Вопрос 6. Morphological stylistics. Stylistic potential of the parts of speech.

Stylistic morphology is interested in grammatical forms and grammatical meanings that are peculiar to particular sublanguages, explicitly or implicitly comparing them with the neutral ones common to all the sublanguages.

Morphological stylistic devices as a deliberate shift in the fixed distribution of morphemes can be created by means of:

a) the violation of the usual combinability of morphemes within a word, e.g. the plural of uncountable nouns (sands, waters, times), or the Continuous forms of the verbs of sense perception (to be seeing, to be knowing, to be feeling);

b) the violation of the contextual distribution of morphemes, which is called form transposition.

A very powerful stylistic means is morphological transposition (transfer of grammatical meaning, the use of a word not in its primary function but for the purpose of creating a certain stylistic effect). Transposition is the usage of certain forms of different parts of speech in non-conventional grammatical or lexical meanings.

Transposition of pronouns

1. Demonstrative – this, these, that, those may be used to express various shades of emotional meanings, attitudes, from admiration to contempt. (That beautiful sister of yours! These lawyers! Ох уж эта Настя!)

2. Personal pronouns can express cold official relations, indulgence (снисхождение), arrogance (высокомерие), and sympathy: We are exceedingly charming this evening! (“we” is used instead of “you” to express condescending-approving (снисходительно -одобрительный) attitude of the speaker to the young girl.

a) the plural of modesty. In scientific prose WE implies the author and his imaginary reader. The author's WE, or the plural of modesty, is used with the purpose to identify oneself with the audience or society at large (in order not to mention himself for the reason of modesty but associate himself with his recipients): Now, we come to the conclusion that...

b) the plural of majesty. WE can be used with reference to a single person, the speaker (instead of the pronoun I). It is called the plural of majesty and is used in royal speech: By the Grace of Our Lord, We, Charles the Second...

c) In literary texts (in prose fiction) YOU is used to involve the reader into the action, to make him participate in the events, to impart the emotions prevailing in the narration to the reader (You know).

Transposition of nouns

1. The use of singular noun instead of an appropriate plural f orm creates a generalized, elevated effect bordering on symbolization:

The faint fresh flame of the young year flushes

From leaf to flower and from flower to fruit

And fruit and leaf are as gold and fire (Swineburn).

2. The abstract noun (normally uncountable) used in the plural for m (hyperbolic plural) makes the narration more expressive and brings about aesthetic semantic growth, e.g.: Still waters run deep. When sorrows come they come not single spies but in battalions.

Transposition of adjectives

Transposition of adjectives turns them into nouns to make the utterance more expressive and tangible (осязаемый): “The Red and the Black”, Isolde the Slender.

The grammatical category of comparison. When relative adjectives denoting qualities normally incompatible with the idea of degrees of comparison (such as colours, physical states, materials) are used in a comparative or a superlative degree, they acquire an evaluative force and become charged with a strong expressive power: pinker, greener; You cannot be deader than the dead (E. Hemingway).

The use of comparative and superlative forms with other parts of speech conveys a humorous colouring, e.g.: He was the most married man I've ever met.

Violation of grammatical norms of forming degrees of comparison (e.g- the use of synthetical forms with longer adjectives instead of analytical ones) in a literary text serves to reveal the speaker's ruffled emotions (his overemotional state): "Curioser and curioser!" cried Alice (L. Carroll).

Verb transpositions

The verb possesses more grammatical characteristics than any other Part of speech. All deviant usages of tense, voice and aspect forms have strong stylistic connotations and play an important role in creating a metaphorical meaning.

1. Тhe most vivid example of grammatical transposition is the so-called Historical (or Dramatic) Present (the use of present forms in order to express actions which took place in the past) The aim is to join different time systems — that of the characters, of the author and of the reader, all of whom may belong to different epochs.Writers (Ch. Dickens) often present past events as if they were in the present. “Иду я вчера и вижу…”

2. The auxiliary verb do/does/did in combination with a main-verb is a frequent emphatic device in colloquial speech, e.g.: I do know him; He does look pale; Do let's go to the theatre. Do stop calling me Billy in public! You don’t say! (Да что вы говорите!)

3. The use of Present Continuous into the sphere of Indefinite creates a lot of connotations, may express:

1) conviction, determination, persistence: Well, she is never coming here again, I tell you that straight (S. Maugham);

2) impatience, irritation: — I didn't mean to hurt you.— You did. You are doing nothing else (B. Shaw);

3) surprise, indignation, disapproval: Women kill me. They are always leaving their goddamn bags out in the middle of the aisle (Salinger).

Variation of morphemes:

· The usage of archaic, colloquial or low-colloquial forms to create certain stylistic connotations. Grammatical archaisms make the utterance solemn and high-flown: taketh, giveth, hath, couldst, thou, thee, etc.

· The usage of contracted forms to create natural character of speech: is not (neutral) – isn’t (colloquial), ain’t (low- colloquial).

Stylistically coloured morphemes are characteristic of certain type of speech. For example, prefixes super-, supra-, hyper-, omni- create bookish connotations, suffixes –y/ie – colloquial (deary, auntie, birdie, girlie).

Stylistic effect of emphasis can be created due to repetition of morphemes:

She unchained, unbolted and unlocked the door.