Graphic. Punctuation
Phonetic Stylistic Devices
English Vocabulary
Lexical Stylistic Devices
Syntactical Stylistic Devices
Decoding Stylistics
Biographies
Guidelines
Analysis
Texts
Stylistic Classification of the English Vocabulary
Special Literary Vocabulary
A. Terms
Terms are mostly used in the language of science but they can appear in any other style. When used in science terms are connected with the concepts they denote. In other styles they indicate technical peculiarities or make some relevance to the occupation of a character, create a special atmosphere.E.g.
B. Poetic and Highly Literary Words
Poetic words and expression sustain the special elevated atmosphere of poetry. They are mostly archaic and used in art.C. Archaic, Obsolescent and Obsolete Words
Historical Terms cannot be classified as archaic (thane, yeoman, goblet, baldric, mace), they have no synonyms but archaic words can be replaced by modern synonyms.Archaic words are predominantly used in the creation of a realistic background to historical novels. The heroes of the historical novels should speak the language of the period the writer describes.
There are three stages in the aging process of words:
1. words become rarely used. Such words are called obsolescent (thou, thee, thy; art, wilt).
2. words have come out of use. Such words are called obsolete (me thinks = it seems to me; nay = no).
3. words have dropped out of the language or become unrecognizable.
Archaic words are sometimes used for satirical purposes – it happens when an archaic word is used in inappropriate context.
D. Barbarisms and Foreignisms
Barbarisms are the words of foreign origin, assimilated into the English language. They have become facts, part and parcel of the English language; they are registed in the dictionaries. Most of them have English synonyms (chic=stylish; bon mot=a witty saying)Foreign words do not belong to the English vocabulary. In printed works foreign words are generally italicized to indicate their alien nature or their stylistic value.
One of the functions of the foreign words is to supply local colour, to depict local conditions of life, concrete facts and events, customs and habits.
The common function of barbarisms and foreignisms is to build up the stylistic device of represented speech/reported speech of the local people. Sometimes one or two foreign words create an impression of an utterance made in a foreign language.
Foreign words may be used to elevate the language, to exalt the expression of the idea: words that we do not quite understand have a peculiar charm.
E. Literary coinages/Nonce words
Literary coinages or neologisms are defined as new word or new meanings for established words. Newly coined words to designate new-born concepts are named terminological coinages.Among the coinages of a literary-bookish style there are words from the publicistic style, mostly from newspaper headlines.
Most of the literary-bookish coinages are built by means of affixation and word-compounding: orbiter; moisturize; mentee; supermanship.
Another type of neologisms is the nonce-word, a word coined to suit one particular situation: to evaluate a thing or phenomenon:
‘You are the bestest good one, she said, the most bestest good one in the world.’ ‘sevenish’
New words are also coined by contractions and abbreviations:
LOX-liquid oxygen explosive; laser=light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; UNESCO (United Nations Education and Science Organization); jeep (GP=General Purpose car)
