英语文体学2012

1、Introduction to English Stylistics,Instructor: Chen RongquanOffice of International Exchange and CooperationTel: 2055729 E-mail: ,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

2、.,Course description: Stylistics is a branch of linguistics which applies the theory and methodology 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

3、 is a study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation, that is, from a linguistic point 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 stylistic

4、s meant to do? What is style? 2. Phonological stylistic markers3. Lexical stylistic markers4. Grammatical stylistic markers5. Norm and deviation6. 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

5、，湖南教育出版社。,Patterns in Language: Stylistics for Students of Language and Literature-Thomborrow, J., 1998.Style in Language-Sebeok, T. A. (ed.), 1960.The Five Clocks- Joos, M. , 1962.Linguistics and Style-Enkvist, N.E. finite/nonfinite; )d. normal order of invertede. tense (the prevailing tense)f. voi

6、ce (active or passive),Semantic category:a. figures of comparison (simile, metaphor, analogy, personification)b. figures of replacement (metonomy, synecdoche, euphemism, overstatement, understatement, etc.)c. figures of repetition d. figures of contrast (antithesis, oxymoron, paradox, climax, anticl

7、imax etc. )e. figures of double meaning (pun, irony),The aim of this course is two-fold: To offer a chance to deepen / facilitate 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 style

8、s of writing /varieties of English; to develop the ability to do stylistic analysis and hopefully pursuing a better understanding 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 si

9、tuation in which the language is used. Although stylistics sometimes includes investigation of spoken language, it usually refers 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 a

10、nd expressions are used rather than others.” (Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching 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,Appropriatenes

11、s vs.Correctness,The following examples show us the relationship between appropriateness 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

12、he says to her ) “Im terribly sorry to hear that your husband has just died, but dont 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 spe

13、akers of English would never say that way. In this sense, it is against the rule of 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 an

14、d four yoghourts tomorrow please?2) Leave one bottle and four yoghourts tomorrow 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

15、 another job. 2. After his fathers death, Peter had to change his job. 3. On the decease of his father, Mr. Brown was obliged to seek alternative employment.,Also compare:,III. Levels of style Three levels of style: high, middle and low. Middle style will serve perfectly well for most of your writin

16、g. It is the style in which most of the worlds writing gets done.,High Style and 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, fr

17、om two centuries ago, is High Style at its highestSamuel Johnson ruminating on 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

18、labor of excogitation is too violent to last long, the ardor of inquiry will sometimes 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 expa

19、tiates in boundless futurity, and culls from all imaginable conditions that which 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,

20、its resounding rhythms, and the elaborate structure of its sentences. 2.Difference 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

21、 style, doesnt aim for loftiness or grandeur, but for clarity and simplicity,Low 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. An

22、d when women do get a piece of the action, theyre either whores like the woman 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 th

23、ose old flicks, and besides, the stereotypes were sort of interesting.,Comment: 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 passag

24、e also contains slangspecifically flick, bitches, and dig. Slang words are colloquialisms 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 fu

25、nctions/ style marker in phonology 1).Stress and intonation Words have weight, sound 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: W

26、ord stress and sentence stresseg.: John bought that new car yesterday . 1 2 3 4 5 6Question: 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

27、 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 .,If “that” is stressed, it means: rather than this one here If “new” is stressed, it m

28、eans: He didnt buy a second hand car. If “car” is stressed, it means: What John bought was a car, not a truck or a cart or a bicycle.,If “yesterday” is stressed, it means: a., and see what a mess it is here today. b. , but it doesnt work properly today. c. . , not the day before yesterday. d. ., but

29、 it seems to me that he had had it for a long time.,Another example: Do it now . If “do” is stressed, it means: Don just talk, you should do something. If “it” is stressed, it means: Dont do anything else, you should do this thing now. If “now” is stressed, it means: No loitering/No wasting the time

30、! Dont put it off till later time.,2. Length a. Expressing a certain feeling. e.g.: Get out. / Do it now. If read quickly and with a high pitch, the sentence means the speaker is angry. If read slowly and with a low pitch, the sentence means a kind of threat.,b. Length can also influence rhythm: lon

