文体与修辞

Stylistics and Rhetoric

By: Shanshan Xu

Introduction:

1. What is stylistics?

Stylistics studies how language is used in a certain context and how language expresses a certain subject.

• 2. Charles Bally proposed two language effects: natural effect （自然效果）and evocative effect（联系效果）.

Eg:

•I’m sorry to trouble you, but could I ask you to close the door for me?

•Would you mind closing the door?

•I could do without the draught from that door.

•Shut the door, will you?

•Door!

•Were you born in a barn?

•I know a little boy who never leaves the door open.

•丈夫支出账单中的一页

•招聘女打字员的广告费……(支出金额)

•提前一个星期预付给女打字员的薪水……(支出金额)

•购买送给女打字员的花束……(支出金额)

•同她共进的一顿晚餐……(支出金额)

•给夫人买衣服……(一大笔开支)

•给岳母买衣服……(一大笔开支)

•招聘中年女打字员的广告费……(支出金额)

•德军剩下来的东西

•战争结束了。他回到了从德军手里夺回的故乡，他匆匆忙忙地在路灯昏黄的街上走着。一个女人捉住他的手，用吃醉了酒似的口气和他讲：“到哪儿去？是不是上我那里？”

•他笑笑，说：“不。不上你那儿—我找我的情妇。”他回看了女人一下。他们两个人走到路灯下。

•女人突然嚷了起来：“啊”

•他也不由抓住了女人的肩头，迎着灯光。他的手指嵌进了女人的肉里。他们的眼睛闪着光。他喊道：“约安！”把女人抱了起来了。

Register

• 1.1 Definition of Register

• A register is a style of language appropriate to the occasion

1.1.1 The First Range: Written and Spoken English

•Written English: explicit and balanced typically with subject and predicate as a minimum utterance.

•Spoken English: simpler and less strictly constructed

1.1.2 The Second Range: Formal and Informal English

•Formal language: often used publicly for some serious purpose.

•Informal language: often used in private conversation, personal letter

1.1.3 The Third Range: Polite and Familiar Language

•Polite language: when talking to an unfamiliar person or to a person senior in age or social position, we use polite language.

•Familiar Language: used among close friends on informal occasions.

Examples:

1). “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached the verdict(裁定)?”

•2). “Our father, who are in heaven, hallowed by Thy(你的) name, Thy kingdom come?”

•3). ―Do I hear a motion?‖

•IN UPON THE DEATH OF THE LIFE INSURED there shall be no duly （proper）constituted（appointed）personal representative or nominee or assignee of the Life Insured and willing to give a valid receipt for the sum payable such sum may in the discretion（will）of the Committee of Management be paid to one or more of the next-of-kin of the Life Insured whose receipt shall effectually discharge the Society from all liability under this policy

•IN WITNESS WHEREOF (for this matter) we the Secretary and two of the Committee of Management the Society have hereunto (so) attached our signatures

•4). South Africa has acceded to an agreement on the coordinated control of sea transport for commercial purposes.

•5). Welcome to today’s program, Varieties of American English-Stylistic Differences. Your hosts are two well-known sociolinguists,……

•6). ―Can you beat that? I read my eyes out last night. Couldn’t pa ss that stupid bio exam.‖

•―Oh, yeah, but that Davidson. He’s a real jerk. You know …‖

•7). –D’eat yet?

•-D’ you?

•- Kay.

Chapter 1 Words

• 1.1 The Classification of Words

•Words are divided into different categories from different angles.

•Eg: formal-informal, standard words-dialect, literary-colloquial, laudatory -neuter–derogatory, general-specific etc.

•Hiroshima a city (pop. 542,000) of Honshu, Japan. It was largely destroyed by an American atomic bomb(6 Aug. 1945), the first used in warfare. After reconstruction the city became an active port, with paper and canning industries.

•Hiroshima

My spoon was lifted

when the bomb came down

That left no face, no hand, no spoon to hold

Two hundred thousand died in my home town

This came to pass before my soup was cold

---Naomi Replansky

•Exercises: Compare A and B

• 1.

• A. Penalties for overdue books will be strictly enforced.

• B. You have got to pay fines for overdue books

• 2.

• A. The price of meat has been declining alarmingly.

• B. The price of meat has been going down steeply.

• 3.

• A. The approved of the plan for the development of the inner city.

• B. They went along with the plan for the development of the inner city

• 1.2 The Meaning of Words

•Denotative meaning: a word’s denotation is what it literally means, as defined by the dictionary.

•Connotative meaning: a word’s connotation is the feeling or idea suggested by it.

•Words may have the same denotation but their connotations are quite different.

•Eg: country, nation, state, land

•house, home

•abundant, plentiful

•small, little

•modest, humble

•large, big, great

• 1.2.1 Semantic Change