Michael House Baker Street London WIA IDN
Хрисонопуло, Е.Ю.
Х Практикум по функциональной стилистике английского языка = Seminars in Functional Styles: [учебное пособие] / Е.Ю. Хрисонопуло. – СПб.: Изд-во Невского ин-та языка и культуры, 2010. –
ISBN
Пособие содержит теоретический материал и практические задания по теме «Функциональные стили», входящей в курс стилистики английского языка. Материал практической части пособия подобран таким образом, чтобы способствовать формированию навыков стилистического анализа текстов, принадлежащих к различным функциональным стилям, а также развитию умений по использованию стилей в письменной речи.
Пособие предназначено для студентов, обучающихся по специальностям «Иностранная филология», «Перевод и переводоведение», «Лингвистика и межкультурная коммуникация».
СОДЕРЖАНИЕ
Unit 1. Functional Styles: General Characteristics ………………………………..
Unit 2. The Style of Official Documents …………………………………………..
Unit 3. Scientific Prose Style ……………………………………………………….
Unit 4. Newspaper Style ……………………………………………………………
Unit 5. Publicistic Style ……………………………………………………………….
References ……………………………………………………………………………
Unit 1
Functional Styles: General Characteristics
A functional style is a system of interrelated language means intended to perform a particular function in communication and aimed at producing a definite effect.
The English language has evolved a number of functional styles distinguishable both through spheres of usage and particular linguistic means with their phonetic, lexical and grammatical characteristics. It is commonly acknowledged (following I.R. Galperin) that the sphere of literary communication is constituted by five basic functional styles:
|
|
|
1. The style of official documents.
2. Scientific prose style.
3. Newspaper style.
4. Publicistic style.
5. The belles-lettres style.
In most general terms, the given styles can be characterized, as suggested by V.A. Kukharenko, in the following way:
The style of official documents is the most conservative one. It preserves long-established forms of text structuring and is characterized through uses of complex syntactic constructions, as well as archaic words and expressions. Making up business documents, writing official letters, expressing considerations related to the subject-matter of a document or letter – all this is strictly regulated both lexically and syntactically. The norms of this style impose considerable restrictions on the expression of emotions and different kinds of subjective modality.
Scientific style is employed in professional communication. Its most conspicuous feature is the abundance of terms that refer to objects, phenomena, processes studied in a particular branch of science or technology. Scientific style is also known for its precision, clarity and logical cohesion, which, among other things, explains the abundant use of special clichés (e.g. “Proceeding from…”; “As mentioned previously…”; “In connection with…”; “A case in point is…”; “Illustrative in this respect is…”) and other lexico-syntactic means of emphasizing logical connection and interdependence of consecutive parts in scientific discourse.
Newspaper style by definition characterizes the language of newspapers. However, this does not mean that everything published in a newspaper should carry the features of newspaper style alone. Newspapers contain vastly varying materials, some of them being essays, some – feature articles, some – scientific reviews, some – official stock-exchange accounts and so on. This presupposes that a typical daily or weekly newspaper can offer a variety of styles. The term “newspaper style” refers to a system of linguistic means that are characteristic of newspaper publications only and that are typically not widely employed in other kinds of publications. Among characteristic features of newspaper style is the use of dates and proper names, such as names of countries, territories, institutions, individuals. The effect of objectivity and impartiality in newspapers is frequently achieved due to restrictions in the use of modal or emotive expressions. However, a paper’s or author’s stance often becomes obvious through the choice of the subject matter, as well as the choice of lexical and grammatical items employed in texts that discuss international or domestic issues.
|
|
|
Publicistic style is an illustrative example of the historical changeability in stylistic differentiation of discourses. For instance, in ancient Greece the style was practiced mainly in its oral form and was best known as oratorio style which helped to express viewpoints and sentiments of the addresser (orator). Nowadays political, ethical, social, religious and other beliefs of an addresser are prevailingly expressed in a written form, which was labeled publicist in accordance with the name of the corresponding genre and its practitioners. Publicistic style is famous for its pragmatic function of persuasion aimed at influencing the reader and shaping his/her views in accordance with argumentation of the author. Consequently, publicistic style finds its expression through a blend of rigorous logical reasoning aimed at reflecting some objective state of affairs and strong subjectivity pointing to the author’s personal stance towards the subject of discussion.