31、g vowels and diphthongs can slow down rhythm while short vowels can accelerate or quicken rhythm. E.g. 1)The rain whipped the window. 2), he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut.,3) The sea is rough. 4) The slow rolls

32、 of the surges on the sea.5)The old man jumped back as if he had been stung and blood rushed into his wrinkled faced.,6) .Now it was being burned to a crisp. The water holes were dried up and we saw dead cattle lying here and there on the treeless, rolling range. Some farmers were hauling water out

33、to their thirsty stock daily; others were trying to drill deep wells.”,7).True ease in writing comes from art, not chance. As those move easiest who have learnd to dance, Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, The sound must seem an echo to the sense, Soft is the strain when zephyr gently blows,

34、 And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse, rough verse shoud like the torrent roar.,3. Pause a. Pause can be further divided into structural pause and emotive pause Pause can make a direct effect on the speed of delivery and style. In

35、informal style, pause can add weight and thus the effect of rhythm can be achieved still further to achieve artistic effect. For example, in the sentence: The first award has been won by Helen Smith. The best female singer of the year goes to .Celine Dion.,b. Pause is also a distinctive feature to d

36、istinguish formal spoken discourse from informal spoken discourse. In casual conversation, there will always be more pauses than in formal spoken discourse.,e.g. 1) Yes, er, one feature of, a or a, a trip into the country or a holiday in the country er in Britain, of course, is that you can erm sit

37、on the landscape literally. You know, you you can climb over a gate and erm and spread a cloth a and sit on the grass er an .and have a picnic. Erm, this in several countries that Ive lived in is just not, on, Er one just wouldnt sit down be cause, er well, er per .perhaps it was too hot and the . t

38、here was no shade anywhere near, or if you did you knew jolly well that within 30 seconds you were going to be bitten o., er all over by ants and this kind of thing.,2) Good afternoon everyone. On our way down river to the Tower of London, there are quite a few places of interest that we pass as we

39、go along. I will point out some of them to you. First of all now over on the right hand side theres the Royal Festival Hall, opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. Its one of the finest concert halls in Europe. Over here on the left the large white building with the clock is

40、 Shellmex House, owned by Shell and Britain Petroleum. The clock there is the second largest in the world. Its three inches smaller than the Times Clock in Times Square in New York.,4. Intonation . Intonation is accounted as soul of a language . There exist three elements in intonation, namely, pitc

41、h height, pitch movement and pitch range. According to the formation of intonation, it can be further divided into falling tone, rising tone and falling rising tone. Falling tone can be divided into low fall and high fall, and rising tone can be divided into low rise and high rise. Generally speakin

42、g, falling tone denotes definiteness, certainty and completeness. Rising tone denotes lack of definiteness, certainty, subordination and incompleteness; falling-rising tone denotes contrast, reservation, concession, tentativeness, hesitation, warning and contradiction.,e.g. : 1) I should go. 2) I sh

43、ould / go. 3) I should go. 4) I should go. 5) I / should go.,5. Onomatopoeia / sound imitation Definition: The word onomatopoeia is derived from the Greek word “onomatopia” meaning. Onomatopoeia can be further divided into primary onomatopoeia which suggests a basic connection between sound and mean

44、ing and secondary onomatopoeia. which suggests a kind of association between sound and meaning.,Examples of primary onomatopoeia: cat-meow, cockcockadoodledoo/crow hencluck/chuck，bullbellow/boo/moo/lowcowmoo/low, chicken cheeppig grunt/squeal/, duck quack dogbark/yelp/yap/bowwow goatbleat/baa,Onomat

45、opoeia,Human beings and movement,animals,Natural objects,Ouch- used for pain or displeasureow-used in response to sudden painaha-used for surprise, pleasure,Apes-gibberbears- growlflies-buzzfrogs- croakturkeys gobblewolves- howl,The booming of artillerythe jingling of the bellthe clang of the hammer

46、,Examples of secondary onomatopoeia a. sniff, snuff, snort, snare: imitation of the sounds resulting from breathing. b. sl: 滑 such as slide, slip, slither, slush, sluice, sleek.c. sk: 与表面的接触 E.g. skate, skim, ski,d. /wh/:表示 “剧烈” 如：whip, whirl e. cl: 金属碰撞声，如：clang, clink, click f. gl: 发光，如：glitter, g

