Functional stylistics as a science

Functional Style is a system of interrelated language means serving a definite aim in communication. It is the coordination of the language means and stylistic devices which shapes the distinctive features of each style and not the language means or stylistic devices themselves.

Each style, however, can be recoquized by one or more leading features which are especially conspicuous. For instance the use of special terminology is a lexical characteristics of the style of scientific prose, and one by which it can easily be recognized.

A style of language can be fined as a system of coordinated, interrelated and inter-coordinated language means intended to full-fill a specific function of communication and aiming at a defined effect. Style of language is a historical category.

The English literary system has evolved a number of styles easily distinguishable one from another. They are not homogeneous and fall into several variants of having some central point of resemblance or better to say. All integrated by the invariant – i.e. the abstract ideal system.

They are:

· 1) Official(documents and papers);

· 2) Scientific...

(brochures, articles, other scientific publications);

· 3) Publicistic (essay, public speech);

· 4) Newspaper style(mass media);

· 5) Belles-lettres style(genre of creative writing);

Each of mentioned here styles can be expressed in two forms: written and oral.

Stylistics is a sides that examines the complex of stylistically marked elements of any language level.

· 1) scientific style is employed in professional communication to convey some information. It’s most conspicuous feature is the abundance of terms denoting objects, phenomena and processes characteristics of some particular field of science and technique. Also precision clarity logical cohesion.

· 2) Official style is the most conservative one. It uses syntactical constructions and archaic words. Emotiveness is banned out of this style.

· 3) Publicistic style is famous for its explicit pragmatic function of persuasion directed at influencing the reader in accordance with the argumentation of the author.

· 4) Newspaper style – special graphical means are used to attract the readers attention.

· 5) Belles-lettres style – the richest register of communication besides its own language means, other styles can be used besides informative and persuasive functions, belles-lettres style has a unique task to impress the reader are aesthetically.

Links with otherbranches of linguistics

The main object of lexicology is the word. But the word is not the object only and exclusively of lexicology. It is also studied by many other branches of linguistics, such as phonetics, grammar (including Morphology and Syntax), Stylistics, Sociolinguistics, Dialectology, Phraseology, Derivatology and Etymology.

Phoneticsinvestigates, in particular, the outer sound form of the word, its phonetic structure. These data are important for Lexicology to delimitate words in utterances.

Morphology studies the morphological composition of words and such information is significant for Lexicology to differentiate simple words from derived and compound ones and ascertain word-formation elements of the latter and distinguish world-building affixes from inflectional morphemes.

Syntax explores the relations of words in word-combinations and sentences. Syntactic information is necessary for distinguishing compound words from free or set combinations of words and reveal syntactic relations between constituent parts of compounds or composites.

Stylistics is concerned with the study of the nature, function and structure of stylistic devices and language styles; therefore, it provides Lexicology with certain data about the stylistic content of words, their emotional and evaluative charge and helps classify vocabulary into different stylistic layers.

Sociolinguistics explores the relationship between society and language, their interinfluence; therefore, it supplies information for ethnic, national, demographic, cultural, social and professional classification of vocabulary and its usage by language-speakers of different classes and groups of society.

Dialectology reveals the differentiation of vocabulary into regional, territorial and local forms as well as national varieties.

Phraseology is now an autonomous branch of linguistics that helps reveal the meaning and function of a separate word in set expressions and idioms.

Derivatology is a modern young science that studies the process of derivation of any linguistic unit from other linguistic units; therefore, it helps reveal the formation of words, their structural and semantic changes, the process of borrowing from other languages.

Etymology and History of Language helps restore the prototype form and meaning of the word and trace the morphological and semantic changes which this word has undergone from the hypothetical root up to the present form.

So, as a conclusion, we may say that Lexicology is an integral part of the Science of Language, along with the above mentioned ones.

Stylistic classification of English vocabulary

Types of lexical meaning.

A number of stylistic devices are based on the peculiar use of lexical meanings. A word is a language sign that expresses a concept by its forms and meanings. By concept is meant an abstract or general idea of some phenomenon of objective reality including the subjective feelings and emotions of human beings. The forms of the word show its relation to the other words in a sentence. The meaning of a word is the means by which the concept is materialized. The word may have a number of meanings.

Three types of meaning can be distinguished: logical, emotive and nominal.

Logical meaning is the precise naming of a feature of the idea, phenomenon or object, the name by which we recognize the whole of the concept (direct meaning or referential meaning).

The potentiality of words can also be noted in regard to emotive meaning. Emotive meaning also materializes a concept in the word, but unlike logical meaning, emotive meaning has reference not directly to things or phenomena of objective reality, but to the feelings and emotions of the speaker towards these things or to his emotions as such.

And finally we come to nominal meaning. There are words which, while expressing concepts, indicate a particular object out of a class. These words are classified in grammars as proper nouns.

In accordance with the 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 colloquial layer. The aspect of the literary layer is its markedly bookish character. It is this that makes the layer more or less stable, the aspect of the colloquial layer of words is its lively spoken character. It is this that makes it unstable, fleeting.

The aspect 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.

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.

Neutral words, which form the bulk of the English vocabulary, are used in both literary and colloquial language. Neutral words are the main source of synonymy and polysemy. It is the neutral stock of words that is so prolific in the production of new meanings. Unlike all other groups, the neutral group of words cannot be considered as having a special stylistic colouring, whereas both literary and colloquial words have a definite stylistic colouring.

Common literary words are chiefly used in writing and in polished speech. Literary units stand in opposition to colloquial units.

The following synonyms illustrate the relations that exist between the neutral, literary and colloquial words in the English language.