1. Stylistic classification of the English vocabulary.

Vocabulary word-stock has three layers: 1) literary,2) neutral,3) colloquial.

Neutral words make the major bulk of any type of text (either oral or written). They possess no stylistic connotation and can be used in any communicative situation. (table, man, day)Terms are used in the scientific functional style. The denotative meanings of terms are clearly defined. (approbation, triangle, vector)Professionalisms are term-like words they are used and understoodby members of a certain trade or profession (scalpel, round pliers);

Literary vocabulary:- Poetic words create poetic image and make speech elevated. Their nature is archaic. (Albion, quoth, steed, courser, sylvan, maiden, foe).- Archaic words belong to Old English and are not recognized nowadays. The function is to create realistic background to historical works of literature (methinks = it seems to me, nay = no).- Bookish words are mainly used in oral speech, diplomacy and business. Main function is to create the tone of solemnity, sophistication, seriousness, learnedness (communications=negotiations, commence=begin, respond=answer, hibernate=wintry).- Neologisms:Internet terms: network, server, e-mail, provider, site, Internet, Message, Microsoft;Stylistic neologisms are new words denoting existing object or concepts: seesaw, hush-hash work;Lexical neologisms are new words denoting new objects and concepts: push-button war, rockumentary, fruitologist, death-star.Nonce words are created by speakers to meet the need of the actual communication situation. They achieve one-time purpose and disappear: womanity, balconyful of gentlemen.Barbarisms are non-assimilated borrowing from French and Latin (alter ago - другой я, protégé-протеже). Function: show foreign origin of the character. - Colloquial vocabulary is a part of standard English word-stock. - Colloquialisms – functional colloquial elements (social phrases, greetings, form of address. Functions: emotive, phatic, conative (oops, oh, wow, ala);- Dialectisms are words used by people of a certain community living in a certain territory. (Sir, you speak English well = Cousin, y’all talk mighty fine; Paisano, you speak good the English; Landsman, you English is planty all right already).- Slang is a language that takes off its coat, spits on its hands and goes to work. It is non-standard vocabulary understood and used by the whole nation (Sir, I spit on you and your bloody opinion.) Types of slang:- Cant is a conversional, familiar idiom used only by member of specific occupation, trade, profession, class, age group, interest group.- Jargon – non-standard words used by people of a certain asocial group to keep their intercourse secret (white stuff=cocaine or morphine, candy=cocaine;- Argot is both the cant and jargon of any criminal group (snifter=cocaine addict, candy man=drug seller, cap=capsule with narcotic;- Vulgarisms are expletives or swear words as well as obscene words end expressions.

1. The notion of style in the language. Notion of language expressive means and stylistic devices. Convergence of stylistic devices.

Expressive means

Expressive means of a language are those linguistic forms and properties that have the potential to make the utterance emphatic or expressive. These can be found on all levels—phonetic, graphical, morphological, lexical or syntactical.

Expressive means and stylistic devices have a lot in common but they are not completely synonymous. All stylistic devices belong to expressive means but not all expressive means are stylistic devices. Phonetic phenomena such as vocal pitch, pauses, logical stress, and drawling, or staccato pronunciation are all expressive without being stylistic devices

Morphological forms like diminutive suffixes may have an expres­sive effect: girlie, piggy, doggy, etc. An unexpected use of the author's nonce words like: He glasnosted his love affair with th^: movie star (People) is another example of morphological expressive means.

Lexical expressive means may be illustrated by a special group о intensifiers—awfully, terribly, absolutely, etc. or words that retain thei logical meaning while being used emphatically: // was a very sped e vening/event/gift.

There are also special grammatical forms and syntactical patterns attributing expressiveness, such as: / do know you! I'm really angry with that dog of у ours! That you should deceive me! If only I could help you!

Stylistic devices

A stylistic device is a literary model in which semantic and structural features are blended so that it represents a generalised pattern.

