I. Language and Extralinguistic World 4 страница

Belles-lettres style is characterized by the following features:

1. Figurativeness.

2. Poetry.

3. Aesthetics of expression.

4. The unity of aesthetic and communicative functions.

5. The events are represented through prism of intellect and author’s reflection and are directed to readers or listeners.

6. Using the variety of lexical and stylistic devices.

7. The development of author’s individuality.

The belles-lettres style participates in accomplishing the social function of influence by the language. The fiction literature is the area of language usage and its aesthetic function is one of the forms of functioning a language etc. The belles-lettres style is not delimited from the other linguistic styles sharply. All the variety of linguistic styles is concentrated in it. The aesthetic and communicative function of the fiction literature is connected with the special method of expressing the thoughts that notably distinguishes this style from all the others. The aesthetic function of language of the fiction literature is not additional at all. Thus, in poetry it takes the first place.

Being a part of general literary language, the language of the fiction literature oversteps its limits at the same time to pass the national colouring and create specific speech features of the acting persons. Fiction literature uses dialectal words, slangy words, popular language etc. as an expressive device. The archaisms that are words fallen out of the daily vocabulary and are replaced by synonyms are used on the stylistic purposes as well. Their basic purpose in the fiction literature is to create the historical colouring of the epoch. They are also used to strengthen solemnity, pathetic emphasis of the language and serve a device of creating irony, satire, parody etc. However, in these functions archaisms are applied not only in the fiction literature but are met in the publicist articles, newspapers and epistolary genre etc.

The word in the literary context is the nominative and communicative unit but it serves the device of creating literary expressiveness and image. The figurative meaning of a word is conditioned by its literary motivation, its place in the content of the work.

The peculiar feature of the fiction literature is the character of an author or narrator not as direct reflection of author’s personality but as its original transformation. The selection of words, syntactic constructions, intonational picture of phrases serves for creation of speech character of an author or narrator who generates the whole tone of narration and the literary work.

The aim of the belles-lettres style is to influence on people’s thoughts and emotions, form ideological beliefs, moral qualities and aesthetic tastes, which can be reached by using all varieties of language devices, especially words with indirect meaning, emotional and expressive coloured words, different kind of synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, phraseology, all types of sentences etc.

For example:

«Too much of yourself in it! Upon my word, Basil, I didn’t know you were so vain; and I really can’t see any resemblance between you, with your rugged strong face and your coal-black hair, and this young Adonis, who looks as if he was made out of ivory and rose-leaves. Why, my dear Basil, he is a Narcissus, and you – well, of course you have an intellectual expression and all that. But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. The moment one sits down to think, one becomes all nose, or all forehead, or something horrid. Look at the successful men in any of the learned professions. How perfectly hideous they are! Except, of course, in the Church. But then in the Church they don’t think. A bishop keeps on saying at the age of eighty what he was told to say when he was a boy of eighteen, and as a natural consequence he always looks absolutely delightful. Your mysterious young friend, whose name you have never told me, but whose picture really fascinates me, never thinks. I feel quite sure of that. He is some brainless beautiful creature who should be always here in winter when we have no flowers to look at, and always here in summer when we want something to chill our intelligence. Don’t flatter yourself, Basil: you are not in the least like him». «You don’t understand me, Harry», answered the artist. «Of course I am not like him. I know that perfectly well. Indeed, I should be sorry to look like him. You shrug your shoulders? I am telling you the truth. There is a fatality about all physical and intellectual distinction, the sort of fatality that seems to dog through history the faltering steps of kings. It is better not to be different from one’s fellows. The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world. They can sit at their ease and gape at the play. If they know nothing of victory, they are at least spared the knowledge of defeat. They live as we all should live – undisturbed, indifferent, and without disquiet. They neither bring ruin upon others, nor ever receive it from alien hands. Your rank and wealth, Harry; my brains, such as they are – my art, whatever it may be worth; Dorian Gray’s good looks – we shall all suffer for what the gods have given us, suffer terribly». Oscar Wilde «The Picture of Dorian Gray».

