Functional styles

1. What extralinguistic factors are involved in the notion of style? How do style and personal factors correlate? What styles exist in any national language?

2. What is the literary norm of a language? What does the term 'a norm variation' imply? How is each style characterised by the function it fulfils?

3. Comment on the sociolinguistic and stylistic factors that account for the use of regional, social, and occupational varieties of the language.

4. Compare the classifications of functional styles in English.

5. Identify the functional style in each of the texts given below and point out the distinctive features that testify to its specific character.

It has long been known that when exposed to light under suitable conditions of temperature and moisture, the green parts of plants use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen to it. These exchanges are the opposite of those, which occur in respiration. The process is called photosynthesis. In photosynthesis, carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water by the chloroplasts of plant cells in the presence of light. Oxygen is the product of the reaction. For each molecule of carbon dioxide used, one molecule of oxygen is released. A summary chemical equation for photosynthesis is:

6C0₂ +6H₂0 = С₆Н₁₂О_б + 60₂.

You was sharp, wasn't you, to catch me like that, eh? By Ga-ard you had me fixed proper, proper you had. Darn me, you fixed me up proper— proper, you did. I don't think no worse of you for it, no, darned if I do. Fine pluck in a woman's what I admire. That I do indeed. We fet from the start, we did. And, my word, you begin again quick the minute you see me, you did. Darn me, you was too sharp for me. A darnfine woman, puts up a darn good fight. Darn me if I could find a woman in all the darn States as could get me down like that. Wonderful fine woman you be, truth to say, at this minute. (Lawrence)