47、lare, glimmer, glister, glow h. /s/: hiss, whisper, rustle, whistle,Examples of onomatopoeia: 1) The crowd began to hiss and boo him for his unsportsmanlike conduct, but he sat unmoved. Another great outburst of applause was Dannys as he walked back across the ring. When Danny stirred, there were oh

48、s, and ahs, of delight.,2) I see advancing upon all this in hideous onslaught the Nazi war machine, with its clanking, heel-clicking, dandified Prussian officers, its crafty expert agents fresh from the cowing and tying down of a dozen countries. (Speech on Hitlers Invasion of U.S.S.R.)3) The clatte

49、r, clatter up the stairs.,4) And from that day on, as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes were done, Mother would disappear into the sewing room to practise. The slow tap, tap, tap went on some nights until midnight. ( Gerald Moore, The Day Mother Cried) 5) And then the party drove off and

50、vanished in the night shades, and Yeobright entered the house. The ticking of the clock was the only sound that greeted him, for not a soul remained. (Thomas Hardy, The Return of the Native),The stream flows through the woods. Dasi started laughing. The door was pushed open. Heavy rain drops fell on

51、 the tent. B) The stream is murmuring through the woods. Dasi started giggling .The door crashed open. Heavy raindrops began pitter-pattering on the tent .,Suggested Chinese version : 小溪带着潺潺的流水声穿过树林。戴西咯咯地笑了起来。门砰地一声开了。沉重的雨点啪嗒啪嗒地落到帐篷上。,Other examples: e.g. He banged the door . The telegraph ticked out

52、 a message. They hissed him off the stage. He was eating an apple, and giving a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by a deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for he was personating a steamboat. (M.Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer),6. PUN: Pun means playing on words, or rather to p

53、lay with the form and meaning of words, for a witty or humorous effect, and is often used in literary works and ads. A pun is a word employed in two or more senses, a word used in a context that makes the reader think of a second term resembling it in sound. There are many words in English which loo

54、k or sound alike, but have different senses, or connotations.,Homonyms, homophones, and homographs are mostly the means whereby pun is constructed.1) Homonyms: identical to another word in pronunciation and spelling but not in meaning.E.g. bark-/ba:k/ a round or spherical object bark-/ba:k/ to make

55、a sharp and abrupt cry (of a dog) 2) Homophones: identical to another word in pronunciation but not in spelling and meaning.E.g. write-/rait/ to mark symbols representing words with pen or pencil on paper rite -/rait/ a religious observance/ ceremony right-/rait/ just, morally good, correct,3)Homogr

56、aphs: identical to another in spelling but not in pronunciation and meaning.E.g. minute-/minit/ sixtieth part of an hour minute-/mainju:t/ very small, delicate, detailed,e.g. : 1)Then there was the man in the restaurant. “You are not eating your fish, “ the waitress said to him. “ Anything wrong wit

57、h it?” “ Long time no sea (see ), “ the man replied. 2)I finally figured out how government works. The Senate gets the bill from the House, the President gets the bill from the Senate, and we get the bill for everything.,3)” Fourth floor, “ shouted the passenger to the elevator.” Here you are, son.”

58、 ” How dare you call me son?” Sir, I called or whatever, Ive brought you up, anyway.”4)” My Faith is gone!” cried he, after one stupefied moment . (Nathanieal Howthorne: Goodman Brown)5)On Sunday they pray for you and on Monday they prey on you. 6)We must all hang together, or we shall hang separate

59、ly. (Benjamin Franklin ),7)A man sits down at a table in a restaurant and asks, “ Do you serve crabs here?” The waiter says, “ Sure , sit down. We serve anybody. 8)I would like to borrow a book, please. -Something light? -That doesnt matter. I have my car with me.,9)Why is the Middle Ages also called the Dark Ages? - Because there were many knights. 10) We have a course to make grown men young and young men groan.( A sign on a Mens Gym door),11. Ben Battle was a soldier bold, And used to wars