Standard Investor Seeking to Sell Stake

Standard Chartered is expected to be back in the bid limelight today after reports that its biggest shareholder is looking to sell his 15pc stake.

Malaysian businessman Tan Sri Khoo is said to have been attempting to find a buyer through a third party, with Barclays Bank one of the prime targets. The stake is believed to have figured in the short-lived and tentative negotiations over a Barclays bid for Standard.

Banking sources said yesterday there were two approaches involving Barclays and Standard. But Standard sources disputed suggestions that Malcolm Williamson, chief executive, was the driving force behind one of them despite a meeting with Martin Taylor, Barclays chief executive.

Mr. Khoo has maintained «close and friendly» links with Standard since helping the bank beat off an unwelcome bid from Lloyds more than a decade ago.

Banking sources say that he is unlikely to make any move without consulting Patrick Gillam, Standard chairman, or seeking his approval.

One said: «He wouldn't want to do anything which would upset Standard but it would be surprising if he hadn't been approach about selling his stake. He's been tremendously supportive over the years».

(The Daily Telegraph, March 2, 1998)

(7) A classified advertisement:

Companies for Sale

POLLUTION CONTROL. Company located West Midlands. Having own modern facility in pleasant rural area with easy access to motorway network. Company formed in 1980. Current turnover approx 750K. Profitable. Trading in UK and internationally. Designs, supplies, installs water and wastewater treatment plant specializing in industrial treatment schemes.

(The Daily Telegraph, March 2, 1998)

(8) From «Hexameters» by S. T. Coleridge:

William, my teacher, my friend! dear William

and dear Dorothea!

Smooth out the folds of my letter, and place

it on desk or on table;

Place it on table or desk; and your right hands

loosely half-closing,

Gently sustain them in air, and extending

the digit didactic,

Rest it a moment on each of the forks

of the five-forked left hand,

Twice on the breadth of the thumb, and once

on the tip of each finger;

Read with a nod of the head in a humouring

recitativo;

And, as I live, you will see my hexameters

hopping before you.

This is a galloping measure; a hop, and a trot,

and a gallop!

 

 

PATTERNS FOR STYLISTIC ANALYSIS

Stylistic Phonetics

1. At the level of phonetic description stylistically of interest is an instance of substandard pronunciation (are instances of)...

2. The vowel... is reduced to...

The consonant... is replaced by...

The sound... is omitted.

The word... is completely mispronounced.

3.The substandard (colloquial, low colloquial etc.) pronunciation is rendered in writing by deviations from standard spelling.  

4.The non-standard pronunciation

a) serves for character drawing;

b) is due to the social position of the character; the low educational level of the speaker; the dialectal peculiarities of speech; the emotional state of the character, etc.

5. The prosodic features are rendered in writing by...

6. The emphatic stress/intonation, etc.

a)  conveys a special importance to the words...

b) renders the emotional state of the personage...

c) shows the attitude of the character to...

7. Alliteration (intentional repetition of consonants)/onomatopoeia (sound imitation)

a) creates a melodic/rhythmic effect;

b) serves as a method of euphonic organization of the text;
c) evokes a concrete sensuous image of the phenomena described

d) serves for comic representation of foreign speech.

Stylistic Morphology

1. In the extract under consideration we observe transposition of...

2. The pronoun... is used instead of... in order to express... /show
that...

3. The use of... instead of...

a) is a sign of "popular"/ illiterate/low colloquial speech;

b) creates connotations of irritation/surprise/irony etc.

4. Repetition of morphemes

a) is employed for emphasis;

b) serves the purpose of...;

c) creates indirect onomatopoeia.

5. The forms... are completely "ungrammatical" and thus show the low social status of the speaker.

6. Stylistically colored morphemes (such as...) are signals of...

7. The substitution of... by... is stylistically relevant, because...

8. The text (the personage's discourse, the dialogue, etc.) abounds in contracted forms, which render colloquial (informal) character of communication.

 

Stylistic Lexicology

1.  At the level of lexical description (lexical analysis) of interest
stylistically is/are...

a)  The bookish/colloquial type of speech is marked by...

b)  The text is remarkable for the use of... vocabulary...           

c)  The bookish/colloquial/slang word... stands for the neutral...

2.  The use of specific vocabulary (archaisms, barbarisms, terms, dialectisms, etc.) serves to create a particular background (historical, local, professional, etc.)

3. The use of... serves for character drawing (indicates the social position, educational level; renders official / unofficial / familiar / humorous / sneering. etc. manner of speech.

4.... are used in close context

a) to achieve comic / humorous effect;

b) to create connotations of irony / mockery etc.

5. The specific (poetic, colloquial, etc.) vocabulary gives / renders a particular (solemn, grave, passionate, pompous, unofficial, familiar, etc.) tone to the text.

6. The hyperbole... is intended for emphasis.

7. …conveys the author's subjective evaluation of…

8.... is introduced / to describe (to characterize) by deliberate
underestimation of...

9.... carries a sarcastic overtone / has a connotation of
mockery/creates humorous connotations.

 a) The text owes its vividness to the use of...

b)... gives a vivid colourful description of...

10. The metaphor / metonymy / irony … replaces a traditional
nomination on the basis of... 

 ... presents an abstract notion as a concrete thing with vigor and
vividness.

 ... serves for an expressive characterization of...

11.... creates gradual intensification of meaning.

12. The stylistic effect of... is based on defeated expectancy.

13.... is used to bring forth a comic/humorous etc. effect.

14. is made up by deliberate combination of words incompatible in

meaning.

15. The stylistic function of the oxymoron is to present... in

complexity of contrasting features.

16. The antithesis a) is made up of lexical/contextual antonyms

a) serves to show...

b) is realized through the use of...

Stylistic Syntax

 

1.... creates a certain rhythmic effect/ serves for rhythmic organization of the text/creates the inner rhythm of the author's discourse/of the narration.

2.... creates an atmosphere of tension/dynamic activities/ monotony etc.

3.... serves as an appending stylistic device, increasing the stylistic effect of...

4.... conveys the emotional state of the character/ the fragmentary character of his thoughts/introduces the elements of suspence.

5. The text, which is a specimen of colloquial speech, abounds in elliptical sentences, such as...

6.... is used to imply emotional tension to the text.

7. Implied question/request/negation etc. are disguised as...

8....serves for emphatic negation/assertion etc.

9.... convey emphasis and expressiveness to the text/description/narration by their condensed and laconic form.

10. The stylistic effect is created by deliberate deviation from the generally accepted arrangement of sentence elements.

11.... is detached from the head word and placed in a prominent position

12.... gives special prominence to  

13.... /introduces some new information/a plane of secondary predication.

14. The sentences/clauses/phrases are built after (follow) the same syntactic pattern.

15. The stylistic effect of parallelism... etc. is increased by anaphora/epiphora/ etc.
16.... adds to the emphatic overtone of the text.