– Занадто багато самого себе! Слово честі, Безіле, я не думав, що в тобі стільки марнославства. Ти, з твоїм суворим обличчям і чорним як вугіль волоссям, – і цей юний Адоніс, наче зроблений із слонової кості й трояндових пелюсток! Не бачу найменшої схожості між вами!.. Адже він Нарцис, мій любий, а ти... Ну, звичайно, в тебе одухотворене лице і таке інше... Але Краса, справжня Краса, кінчається там, де починається одухотвореність. Інтелект – уже сам собою щось диспропорційне. Він нівечить гармонію обличчя. Ту ж мить, як хтось береться думати, у нього або видовжується ніс, або розширюється чоло, або щось інше псує лице. Візьми першого-ліпшого з цих визначних учених мужів і подивись, до чого вони всі відразливі! Ясна річ, за винятком церковників. Але в церкві їм не доводиться голів сушити. Вісімдесятирічний єпископ у проповіді повторює те, що йому казали, коли він був вісімнадцятирічним хлопцем, – тож, природно, його вигляд усе так само по-молодечому принадний. Судячи з портрета, твій таємничий юний друг, імені якого ти не хочеш назвати, має чарівну вроду, отже, він ніколи не думає. Я таки цілком певен того. Він – прекрасне бездумне створіння, яке мусить бути з нами завжди: і взимку, коли ми не маємо квіток, щоб милуватись ними, і влітку, коли ми потребуємо чогось, що остудило б мозок. Не лести собі, Безіле: ти ані крихти не схожий на нього. – Ти не розумієш мене, Гаррі, – відказав митець. – Звичайно, я не схожий на нього. Я знаю це дуже добре. Як на правду, то я б навіть жалкував, якби став на нього схожим. Ти знизуєш плечима? Я щиро кажу. Всіма, хто має непересічний розум чи красу, правує в житті лихий фатум, – той самий, що спрямовував непевну ходу монархів протягом усієї історії. Краще не виділятись над своїм середовищем. Бо на цім світі виграють лише потвори й нездари. Вони можуть невимушено сидіти і позіхати на виставі життя. Нехай їм нічого не відомо про радість перемоги, але ж зате вони обходяться й без гіркоти поразки. Вони живуть так, як ми всі мали б жити: байдужно, без турбот, без хвилювань. Вони не завдають руїни іншим і не зазнають її самі від чужих рук. Твоя знатність і багатство, Гаррі; мій розум і хист, хоч які вони є; врода Доріана Ґрея – за все це, чим боги нас наділили, ми відпокутуємо, тяжко відпокутуємо... Оскар Уайльд «Портрет Доріана Грея», Переклад: Ростислав Доценк.

The wind shook some blossoms from the trees, and the heavy lilac-blooms, with their clustering stars, moved to and fro in the languid air. A grasshopper began to chirrup by the wall, and like a blue thread a long thin dragon-fly floated past on its brown gauze wings. Lord Henry felt as if he could hear Basil Hallward’s heart beating, and wondered what was coming. «The story is simply this», said the painter after some time. «Two months ago I went to a crush at Lady Brandon’s. You know we poor artists have to show ourselves in society from time to time, just to remind the public that we are not savages. With an evening coat and a white tie, as you told me once, anybody, even a stock-broker, can gain a reputation for being civilised. Well, after I had been in the room about ten minutes, talking to huge overdressed dowagers and tedious academicians, I suddenly became conscious that some one was looking at me. I turned half-way round and saw Dorian Gray for the first time. When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me. I knew that I had come face to face with some one whose mere personality was so fascinating that, if I allowed it to do so, it would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself. I did not want any external influence in my life. You know yourself, Harry, how independent I am by nature. I have always been my own master; had at least always been so, till I met Dorian Gray. Then – but I don’t know how to explain it to you. Something seemed to tell me that I was on the verge of a terrible crisis in my life. I had a strange feeling that fate had in store for me exquisite joys and exquisite sorrows. I grew afraid and turned to quit the room. It was not conscience that made me do so: it was a sort of cowardice. I take no credit to myself for trying to escape». Oscar Wilde «The Picture of Dorian Gray».

