英语文体学 Chapter 1 Introduction

1、English StylisticsChapter 1 IntroductionDefinition of Stylistics1 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Study2Two Assumption of Stylistics3The Nature of Stylistic Analysis5The Goals, Components & Procedure of Stylistic Inquiry41.1 Definition of StylisticsvWales defines stylistics

2、as “the study of style”.What is Style?1.1 Definition of StylisticsvWiddowson defines Stylistics as “the study of literary discourse from a linguistic orientation”, and contends that “what distinguishes stylistics from literary criticism on the one hand and linguistics on the other is that it is esse

3、ntially a means of linking the two”.1.1 Definition of StylisticsStylisticsLinguisticsLiterary CriticismLanguageLiteratureDisciplinesSubjects1.1 Definition of StylisticsvStylistics is an area of mediation between two disciplines of linguistics and literary criticism.1.1 Definition of StylisticsvStyli

4、stics is neither a discipline nor a subject in its own right, but a means of relating disciplines and subjects.1.1 Definition of StylisticsvStylistics can serve as a means whereby literature and language as subjects can by a process of gradual approximation move towards both linguistics and literary

5、 criticism, and also a means whereby these disciplines can be pedagogically treated to yield different subjects.1.1 Definition of StylisticsvWiddowson further explains the definition from the morphological make-up of the word stylistics.Styl-Literary criticism-isticslinguistics1.1 Definition of Styl

6、isticsvLeech defines stylistics as “the study of the use of language in literature” and consider stylistics a “meeting-ground of linguistics and literary study”.1.1 Definition of StylisticsvDefinition of Stylistics Stylistics is an area of study which straddles two disciplines: literary criticism an

7、d linguistics. It takes literary discourse (text) as its object of study and use linguistics as a means to that end. (Wang Shouyuan)1.1 Definition of StylisticsvTwo “border-line” studiesvA. those linguistically oriented but not directly related to literary interpretation;vB. those claimed to deal wi

8、th style but does not make use of linguistic facts and theory.1.1 Definition of Stylistics Stylistics is a branch of linguistics which applies the theory and methodology of modern linguistics to the study of STYLE. It studies the use of language in specific contexts and attempts to account for the c

9、haracteristics that mark the language use of individuals and social groups. (Qian Yuan) 1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvEnglish Stylistics is often regarded as a discipline that is “both old and young”.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of St

10、udyvEnglish Stylistics has developed on the basis of traditional rhetoric which may be tracked back to Aristotles time.vWhy Old？1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvDating back to 5 B.C., Greek orators and sophists regarded rhetoric as oratory. vPlato: Rhetoric is the a

11、rt of winning the soul by discourse.vAristotle: Rhetoric is the faculty of discovering in any particular case all of the available means of persuasion.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Studyv中国也是很早就有学者注意修辞、风格和文体的中国也是很早就有学者注意修辞、风格和文体的问题。问题。v易经易经 “修辞立诚修辞立诚”v孔子孔子 “辞达而已矣辞达而已矣”

12、 “言之无文，行之不远言之无文，行之不远”1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Studyv刘勰刘勰文心雕龙文心雕龙 文与笔（韵文与散文）之分；文与笔（韵文与散文）之分； 不同文体之别（不同文体之别（“若总其归涂，则数穷八体：若总其归涂，则数穷八体：一曰典雅，二曰远奥，三曰精约，四曰显附，五一曰典雅，二曰远奥，三曰精约，四曰显附，五曰繁缛，六曰壮丽，七曰新奇，八曰轻靡曰繁缛，六曰壮丽，七曰新奇，八曰轻靡” 体性体性篇）篇） 评论文体的方法（即所谓评论文体的方法（即所谓“六观六观”：“一观一观位体，二观置辞，三观

13、通变，四观奇正，五观事位体，二观置辞，三观通变，四观奇正，五观事义，六观宫商，斯术既形，则优劣见矣义，六观宫商，斯术既形，则优劣见矣” 知音知音篇）篇）1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Studyv“Stylistique” first appeared in French titles, beginning in 1905 with Charles Ballys Traite de stylistique franaise, which is said to be the symbol of the be

14、ginning of Modern Stylistics.vWhy Young？1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Studyv“Three Revolutions” in social sciences brought stylistics to the right track and brought about its present status.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Study1Modernist Mo

