Introduction to Stylistics -- Approaches, Aims, Historical Perspective, Origin

Summary

This lecture introduces Stylistics as the scientific study of style in language, drawing from linguistics and literary criticism. Initially focused on literary texts, Stylistics now encompasses non-literary forms such as advertisements and movies. It involves analyzing language at various levels, including phonology, semantics, syntax, and morphology, to uncover aesthetic functions. The lecture discusses three theoretical approaches: monism (style and content as one), dualism (separating language and content), and pluralism (blending both). Stylistics uses linguistic methods to examine how authors' language choices influence meaning and style in both literary and non-literary texts.

Takeaways

• 😀 Stylistics is a branch of linguistics focused on the scientific study of style.
• 😀 The study of Stylistics has evolved from formalism and new criticism, integrating methods from other fields of linguistics.
• 😀 Stylistics was initially concerned with literary texts, but now encompasses both literary and non-literary texts, such as advertisements and movies.
• 😀 Stylistic analysis can be carried out at various linguistic levels: phonology, semantics, syntax, and morphology.
• 😀 Stylistics is a scientific method that avoids intuition, relying on systematic linguistic analysis of language choices and aesthetic functions.
• 😀 The scope of Stylistics includes examining the formal properties of language in texts, influenced by formalism's focus on structure.
• 😀 Stylistics applies linguistic models to study style and analyze the author's choices in terms of content and aesthetics.
• 😀 The three main approaches to studying Stylistics are: monism, dualism, and pluralism.
• 😀 Monism asserts that language and content are inseparable, while dualism maintains they are distinct, and pluralism blends elements of both.
• 😀 Stylistics is used today to analyze both literary and non-literary texts, offering insight into how language shapes meaning and style.

Q & A

What is Stylistics?

Stylistics is the scientific study of style in language, focusing on how language is used in different contexts, particularly literary and non-literary texts.

What branches of linguistics are related to Stylistics?

Stylistics is related to several branches of linguistics including syntax, semantics, phonology, morphology, and even fields like pragmatics and discourse analysis.

How did Stylistics evolve historically?

Initially focused on literary texts, Stylistics was influenced by formalism, new criticism, and other branches of linguistics. Over time, its scope expanded to include non-literary texts like advertisements and movies.

What is the relationship between Stylistics and formalism?

Stylistics shares a connection with formalism, particularly in its focus on the formal properties of language, such as structure and style in texts.

What is the difference between literary Stylistics and linguistic Stylistics?

Literary Stylistics focuses specifically on analyzing language in literary works, while linguistic Stylistics applies linguistic methodologies to analyze various types of texts, including both literary and non-literary.

What is the scientific approach in Stylistics?

Stylistics uses a scientific approach by applying linguistic methods to study the author's language choices, rather than relying on intuition, as was common in earlier literary analysis.

What are the three approaches to analyzing style mentioned in the video?

The three approaches are: monism (where language and content are considered inseparable), dualism (where language and content are viewed as separate), and pluralism (which combines elements of both monism and dualism).

What is the monistic approach to Stylistics?

The monistic approach in Stylistics believes that language and content are inseparable and should be analyzed as a unified entity.

How does the dualistic approach differ from monism?

The dualistic approach separates language and content, believing that the linguistic choices made by an author and the ideas or aesthetic functions they produce should be analyzed independently.

What is the pluralistic approach in Stylistics?

The pluralistic approach combines elements from both the monistic and dualistic approaches, drawing on the strengths of each to analyze texts in a more nuanced way.