英语专业学年论文

英语专业

学年论文

English Rhetoric

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2010年11月

Contents

Abstract (3)

摘要 (3)

1 Introduction (3)

2 Communicative Rhetor ic (3)

3Aesthetic Rhetoric (4)

4 Syntactical Stylistic Devices (5)

5 Phonetic Stylistic Devices (6)

6 Conclusion (8)

7Bibliography (8)

8学年论文成绩评定 (9)

English Rhetoric

Abstract: language is the most important tool for communication. In our daily life, we not only have to express our ideas clearly, but also exactly、concisely and profoundly. We can achieve the best perlocution only by this way. In order to do that, people try their best to use the language with proper language devices and adjust our language continuously, in the end we named this action: rhetoric. There is no boundary in rhetoric’s world just like music. But with different features and custom of language, we should learn to understand these differences and distinguish them from each other.

Key words: language tool 、language devices、rhetoric

摘要：语言是人类最重要的交际工具。人类在社会交往中，不仅要使语言清晰、

流畅、合乎逻辑和语法，而且还要在这个基础上，进一步做到语言鲜明、准确、精炼、生动、深刻，具有感人的力量，以期达到最佳的表达效果。为此，人们充分地运用和发挥语言各因素的作用，恰当地选择语言手段，不断地对语言进行调整、加工、润色，于是就产生了修辞。就如同音乐一样，修辞也是无国界的。但由于不同国家和地区的语言使用习惯和特点不同，我们学习这些差异，最终能够区分出来。

关键词：语言工具、表达手法、修辞

Introduction

What is rhetoric and where does it come from? According to rhetorician and linguist, rhetoric is the theory of information and persuasive. It is the art of using words in speaking or writing so as to persuade or influence others. Rhetoric concerns on how to make an effective choice between two synonymous expressions. Rhetoric comes from our daily use and develops with our language. Rhetoric is a subject of language. The object of study should be language elements. It does not study the features of language in detail. To achieve the best perlocution , we should have a correct attitude towards rhetoric. Only with enough realization of the importance, can we have the motive to learn rhetoric. With the ability to use rhetoric , we can improve our expressive skills and make our article more exactly、concisely and profoundly.

Communicative Rhetoric

In order to express our ideas clearly and concisely, we need to learn how to select the proper words and phrases, which is called diction. Diction is very important in

rhetoric and it is the foundation of rhetoric. Before we start to select words, we should have abundant vocabulary, then we have to know when and where to use the correct words. It means we can choose the best word according to the situations, becausemany word have the similar meaning. For example:

The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree…

Here the author choose‘great’ to describe the ‘night’, instead of ‘important’、‘significant’、‘vital’… this is because ‘great’ can give readers a feeling of surprising and different. With this function, it can leave a deep impression on our mind.

Then it come s to the classification of word’s meaning. According the famous Britain linguist Geoffrey leech, it can e divided into seven kinds:

Conceptual meaning、connotative meaning、stylistic meaning、affective meaning、reflected meaning、collocative meaning and thematic meaning. On the other hand, according to our traditional classification, it can be divided into three parts: commendatory terms、derogatory term and neutral terms. With these classifications, we can have better understanding on words. Just as Maupassant said ‘no matter what we are going to describe; if we want to show what it is, we should find the only noun; if we want to show its movement, we should find the only verbal; if we want to know its essence, we should find the only adjective; we must word hard to find these only words, we can not use the simila r words to replace them, this our attitude’.

Aesthetic Rhetoric

This part includes three elements: lexical stylistic devices、syntactical stylistic devices and phonetic stylistic devices.

1. lexical stylistic devices

In this part, we have simile, metaphor, analogy, personification, metonymy, synaesthesia, hyperbole, oxymoron, irony, pun, euphemism and parody.

Simile is the most ordinary and frequently used rhetoric device. It means ‘like’, it was defined as a fingure of speech in which one thing is likened to another, in such a way as to clarify and enhance an image. It is an explicit comparison recognizable by the use of the wor d ‘like’ or ‘as’. Simile has three elements: subject（tenor），reference （vehicle）and indicator of resemblance (simile marker)。There are many different types of simile marker, such as seem, as if, as though, liken…to…, compare…to…,as…as…, the way, might as well…as, a is to b what c is to d, no more than, with, etc. we can decide which to use according to the situation.

I always regard metaphor as the brother of simile. Metaphor means a transfer of a meaning, it is defined as a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. M etaphor’s structure is same as simile, but the ways of expression are very different. In metaphor, we can say a is b. for example:

College is a comma of a sentence of life.

We can also use a noun as a verbal to describe something. For example:

He does not have an idea of his own, he just parrots what other people say