Belles-lettres style, or the style of imaginative literature, may be called the richest register of communication: alongside its own language means which are not used in any other sphere of communication belles-lettres style incorporates some characteristic features of other styles. Thus, in numerous works of literary art we find elements of scientific, official and other functional types of speech. On the other hand, functions of belles-lettres style are not limited to informative and/or persuasive ones. Imaginative literature has a unique task to impress the reader aesthetically. This explains a vast variety of lexical and grammatical expressive means and/or stylistic devices used in fiction.
|
|
|
Exercises
Exercise 1.
Identify the following texts as representing particular functional styles. Comment on style-forming features which helped you in the process of identification. Match the texts with the references given below.
Text 1
Every man has somewhere in the back of his head the wreck of a thing which he calls his education. My book is intended to embody in concise form these remnants of early instruction.
Educations are divided into splendid educations, thorough classical educations, and average educations. All very old men have splendid educations, all men who apparently know nothing else have thorough classical educations; nobody has an average education.
An education, when it is written out on foolscap, covers nearly ten sheets. It takes about six years of severe college training to acquire it. Even then a man often finds that he somehow hasn’t got his education just where he can put his thumb on it. When my little book of eight or ten pages has appeared, everybody may carry his education in his hip pocket.
Those who have not had the advantage of an early training will be enabled, by a few hours of conscientious application, to put themselves on an equal footing with the most scholarly.
Text 2
As living creatures, we are constantly striving for control on numerous levels. Being sentient and intelligent, we strive for control at the epistemic level by constructing and continually updating a conception of reality. If we focus on basic reality, and make The Greater Simplification, we can say that a reality conception comprises objects and relationships. The objects exist indefinitely, and being conceptually autonomous, they are independent of any particular relationship. By contrast, the relationships are conceptually dependent, since they can only be realized via their participant objects. Although some relationships endure through time, the more salient ones are transient events. Objects and enduring relationships give conceived reality a measure of stable organization, providing a frame of reference for apprehending the transient events that occur within it. Together, the objects and relationships – both enduring and transient – constitute a structure that evolves through time as we apprehend new events and learn more about prior ones. Establishing epistemic control is largely a matter of building and evolving this structure.
|
|
|
Text 3
The Supplier guarantees that the goods are in all respects in accordance with the description, technical conditions and specifications of the order, that they are free from defects in material, design and workmanship and they conform to the Supplier’s highest standards. Should the goods prove defective during the period of 12 months from the date of putting the machine, equipment or instruments into operation but not more than 18 months from the date of shipment, the Supplier undertakes to remedy the defects or to replace the faulty goods delivering them c.i.f. Baltic or Black Sea port at the Buyer’s option, free of charge, or to refund the value of the goods paid by the Buyer.
Text 4
The first comprehensive study of the astrological make-up of the nation’s political leaders has suggested a link between star signs and parliamentary success.
The House of Commons is dominated by Arians, the leadership sign of the zodiac, and Taureans. Leo (July 24 – August 23) is the Cabinet leader – six members of Tony Blair’s team were born under the sign. Characteristics include pride, vanity, a wish to lead and to be loved. Jack Straw, the Home Secretary is one. They are also insecure. Harriet Harman, the Social Security Secretary, is another. Aries dominates the Shadow Cabinet with four members. Mr Hague, born March 26, 1961, is their leader. They are noted for rushing into battle, for their self-will and self-sufficiency. They are also loud-mouths.
The study, by A.S. Biss, the Westminster political lobbyist, shows that only 37 of the 650 MPs were born under Scorpio (October 24 – November 22). None is in the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet. Their absence is surprising considering their influence on the international stage – Indira Gandhi, King Hussein of Jordan, General de Gaulle and Francois Mitterand were Scorpios. The back benches are also dominated by those born under Aries (March 21 – April 20). There are 73, followed by Taurus (70).