Вітерець здмухнув кілька квіток з дерев, і важкі зоряні ґрона бузкового цвіту колихнулись у млосному повітрі. Під муром засюрчав коник; довгою блакитною ниткою на прозорих брунатних крильцях пролетіла бабка... Лорд Генрі немовби відчув биття Безілевого серця, і йому кортіло знати, що він почує далі. – Ось уся ця історія, – перегодом почав художник. – Два місяці тому мені довелося бути на вечорі у леді Брендон. Адже ми, бідні митці, мусимо вряди-часи показуватись у товаристві, нагадуючи публіці, що ми не дикуни. Ти ж сам колись був сказав, що у фраку й білій краватці навіть біржовик може зажити репутації цивілізованої істоти. Отож пробувши у вітальні хвилин десять і набалакавшись із гладкими препишними вдовицями й нудними академіками, я раптом зауважив, що хтось на мене дивиться. Повернувшись убік, я вперше побачив Доріана Ґрея. Коли наші очі зустрілись, я відчув, що блідну. На мить мене пройняв інстинктивний страх. Я збагнув – переді мною така чарівна врода, що може поглинути всю мою душу, все моє єство, ба навіть усе моє мистецтво, коли я тільки піддамся її чарам. Я не потребував жодних сторонніх впливів у своєму житті. Ти добре знаєш, Гаррі, яка незалежна вдача в мене. Я завжди був сам собі пан, принаймні аж доки зустрівся з Доріаном Ґреєм... Але не знаю, як і пояснити це... Немов чийсь голос казав мені, що життя моє може круто змінитися. Я невиразно передчував, ніби Доля готує для мене витончені радощі і такі ж витончені страждання. Опанований страхом, я повернувся з наміром вийти з вітальні. Не те, щоб сумління мене підганяло, ні, це, певніше, було боягузтво. Звісно, спроба накивати п’ятами не додає мені честі... Оскар Уайльд «Портрет Доріана Грея», Переклад: Ростислав Доценк.

Colloquial style is characterized by the following features:

I. Oral form of communication.

II. Direct participation.

III. Informality of relationship between participants of communication act.

IV. Spontaneity of appearing communication act.

V. Colloquial lexicon.

VI. Simplicity and easiness of linguistic forms.

VII. Laconic brevity.

VIII. Using the dialogue forms.

IX. Emotional reaction.

X. Using non-language means (situation; gestures; movements; mimicry etc.).

The colloquial style is opposed to the book styles. It is the only of the styles that accomplishes the function of communication. It forms the system particular at all the levels of the language structure, such as phonetics (more precisely, in pronunciation and intonation), phraseology, word-formation, morphology, syntax etc.

A term «colloquial style» is understood in two ways. On the one hand, it is used to denote the literary extent of speech and include high (book) style, middle (neutral) style the low (colloquial) style.

Such subdivision is comfortable for the description of vocabulary and is used as the corresponding marks in the dictionaries (the words of neutral style are given without marks). On the other hand, this term indicates one of the functional varieties of the literary language.

The literary language should not be opposed to the colloquial one in a literal sense. There are two varieties of the literary language, which possess their own system and language norms. In one case it is codified, strictly systematized and well-organized literary language. In the second case, it is non-codified, relatively free systematized and organized including popular language that oversteps its limits.

The colloquial style finds its expression both in the written form, for example in the remarks of characters of the play, records in the diaries, texts of letters on everyday themes etc. and in the spoken language that include unprepared dialogic speech in the conditions of free intercourse of its participants.

Colloquial speech is characterized by the special conditions of functioning that include:

1) The absence of preliminary deliberation of an utterance and related to the preselection of linguistic material.

2) The spontaneity of the intercourse between its participants.

3) The naturalness of the speech and the absence of official character between the talkers and in the utterance. The essential role belongs to the context of the communicative situation and to the non-linguistic means such as mimicry, gestures, reaction of interlocutors.

With the exception of the direct communicative function, the colloquial speech accomplishes the other functions, for example in the fiction literature it is used for creation of verbal portrait, for the realistic description of the social environment, in the author’s narration it serves the mean of stylization, as the elements of book speech it can create a comic effect. In relation to the colloquial style, it forms the special system that has the various purposes.

The colloquial style like «the high (book) style» of pronunciation is expressively coloured unlike the neutral style. The reason of it is that the colloquial style is connected with corresponding lexical layer or colloquial vocabulary. The colloquial style of pronunciation is characterized as incomplete one because of less distinct pronunciation of the sounds, strong reduction caused at fast speech pace etc.

The aim of the colloquial style is to exchange information, which can be reached by using daily lexicon, phraseology, emotionally and expressively coloured words, exclamations, references, richness of intonation etc.

For example: