7. Functional style of the language of business communication (official writing).

According to Galperin: 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.

The Official Documents Functional Style. a) diplomatic documents; b) business letters; c) military documents; d) legal documents;

The Style of Official Documents Language of business letters; Language of legal documents; Language of diplomacy;Language of military documents;

The aim:

to reach agreement between two contracting parties;

to state the conditions binding two parties in an understanding

Each of substyles of official documents makes use of special terms. Legal texts: military documents, diplomatic documents. This vocabulary is conservative. Legal documents contain a large proportion of formal and archaic words used in their dictionary meaningThere are a lot of abbreviations and conventional symbols.

Every document has its own stereotyped form. Business letters contain: heading, addressing, salutation, the opening, the body, the closing, complimentary clause, the signature. Syntactical features of business letters are – the predominance of extended simple and complex sentences, wide use of participial constructions, homogeneous members. Morphological peculiarities are passive constructions, they make the letters impersonal.

Official documents are written in a formal, cold or matter-of-fact style of speech. The style of official documents, or officialese as it is sometimes called, is not homogeneous and is represented by the following substyles, or varieties:

the language of business documents, the language of legal documents, the language of diplomacy, the language of military documents.

Like other styles of language, this style has a definite communicative aim and accordingly has its own system of interrelated language and stylistic means.

The most general function of official documents predetermines the peculiarities of the style. The most striking, though not the most essential feature, is a special system of cliche terms and set expressions by which each sub-style can easily be recognized, for example: I beg to inform you; I beg to move; I second the motion; provisional agenda; the above-mentioned; hereinafter named; on behalf of; private advisory; Dear sir; We remain, your obedient servants.

The vocabulary is characterized not only by the use of special terminology but the choice of lofty (bookish) words and phrases: plausible (=possible); to inform (=to tell); to assist (=to help); to cooperate (=to work together); to promote (=to help something develop. Besides the special nomenclature characteristic of each variety of the style, there is a feature common to all these varieties – the use of abbreviations, conventional symbols and contractions. Some of them are well-known, for example, M.P. (Member of Parliament); Gvt. (government); H.M.S. (Her Majesty’s Steamship); $ (dollar); Ltd (Limited).

The usual parts of the business paper are:

1. Heading. 2. Date. 3. Name and address4. Salutation. 5. Reference. 6. Opening7. Body. 8. Closing or the complimentary close.

9. Stamp (if any) and signatures. 10. Enclosures.

8. Phonological classification of English consonants.

Consonants are sounds produced with noise obstruction in the supra-glottal cavities. On the articulatiry level the consonants change: in the degree of noise -

Noise consonants B,d,g,v,z,ð, dз,з P,t,k,f,s,f,tS,θ,h,

Sonorants M,n,η, w, l, r, j

Acc. to work of vocal cords Voiced(vocal cords are brought together → noise) Voiceless(cons in production of which the voc cords are apart→only noise)

Acc. to the force of articul-n Weak(lenis) –produced wth strong breath effort Strong(fortis) – relatively week breath effort

Manner of articulation (is determined by the type of obstruction) Obstruction m. b. complete [b,p,t,m,n…], incomplete [f,v,s,z,θ r…] Momentary (Russian [p]) Cons, m. b.Occlusive – sounds in the production of which the air stream meets the complete obstruction in the mouth. Also called stops/plosives. Occlusive voiced are [b,d,g] Occlusive voiceless [p,t,k]Occl sonorans [m,n,η] Constrictive – in their production the air stream meets an incomplete obstruction. Fricatives – constrictive noise consonants.[ f, v, θ, ð, s, z, S, з, h] voiced(=weak)/voiceless fricatives(=strong). Constrictive sonorants – also incomplete obstruction but rather wide air passage [w,r,l,j] Occlusive-constrictive(affricates) – noise consonant sounds produced with a complete obstruction which is slowly released. [tS, dз] Place of articulation (according to the position of the active organ of speech)

9. Sentence. Classification of sentences.

Sentences are usually defined from 2 points of view

1) the logical approach

2) the language approach

From the point of view of logical approach the sentence is usually defined as a group of words which expresses a complete thought.

From the point of view of language approach a sentence is a group of words which contains a subject and a predicate.

ex. Don’t go there.

or the predicate:

ex. Dusk of a summer night.

Definitions of the sentences are as many as people who gave them. But each definition of a sentence always includes the following points:

1) a sentence is a complete thought;

2) a sentence is a means of communication;

When communication takes place the following 3 phenomena are always observed:

1) the act of speech;

2) the speaker/writer;

3) the reality as viewed by the speaker/writer;

These 3 phenomena change with every act of speech, i.e. they’re called variables, but at the same time they’re always present in each act of speech, so they’re Constance.

Predicativity is the most important part of the content of the sentence. It is usually called the structural meaning of the sentence.

Types of Sentences

There are four (4) types of sentences. Declarative - A declarative sentence makes a statement. A declarative sentence ends with a period.

Example: The house will be built on a hill.

Interrogative - An interrogative sentence asks a question. An interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.

Example: How did you find the card?

Exclamatory - An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling. An exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark.

Example: The monster is attacking!

Imperative - An imperative sentence gives a command.

Example: Cheryl, try the other door.

Sometimes the subject of an imperative sentence (you) is understood.

Example: Look in the closet. (You, look in the closet.)

Classification of sentences

Sentences can be classified according to:

1.structure:

•Simple

A simple sentence contains a subject and a verb followed if necessary.

E.g. Tom open the door.

- two-membered (complete (полное предложение), incomplete)

- one-membered

One-membered sentence have only one principal part.

E.g.Dusk - of a summer night.

•composite (сложное) (compound (сложносочиненное), complex (сложноподчиненное).

The composite sentence is formed by two or more predicative groups.

The compound sentence is formed by two or more simple sentences.

E.g.Tom phoned. He left the message. - Tom phoned and left the message.

The complex sentence is formed by two or more simple sentences.

E.g.The alarm was raised. The fire was discovered. The alarm was raised as soon as fire was discovered. The alarm was raised after the fire was discovered. The alarm was raised when the fire was discovered.