Stylistic Devices (SD)

Stylistic Devices (SD)

a) Lexical

b) Lexical-Syntactical

c) Syntactical

d) Graphical and Expressive Means

EM & SD have much in common but they are not synonymous because all SD belong to EM, but not all EM are SD (e.g. vocal pitch, pauses, logical stress, etc. are all EM without being SD).

The main feature of SD is a binary opposition of two meanings, one of which is normatively fixed in the language and doesn’t depend on the context, while the other one appears within a certain context.

I. Galperin singles out the following groups of SD:

1. Lexical stylistic devices are based on the binary opposition of the lexical meanings regardless of the syntactical organization of the utterance.

Metaphor is transference of meaning on the basis of similarity of objects belonging to different classes:

1. Physical similarity

a) appearance and form

nut= голова

arm= ветви

b) temperature

a boiling pot= вспыльчивый

c) position

the foot of the mountain

d) colour

lilac- сирень, сиреневый,

pink= гвоздика, розовый

e) function

hand= рука/ стрелка часов,

branch= ветка дерева/ рукав реки/ род войск/ филиал банка/ линия родства

f) movement

caterpillar= гусеница

caterpillar tractor= гусеничный трактор

g) the names of animals used to denote human qualities

top dog= a person/ country considered to be the most powerful, influential or superior

to monkey= обезъянничать

to rat= дезертировать

h) idiomatic phrases containing the names of animals

to have butterflies in one’s stomach= to feel physical discomfort in one’s stomach because of nervousness

to take the bull by the horns= to decide to face a problem/ difficulty instead of avoiding it

to rain/ pour cats and dogs= rain very heavily

dog ears= folded down corners on the pages of a book

dog tired= very tired

every dog has his/its day= every person will have success or luck at some time

a cock-and-bull story= a story/ explanation/ excuse that’s hard to believe

wait till the cows come home= wait very long

e.g. … every hour in every day she could wound his pride.

Allegory is expressing abstract ideas through concrete pictures. A. represents a story with a hidden meaning where the characters represent smb. or smth.else.

e.g. Make hay while the sun shines.

Allusion is reference to some literary, historical, mythological, biblical character or event commonly used.

e.g. – It’s his Achilles’ heel.

Personification – when likeness is observed between non-living objects and human quality, we speak of Personification.

Mother Nature blushes before robbing. (autumn)

Necessity is the mother of invention.

Metonymyis based on contiguity, i.e. a semantic association of two references, one of which makes a part of the other or is closely connected with it.

The relations can be as follows:

a. the relation between the instrument & the action it performs:

e.g. She has a quick pen.

b. the relation between the concrete thing & the abstract idea:

e.g. She carried her cross patiently.

c. the relation between the symbol & the object it denotes:

e.g. the stars and stripes (= the US flag – the USA)

We can speak of synechdoche (the only original metonymy) when apart stands for thewhole & vice versa.

e.g. Who is that suit?

Metonymy is observed when:

a) the names of animals are used instead of their furs, sometimes meat:

e.g. I had rabbit for dinner.

b) names of origins instead of their function:

Lend me your ears!

You’re the brain!

c) names of different containers instead of things contained:

e.g. The hall applaused.

d) the names of places to denote what’s going on in these places:

e.g. The whole city came to meet a hero.

e) the name of some material instead of the product:

e.g. iron – утюг;

brass – (латунь) духовые инструменты;

silver – столовое серебро;

f) the name of the author instead of his work:

Do you like Shakespeare?

g) the name of passion of its object:

My love!

h) proper names of inventors instead of the object invented:

e.g. Sandwich, Mackintosh;

i) geographical names instead of products:

China – фарфор.

Irony is drily humorous or lightly sarcastic mode of speech in which words are used to convey a meaning contrary to their literary sense.

e.g. Stoney smiled the sweet smile of an alligator;

How clever it was of you to leave a child alone to such a late hour!

Bitter irony is called Sarcasm. There’re similarities &differences between I. & S.:

1. Both intend to insult or hurt or ridicule (=laugh unkindly at the victims);

2. Both may be uttered or written in a sarcastic tone of voice, but I.works indirectly, through pretence, whileS. attacksopenly & works on a lowerintellectual level than I.

e.g. (Wife & husband in the kitchen washed up and he breaks sth.)

I.: What a deft (=subtle, skilful) light-fingered touch you have, my love!

S.: It’s a ham-fisted (=clumsy) idiots like you that keep John Lewis’s profit up. Have you got shares?

Sarcasmappeals to emotion rather than to the brain. Irony in contrast forces us to think.

Zeugma and Pun are devices with humorous effect & both are meant to cause laughter, the only distinguishing feature is the structural one.

Zeugma depends on a certain structure while Punis more independent.

Z. is the realization of two meanings of a word: usually a verb which is aimed at referring to objects and adverbial modifier belonging to different classes of things.

e.g. - Mr. Stiggins… took his hat and his leave.

Punmay appear as a result of misunderstanding, lack of knowledge and of the wish to make people laugh.

e.g.

1.What’s the difference between a schoolmaster and engine-driver?

One trains the mind and the other minds the train.

2.Gentlemen! Order, please!

Beer, please.

Oxymoronjoins two antonymous words into one syntagm:

e.g. a low skyscraper;

a pleasantly ugly face;

deafening silence;

a foolishly intelligent face.

Hyperboleis conscious exaggeration according to which a person/ thing is depicted as being better or worse, larger or smaller , etc. than is actually the case.

e.g. Doctor X. drank his tea in oceans.

Understatementis the opposition of Hyperbole.

e.g. The little woman, for she was of pocket size, crossed her hands solemnly on her middle.

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