Syntactical devices based on peculiar use of colloquial constructions

Ellipsisis the omission of the word or words necessary for the complete syntactical construction of a sentence, but not necessary for understanding it.

In colloquial speech, such constructions are frequent and arise from the speed of delivery and economy of effort. Sometimes the omission of necessary words becomes an indicator of poor grammar. In works of fiction elliptical sentences are made use of to reproduce the direct speech of characters and create the atmosphere of naturalness; to show their social status; to impart brevity, immediacy and a quick tempo to the author's narrative. Besides oral speech and fiction, ellipsis is common in newspaper headlines, in papers or handbooks on technology and natural sciences.

Aposiopesisis a sudden and dramatic breaking off a thought in the middle of a sentence. Without finishing the utterance the speaker (or writer) either begins a new one or stops altogether unwilling or unable (being overwhelmed with emotions) to continue. Aposiopesis presupposes stopping for rhetorical effect with the continuation highly predictable: the missing part can be reconstructed from the context. Elliptical points and a dash may mark aposiopesis in print. Aposiopesis creates an emotional tension and invites the reader to guess what stands behind the break and unwillingness to proceed (doubt, irony, irritation, uncertainty, indecision, anger, a threat, a warning, etc.). Sometimes a break-in-the-narrative is caused by euphemistic considerations – not to name a thing being offensive to the ear.

A question-in-the-narrativeis asked and answered (if the answer is not self-evident) by one and the same person, usually the author. It is mainly done for the sake of emotional impact. This variety of question may also remain unanswered to stimulate the addressee’s thinking process over the problem in question, thus performing a dialogue-or contact-establishing function. The device is also a means of verbal trickery, by which orators take over the initiative and make people believe that the thoughts imposed are their own.

Phonetic stylistic devices

Phonetic expressive means producing an emotional and aesthetic effect depend on the choice of words, their arrangement and repetition. They include alliteration, onomatopoeia , rhyme and rhythm.

Alliteration- repetition of the same sounds - usually initial consonants of words or of stressed syllables in any sequence of neighbouring words. It’s often used in newspaper headlines, proverbs, set expressions. (As blind as bat; Pride and prejudice. Sense and sensibility. The school of scandal. Silken set uncertain, rustling of each purple curtain.)

The Assonance – the repetition of similar vowels usually in stressed syllables. (Nor soul flesh now more than flesh helps soul).

Onomatopoeia(звукоподражание)- is a combination of speech sounds which aims at imitating sounds produced in nature. E.g.: hiss, grumble, sizzle, murmur, bump, by things like machines tools, by people (laughter, cough),by animal.

Rhyme (рифма) – one of the properties of poetry, which is the repetition of the same sound, identical/similar, usually at the end of 2 or more lines. We normally distinguish b/n:full rhyme (night-right),incomplete rhyme (fresh-press),compound rhymes, eye-rhymes (visible, but not pronounced): (love-prove),masculine rhymes (monosyllabic words): e.g. down-town, feminine rhyme (words are accented on the last but one syllable: error-terror)

Functions of rhyme:1) to signalize the end of line and mark the arrangement of lines into stanzas (4ростишие) 2) rhythm becomes evident because of rhyme3) the ends receive greater prominent

Poetic rhythm – r. is created by the regular recurrence of (un)stressed syllables of equal poetic lines. The regular alterations of (un)stressed syllables form a unit which is a foot.

There are 5 basic metrical feet:1)iambus (ямб): the 2nd syllable is stressed (The flower / that smiles / today / tomorrow / dies.),2)Trochee (хорей): every first syllable of the two is stressed. (Who shall that fortune 3)dactyl (дактиль): the 1st of the 3 is stressed.4) amphibrach (амфибрахий): the middle of the 3 is stressed.5)anapaest (анапест): the last of the 3 is stressed (There is guilt in the sound, there’s guilt in …).

Morphological stylistic means (the noun, the pronoun)

MORPHOLOGY is a branch of linguistics that studies the form and structure of words, the rules of word formation; as well as parts of speech, their categories and forms. Morphological stylistics primarily investigates the cases of transposition.

Transposition can be defined as a the typical grammatical valency of a word that consists in the unusual use of the grammatical forms and categories of parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs) changing their grammatical meaning. Moreover, frequently transposition leads to the change in the semantic meaning of a word too.

The noun.

The expressive potential of the English noun reveals itself in a nonstandard use (= transposition) of its 3 categories–case,number and definiteness/indefiniteness. 

1)Transposition is observed when inanimate nouns are used in the genitive (possessive) case (instead of expressing the idea of possession with the help of the traditional ‘of-phrase’). So it often happens with nouns denoting time or in cases of personification, due to which the utterance sounds more elevated.E.g. Yesterday’s press. group-genitive produces a humorous effect as the words that are placed together are logically incompatible.

2)Proper names, abstract and material nouns are uncountables. Their use in the plural imparts some special expressive and emotional power, creates the effect of imagery, adds vividness and makes the description more concrete.E.g. The snows of Kilimanjaro.  

3)Proper names used in the plural lend the narration a unique generalizing effect, or show the critical attitude of the speaker, or strengthen smb’s insignificance.E.g. several Goyas;

4)The use of the singular instead ofan appropriateplural form creates a generalized, elevated effect often bordering on symbolization. The contrary device – the use of plural instead of singular – as a rule, makes the description more powerful and large-scale.E.g. The clamour of waters, snows, winds, rains ...

5)Personification and animification (zoonimic metaphor)

6)Metonymical usage – work of art, a thing made by someone

The pronoun

Transposition of the pronoun is connected with the change of the sphere of its use. Of special interest for stylistics are personal, indefinite, possessive and demonstrative pronouns.

Indef. ‘one’ instead of I makes the utt sound philosophical and abstract.

Familiar colloquial style – a man, a baby.

The pronoun we that usually means ‘speaking together or on behalf of other people’ or ‘the speaker plus another person or other persons’ .The plural of modesty, or the author's we is used with reference to a single person with the purpose to identify oneself with the group, or audience, or society at large, and to avoid extreme subjectivity. So it happens in the scientific prose style... 

Oftenthey has a purely expressive function because it does not substitute any real characters but indicates some abstract entity.

Archaic forms of the pronouns ye (you) and the form of the second pronoun singular thou are the indicators of the dialectal speech, of the official language (of a lawyer), of poetic and religious styles.

he/she/it – personification

Frequently, the demonstrative pronouns do not point at anything or single out objects out of their class but signal the excitement of the speaker.E.g. These lawyers!

Of particular expressive and emotional force is the combination of a demonstrative pronoun with a possessive pronoun (in its absolute form) in postposition. E.g. ‘This girl of mine’.