Text 5
All the misunderstanding of the value of University life seems to me to come from two extreme heresies. On the one hand are those who expect a University to be a kind of insurance company into which so much money is paid and from which so much, eventually, is extracted. They expect a B.A. degree to be a badge which will gain them instant preference over poorer competitors, and in nine cases out of ten they are disappointed.
On the other hand, there are those who expect Oxford to be like an Oxford novel. A place of easy living, subtle conversation, and illuminating friendships. They expect it to be a microcosm of eighteenth-century Whig society, combined with an infinitely sophisticated modernism. They, too, are disappointed.
The truth is that Oxford is simply a very beautiful city in which it is convenient to segregate a certain number of the young of the nation while they are growing up. It is absurd to pretend that a boy of eighteen, however sound he has been as a school prefect, is a fully grown man. Those who choose or are obliged to begin regular, remunerative, responsible work at the moment they leave school, particularly if they have had a fairly carefully tended adolescence, often show signs of a kind of arrested development.
It is just because Oxford keeps them back from their careers that it is of most value.
References
(a) A contract for sale/purchase of goods;
(b) Waugh E. “Was Oxford Worth While?” (an essay);
(c) The Times: “Cabinet Leaders Who Were Born to Be Political Stars” (a newspaper article);
(d) Langacker R.W. “Enunciating the Parallelism of Nominal and Clausal Grounding” (a research article);
(e) Leacock St. “A Manual of Education” (a short story).
Exercise 2.
The texts below represent different functional styles. The italicized words and phrases belong to lexical characteristic features of these styles. Point out stylistic subgroups of literary vocabulary (common literary, including bookish words; archaisms; terms; etc.) that the lexical items belong to. Suggest Russian equivalents to the given words and phrases and translate the sentences with them into Russian.
Model
SCORE
Michael House Baker Street London WIA IDN
03/JB/VL
Mr. Michel Lesage 26th May, 2007
141, rue Saint-Jacques
75005 Paris – France
Dear Mr. Lesage,
I have pleasure in confirming your appointment as our representative in France with effect from July 1st 2007.
We have considered the large scale potential of developing our exports to Europe. With your experience in the French market we feel sure that you will be able to make a substantial contribution towards promoting the name “Score”, our image and our merchandise, which has already proved so acceptable in the UK and other countries.
As we have already discussed, we would be pleased to make a commission rate of 10 % of orders which are placed with us and which we have confirmed and delivered.
We would also bear expenses for visits to this country which are made specifically on behalf of “Score” and by prior arrangement. We would also be prepared to reimburse you for expenses incurred on behalf of our executives who visit France.
It is our intention to review the terms of our cooperation at six-months’ intervals.
We are looking forward to our further cooperation and the prospect of developing our activities in France.
Sincerely yours,
John Baxter
Managing Director
Vocabulary of the Text
With effect from – a literary expression and official cliché: начиная с [Подтверждаю Ваше назначение в качестве нашего представителя во Франции, начиная с 1 июля 2007 года].
Merchandise – an economic term of French origin: товары [Принимая во внимание Ваш опыт работы на французском рынке, мы уверены, что Вы сможете в значительной мере способствовать продвижению на рынке имени “Score”, нашего имиджа и наших товаров, которые уже приняты на рынках Великобритании и других стран].
Commission rate – an economic terminological expression: комиссионные ставки [Как мы уже ранее обсуждали, мы готовы выплачивать Вам комиссионные в размере десяти процентов от суммы размещенных у нас заказов, которые мы приняли к исполнению и по которым осуществляем поставку].
Reimburse – an economic term: возмещать, компенсировать [Мы готовы возместить Вам затраты, связанные с пребыванием наших руководящих работников во Франции].