15、vement inArt and Literature23LiteraryCriticismLinguistic Science1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvThe first revolution is the modernist movement in art and literature, lasting from 1890 to the beginning of World War II.vThe revolution was a break with tradition in th

16、e ways it influenced both the content and language of literature.How1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvThe second revolution is the one in literary criticism.vIvor Armstrong Richards vPractical CriticismvHe called for a more objective approach to literary texts, and e

17、stablished an approach to poetry which depended on close reading of the text.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvWilliam Empson vSeven Types of AmbiguityvHe promoted the concept of ambiguity as a defining linguistic characteristic of poetry.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics

18、as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvAmbiguity refers to the case of “more than one cognitive meaning for the same piece of language”.vIn non-literary discourse, ambiguity is usually taken to be the opposite of clarity and is therefore normally considered as a fault. In literature, however, it is

19、regarded as a virtue, roughly corresponding to “richness” or “wit”, for in literature, we are ready to read extra meanings.vE.g. Ben Battle was a warrior bold, And used to wars alarms; But a cannon-ball took off his legs, So he laid down his arms. Thomas Hood1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdi

20、sciplinary Field of StudyvE.g. 帘外雨潺潺，帘外雨潺潺， 春意阑珊，春意阑珊， 罗衾不耐五更寒。罗衾不耐五更寒。 梦里不知身是客，一晌贪欢。梦里不知身是客，一晌贪欢。 独自莫凭栏，无限江山，别时容易见时难。独自莫凭栏，无限江山，别时容易见时难。 流水落花春去也，天上人间流水落花春去也，天上人间。 1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of Study1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvThe

21、 third revolution took place in linguistic science starting in the late 1950s.vIt was initiated by the work of Noam Chomsky and Michael Halliday whose thoughts were directly or indirectly influenced by the linguistic theory of Ferdinand de Sassure, the founder of modern linguistics.1.2 Emergence of

22、Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvChomskys Transformational-Generative Grammar starts from a view of language as an abstract set of generalized rules detached from any particular context of use.vHallidays Systemic-Functional Grammar starts from a view of how language functions as sys

23、tem of human communication.1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Field of StudyvDespite the different starting point of research, TG Grammar and SF Grammar care about the same question: Why does language take the existing features?1.2 Emergence of Stylistics as an Interdisciplinary Fie

24、ld of StudyvTG Grammar goes in through form, and takes linguistics towards biology;vSF Grammar goes in through meaning, and takes linguistics towards sociology.1.3 Two Important Assumptions of Stylistics1Literature is made of language.2Literature is a type of communicative discourse.1.3 Two Importan

25、t Assumptions of StylisticsLiterature is made of language.Linguistics is the scientific study of language.Linguistics should in principle be most helpful to us in analyzing and interpreting literary texts.1.3 Two Important Assumptions of StylisticsLiterature is a type of communicative discourse.Lite

26、rary texts should be accounted for not just intra-sententially but also inter-sententially, not only in terms of linguistic facts and theory, but also in terms of sociolinguistic facts and theory.vE.g.Old MacDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O,And on his farm he had some cows, E, I, E, I, O,With a moo-

27、moo here and a moo-moo there,Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo-moo,Old MacDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O.1.3 Two Important Assumptions of Stylistics1.4 The Goals, Components and Procedure of Stylistic InquiryvHalliday identifies two possible goals of stylistic inquiry.vThe first is “to sho

28、w why and how the text means what it does”. vThe second goal is that of “showing why the text is valued as it is”.1.4 The Goals, Components and Procedure of Stylistic InquiryvA stylistic analysis involves description, interpretation and evaluation.DescriptionInterpretationEvaluationv“The three parts

29、 are logically ordered: Description Interpretation Evaluation”. （Short）1.4 The Goals, Components and Procedure of Stylistic InquiryvDescription is logically prior to interpretation because a reasonably convincing interpretation of a literary text is only derived from a careful and systematic examina

30、tion of its language. Interpretation is also logically prior to evaluation.1.4 The Goals, Components and Procedure of Stylistic InquiryvIn discussing the components and procedure of stylistic analysis, Halliday uses the term “phase” instead of the term “part” employed by Short.vHalliday mentions two phases: analytic phase and interpre