drink in the bar of the Castle Hotel and went to bed.
Alone?
That‟s right.
What time?
I don‟t know, somewhere between eleven thirty and midnight.
What time did you have breakfast?
Eight o‟clock‟
So between midnight and eight you have no alibi?
Alibi for what?‟ (R. Pitman, J. McNally)
Ellipsis is common to some special types of texts: in papers or handbooks on technology or natural sciences, encyclopaedic dictionaries and reference books. But here it does not perform any stylistic function but is employed for the sake of brevity and economy.
Nominative sentences are one-member sentences with a noun, a prepositional noun-phrase, or an adverb. In contrast with elliptical sentences, they have only one principal part, with or without words modifying it. For example:
Jokes, he said. As a writer that‟s your main trouble. You don‟t want to recognize it. Tragedy! Plain tragedy! Historical tragedy! No hope. The end (G. Paley).
The use of nominative sentences may increase the dynamism of narration. These sentences are also employed for acquainting the reader with the place or background of action. In this function they are widely used for preliminary descriptions introducing the reader to the exposition of a story.
Incomplete sentences are characterized by absence of auxiliary elements of the sentence (auxiliary verbs, articles, prepositions, conjunctions). All these elements are often dropped in informal oral communication:
Has Dr. Thurmer written to your parents yet?
He said he was going to write them Monday (T.D. Salinger) preposition on is omitted.
Aposiopesis (or break in the narrative) ( Gk ‗ becoming silent ) denotes a speakers deliberate failure to complete a sentence, which is caused by the influx of senses, consideration of time, notice that he/she gives out some secret, unwillingness to proceed, inability or unwillingness to finish the utterance. Aposiopesis usually indicates speechless rage or exasperation, as in ― Why, you..., and sometimes implies vague threats as in, ― Why, I‟ll.... The listener is expected to complete the sentence in his mind. To mark the break dashes and dots are used.
Aposiopesis is mainly used in the dialogue or in other forms of narrative imitating spontaneous oral speech. It reflects the emotional state of the speaker: a sentence may be broken because the speakers emotions prevent him from finishing it. Here is an example of a piece of a conversation from ― Period Price by Joyce Cary:
Do you think I‟m a selfish brute?
Of course not, Frank, you know I don‟t. You‟ve been most considerate from the beginning. You‟ve done your best to be fair to everyone.
Yes, but especially to myself, the mummy‟s boy.
Why do you mean I never said (indignation)
Another cause of the break is the desire to cut short the information with which the sentence began. In such a case there are usually special remarks by the author, indicating the intentional abruptness of the end:
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Anyway, the constable didn‟t take much more notice of it. He said he‟d often seen your son about the town, and he knew The sergeant stopped and grimaced. He knew that Christie wasn‟t quite right in the head, the widow said (S. Barstow).
The omission of the conjunctions that ordinarily join coordinate words or clauses is called asyndeton (Gk ‗ disconnected ). Asyndetic connection means a deliberate avoidance of conjunctions used to connect sentences, clauses, or words. Asyndeton creates a certain rhythmical arrangement, usually making the narrative measured, energetic, dynamic and tense, as in:
That was a long time ago; she and her brothers and sisters were all grown up; her mother was dead (J. Joyce).