Text 1
Speech of Viscount Simon of the House of Lords
…The noble Earl, Lord Jowitt, made a speech of much persuasiveness on the second reading raising this point, and today as is natural and proper, he has again presented with his usual skill, and I am sure with the greatest sincerity, many of the same considerations. I certainly do not take the view that the argument in this matter is all on the side. One could not possibly say that when one considers that there is a considerable academic opinion at the present time in favour of this change, and in view of the fact that there are other countries under the British Flag where, I understand, there was a change in the law, to a greater or lesser degree, in the direction which the noble and learned Earl so earnestly recommends to the House. But just as I am very willing to accept the view that the case for resisting the noble Earl’s Amendment is not overwhelming, so I do not think it reasonable that the view should be taken that the argument is practically and considerably the other way. The real truth is that, in framing statuary provisions about the law of defamation, we have to choose the sensible way between two principles, each of which is greatly to be admitted but both of which run into some conflict.
Text 2
The Carburetor
(An extract from an instruction manual)
The purpose of the carburetor is to provide a mixture of petrol and air for combustion in the engine. The mixture normally consists of one part (by weight) of petrol to fifteen parts of air, but this mixture varies quite considerably with temperature and engine speed. If there is a higher proportion of petrol the mixture is said to be “rich”. A higher proportion of air gives a “weak” mixture.
Very simply, the carburetor consists of a tube through which the air is drawn, and a series of very small holes known as jets which break the petrol up into tiny droplets and pass it into the airstream in the form of a mist. The mixture of petrol mist and air is sucked along an inlet pipe and then, by way of branches in the pipe, into each cylinder. A float chamber in the carburetor provides a small reserve of petrol for the jets and ensures an even supply.
The flow of air into the carburetor is controlled by a “butterfly throttle”, which is a flap that can be opened and closed by operating the accelerator pedal in the car. Pressing the accelerator opens the throttle. This lets in more air which in turn sucks more petrol vapour through the main jet. The mixture passes into the cylinders making the engine run faster.
Text 3
A commercial letter
September 16, 2001
FRAMES-BY-YOU
126 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 17503
ATTENTION: MS. CYBEL MEGAN
Dear Sirs:
We are pleased to have received your order of September 15 and would like to welcome you as a new customer of Payton’s Plastics.
Your order (No. 62997) for one dozen 4’’ x 5’’ sheets of 1/8’’ Lucite is being processed and will be ready for shipment on September 21. It will be delivered to your workshop by our own van, and payment will be c.o.d. (our policy for all orders under $100).
We are sure you will appreciate the clear finish and tensile strength of our entire line of plastics. Ms. Julie Methel, your sales representative, will call on you soon with a catalogue and samples.
With kind regards,
PAYTON’S PLASTICS, INC.
Howard Roberts
Customer relations
Text 4
Ageism Factor
(A newspaper article)
I blame Prince Philip, rather than the Queen, for the extraordinary silly decision to support Jeffrey Archer’s private bill which will allow a female child of the monarch to inherit the crown if she is born before her brothers. Although it may seem vaguely progressive and modern, even feminist, the truth is that it will do nothing for women’s dismal role within the reproductive system which is the basis of all disadvantages.
If the monarchy is seen as a prize which anyone would want, then it might make some sort of sense to open it up further to women, but in those circumstances, the proposal emphasizes another injustice. If the former arrangement was sexist, the new one is unacceptably ageist. Why should one child be preferred to another just because it is older?
In the new spirit of the age, we have to accept that the younger our leaders or rulers, the better their image. That is why the Conservatives are now led be exciting, 36-year old William Hague. Some of us might be regretting the choice. Most, I think, would agree he made a mistake in allowing his spin-doctors to persuade him to adopt the accents of Wallace, the television entertainer of Wallace and Gromit fame, to promote his “young” image.
Even so, the superiority of youth is now unassailable. Before too long, when the monarchy falls vacant, it will go to the youngest child of either sex… are we soon to be told that the Queen will become such a law? We rather look to the monarchy to protect us from such nonsense. In point of fact, as I said, I suspect that Prince Philip is to blame for this latest bit of mischief. He and Jeffrey Archer are simply sending rude messages to their sons. Lord Archer is a Life Peer, so his opinions are not of the slightest interest on this or any other subject, but Prince Philip deserves a small rap on the knuckles. Some things are too important to joke about.