Prof. I. R. Galperin calls a stylistic device a generative model when through frequent use a language fact is transformed into a stylistic device. Thus we may say that some expressive means have evolved into stylistic devices which represent a more abstract form or set of forms. A stylistic device combines some general semantic meaning with a cer­tain linguistic form resulting in stylistic effect. It is like an algorithm employed for an expressive purpose. For example, the interplay, in­teraction, or clash of the dictionary and contextual meanings of words will bring about such stylistic devices as metaphor, metonymy or irony.

The nature of the interaction may be affinity (likeness by nature), proximity (nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, relation) or contrast (opposition).

Respectively there is metaphor based on the principle of affinity, metonymy based on proximity and irony based on opposition.

The evolution of a stylistic device such as metaphor could be seen from four examples that demonstrate this linguistic mechanism (interplay of dictionary and contextual meaning based on the principle of affinity):

1. My new dress is as pink as this flower: comparison (ground for comparison—the colour of the flower).

2. Her cheeks were as red as a tulip: simile (ground for simile— colour/beauty/health/freshness)

3. She is a real flower: metaphor (ground for metaphor—frail/ fragrant/tender/beautifu 1/helpless...).

Convergence

Convergence as the term implies denotes a combination or accumula­tion of stylistic devices promoting the same idea, emotion or motive. Stylistic function is not the property and purpose of expressive means of the language as such. Any type of expressive means will make sense stylistically when treated as a part of a bigger unit, the context, or the whole text. It means that there is no immediate dependence between a certain stylistic device and a definite stylistic function.

A stylistic device is not attached to this or that stylistic effect. Therefore a hyperbole, for instance, may provide any number of effects: tragic, comical, pathetic or grotesque. Inversion may give the narration a highly elevated tone or an ironic ring of parody.

This «chameleon» quality of a stylistic device enables the author to apply different devices for the same purpose. The use of more than one type of expressive means in close succession is a powerful technique to support the idea that carries paramount importance in the author's view. Such redundancy ensures the delivery of the message to the reader.

An extract from E. Waugh's novel «Decline and Fall» demonstrates convergence of expressive means used to create an effect of the glam­orous appearance of a very colorful lady character who symbolizes the high style of living, beauty and grandeur.

The door opened and from the cushions within emerged a tall young man in a clinging dove-gray coat. After him, like the first breath of spring in 'he Champs-Elysee came Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde—two lizard-skin feet, silk legs, chinchilla body, a tight little black hat, pinned with platinum and diamonds, and the high invariable voice that may be heard in any Ritz Hotel from New York to Budapest.

Inversion used in both sentences (...from the cushion within emerged a tall man; ...like the first breath of spring came Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde) at once sets an elevated tone of the passage.

The simile that brings about a sensory image of awakening nature together with the allusion to Paris—the symbol of the world's capital of pleasures—sustains this impression: like the first breath of spring in the Champs-Ely see. A few other allusions to the world capitals and their best hotels—New York, Budapest, any Ritz Hotel all symbolize the wealthy way of life of the lady who belongs to the international jet-set distinguished from the rest of the world by her money, beauty and aristocratic descent.

The use of metonymy creates the cinematographic effect of shots and fragments of the picture as perceived by the gazing crowd and suggests the details usually blown up in fashionable newspaper columns on high society life: two lizard-skin feet, silk legs, chichilla body, a tight little black hat... the invariable voice.

The choice of words associated with high-quality life style: exotic materials, expensive clothes and jewelry creates a semantic field that enhances the impression still further (lizard, silk, chinchilla, platinum and diamonds). A special contribution to the high-flown style of description is made by the careful choice of words that belong to the literary bookish stratum: emerge, cushions, dove, invariable.

Even the name of the character—Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde—is a device in itself, it's the so-called speaking name, a variety of antonomasia-Not only its implication (best) but also the structure symbolizes the lady's high social standing because hyphenated names in Britain testify to the noble ancestry. So the total effect of extravagance and glamour is achieved by the concentrated use of at least eight types of expressive means within one paragraph.