(The Daily Telegraph, March 2, 1998)
Text 5
Appearance and Reality
(An extract from a short story)
I do not vouch for the truth of this story, but it was told me by a professor of French literature at an English university, and he was a man of too high a character, I think, to have told it to me, unless it were true. His practice was to draw the attention of his students to three French writers who in his opinion combined the qualities that are the mainsprings of the French character. By reading them, he said, you could learn so much about the French people that, if he had the power, he would not trust such of our rulers as have to deal with the French nation to enter upon their offices till they had passed a pretty stiff examination on their works. They are Rabelais, with his gauloiserie, which may be described as the ribaldry that likes to call a spade something more than a bloody shovel; La Fontaine, with his bon sens, which is just horse sense; and finally Corneille with his panache. This is translated in the dictionaries as the plume, the plume the knight at arms wore on his helmet, but metaphorically it seems to signify dignity and bravado, display and heroism, vainglory and pride. It was le panache that made the French gentlemen at Fontenoy say to the officers of King George II, fire first, gentlemen; it was le panache that wrung from Cambronne’s bawdy lips at Waterloo the phrase: the guard dies but never surrenders; and it is le panache that urges an indigent French poet awarded the Nobel prize, with a splendid gesture to give it all away. My professor was not a frivolous man and to his mind the story I am about to tell brought out so distinctly the three master qualities of the French that it had a high educational value.
(W.S. Maugham)
Exercise 3.
Identify the types of functional styles that can be characterized through the use of the following expressions and paragraphs.
- Drill adapter;
- bank-administered trust fund;
- curve analyzer;
- to kick the bucket;
- the darkness was so thick that you could cut it with the knife;
- Iraquis Launch Urban Fightback in Baghdad;
- Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told reporters […];
- To register exhibition participation a preliminary application should be filed as a standard fax-coupon from the invitation by the ORGANIZER, or as the filled in on-line application form, or as a letter printed on the organization letterhead;
- This approach is essentially correct; the suggested view markedly advances our understanding of […];
- This scheme is broadly consistent with physiological evidence;
- This perception unfortunately ignores the diversity of the phenomena;
- The principle can be stated more briefly still.
Exercise 4.
Identify expressive means and stylistic devices represented by the italicized words and expressions. Comment on stylistic and/or pragmatic functions of the expressions, bearing in mind that the texts represent different functional styles.
A. Scientific Prose Style
Text 1
The recent illumination of linguistic abilities has revolutionary implications for our understanding of language and its role in human affairs, and for our view of humanity itself. Most educated people already have opinions about language. They know that it is man’s most important cultural invention, the quintessential example of its capacity to use symbols, and a biologically unprecedented event irrevocably separating him from other animals. They know that language pervades thought, with different languages causing their speakers to construe reality in different ways. They know that children learn to talk from role models and caregivers. They know that grammatical sophistication used to be nurtured in the schools, but sagging educational standards and the debasements of popular culture have led to a frightening decline in the ability of the average person to construct a grammatical sentence. They also know that English is a zany, logic-defying tongue, in which one drives on a parkway and parks on a driveway, plays at a recital and recites at a play. They know that English spelling takes such wackiness to even greater heights – George Bernard Shaw complained that ‘fish’ could just as sensibly be spelled ‘ghoti’ (‘gh’ as in ‘tough’, ‘o’ as in ‘women’, ‘ti’ as in ‘nation’) – and that only institutional inertia prevents the adoption of a more rational, spell-it-like-sounds system.
(St. Pinker “The Language Instinct”)
Text 2
Today the place of morphology in generative grammar is secure, but this is a recent development. After being in the limelight when structuralism peaked in the 1950s, morphology was at first eclipsed when generative grammar came on the scene. Generative grammarians initially rejected the validity of a separate morphological module.
From the point of view of advancing our understanding of of word-structure, this stance was unfortunate. Since generative grammar has been the dominant school of linguistics since the second half of the twentieth century, it meant that the study of word structure was in the shadows for more than a decade. Morphology did not re-emerge until the mid-1970s. Fortunately, a few isolated scholars (for the most part non-generative) scholars such as Robins (1959) and Matthews (1972, 1974) made important contributions to morphology during this time, as we shall see.
(F. Katamba & J. Stonham “Morphology”)
B. Newspaper Style
Text 3
(A newspaper article)
Japan’s Banks: Survival of the Fattest?
Japan has wasted nearly a decade refusing to attack its mountain of bad bank loans. It has gone from wildly underestimating the size of the festering pile, to confessing that it is some 77 trillion yen ($546 billion) high, to admitting – under intense recent pressure from the United States – that it is indeed a health hazard for the other countries in its neighbourhood. Last week Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto broke out the shovels, presenting a long-awaited plan for cleaning up the mess.
Now all he has to do is get his countrymen to put their backs into the job. The key element of the plan – expected to be adopted in a special legislative session at the end of the month – is the creation of the so-called “bridge” banks, a tool for winding down insolvent institutions. Busted banks would be taken over by the new Financial Supervisory Agency, which would install new management and try to sell or merge them. Failing that, the banks would be run by the Heisei Financial Restoration Corp., usually for a maximum of two years, as bad loans are sold off. Public funds would be injected to enable bridge banks to keep lending to credit-worthy customers until they are shuttered.
It’s a plan Japan could use to build itself a modern, healthy financial system – or to drag out a problem into the next century. The Tokyo stock market rose in anticipation of Hashimoto’s announcement, then eased back on the recognition that the measures on the table won’t necessarily force the biggest banks to offload their problem loans. Will Japan really force change on its elite institutions? History isn’t reassuring.
(Newsweek, July 13, 1998)
Text 4
Hospitality, Hub to Hub
(An advertisement)
Take a fresh look at a network offering over 200 weekly flights, serving 48 destinations in four continents. Aboard one of the world’s most advanced aircraft. Experience the hospitality that warms up you mood from re laxed to re freshed to re flective each time we start up the engines.
Royal Jordanian – Reflecting the Change.
(Newsweek, September 28, 1998)
C. Publicistic Style
Text 5
John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address
(An extract from public speech)
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting out view. But we shall always expect to find them strongly supporting their own freedom – and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves. For whatever period is required – not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.
(Delivered January 20, 1961)
Text 6
No Compassion for Drunk Drivers
(An extract from an essay)
First, let me tell you about the magnitude of the problem. Someone is killed by a dr unken dr iver every twenty minutes in this coun tr y. On any given weekend night, on any road in America, 1 out of every 10 drivers is drunk.
Which is why drunken drivers will continue to get off easy. Because so many of the lawmakers, so many of the jurors, so many of the judges have driven drunk themselves. They have a certain amount of sympathy for those who get caught.
The purpose of the documentary, called “Drinking and Driving: The Toll, The Tears,” was to show that drunken drivers do not get off easy. Sometimes they go to jail and sometimes they lose their licenses and sometimes they lose their jobs, we are told.
But, in reality, they rarely do. Most drunken drivers get away with it. If they are caught, and few are, most go out and hire the best lawyers they can afford in order to beat the rap.
(R. Simon)
D. The Belles-Lettres Style
Text 7
The Cop and the Anthem
(An extract from a short story)
On the opposite side of the street was a restaurant of no great pretensions. It catered to large appetites and modest purses. Its crockery and atmosphere were thick; its soup and napery thin. Into this place Soapy took his accusive shoes and telltale trousers without challenge. At a table he sat and consumed beefsteak, flapjacks, doughnuts and pie. And then to the waiter he betrayed the fact that the minutest coin and himself were strangers.
(O. Henry)
Text 8
The Almond Tree
(An extract from a poem)
All the way to the hospital the lights were green as peppermints.
Trees of black iron broke into leaf
ahead of me, as if
I were the lucky prince
in an enchanted wood
summoning summer with my whistle,
banishing winter with a nod.
Swung by the road from bend to bend,
I was aware that blood was running
down through the delta of my wrist
and under arches of bright bone. Centuries,
continents it had crossed; from an undisclosed beginning
spiraling to an unmapped end.
(J. Stallworthy)
Unit 2
Дата добавления: 2016-01-03; просмотров: 33; Мы поможем в написании вашей работы! |
Мы поможем в написании ваших работ!