Бердақ атындағы Қарақалпақ Мәмлекетлик университети шет тиллери факультети

Lecture 8
Particular Ways of Combining Parts of the Utterance. Problems for discussion:

1. 
   Asyndeton
   
2. 
   Polysyndeton
   
3. 
   Ellipsis
   
4. 
   Litotes
   

Asyndeton

The connection of sentences, phrases or words with­out any conjunctions is called a stylistic device of asyn­deton. Here is a deliberate omission of connectives where they are expected to be according to the norms of the literary language.

I insist: it will give me the greatest pleasure, I assure you. My car is in the stable: I can get it round in five minutes. (B. Shaw)

The deliberate omission of "for" before "it will give..." and "so" before "I can get it..." in above example Kelps the author to make each phrase or word sound independent and significant.

Asyndeton generally creates an effect that the enume­ration is not completed as in the above example.

Asyndeton also creates a certain rhythmical arran­gement, usually making the narrative measured and ener­getic:

She watched them go; she said nothing; it was not to begin then. (W.Faulkner)

.

Polysyndeton is the stylistic device of connecting sen­tences, phrases, syntagms or words by using connectives (mostly conjunctions and prepositions) before each com­ponent part. For example:

"And I looked at the piles of plates and cups, and kettles, and bottles, and jars, and pies, and stoves, and cakes, and tomatoes." (J. K. Jerome)

In this utterance conjunction "and" is used as polysyndeton. It stresses the similar nature or close con­nection between parts of the sentence.

In the following passage from Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha", there is a repetition both of conjunc­tions and prepositions:

"Should you ask me whence these stories?

Whence these legends and traditions,

With the odors of the forest,

With the dew, and damp of meadows,

With the curling smoke of wigwams,

With the rushing of great rivers,

With their frequent repetitions,..."

The repetition of conjunctions and other means of connection makes an utterance more rhythmical. The con­junctions and other connectives, being generally unstres­sed elements, when placed before each meaningful mem­ber becomes the essential requirement of rhythm in verse. So one of the functions of polysyndeton is a rhythmical one.

Polysyndeton has a disintegrating function. It combi­nes homogeneous elements into one whole like enume­ration. But unlike enumeration, which integrates both homo-generous and heterogeneous elements into one whole, polysyndeton causes each member of a string to stand apart. Enumeration shows things united; polysyn­deton shows them isolated.
The deliberate omission of one or more words in the sentence for definite stylistic purpose is called the stylistic device of ellipsis. E.g.:

"The ride did Ma good. Rested her." (D. Carter)

The second sentence in the above example is ellip­tical, as the subject of the sentence is omitted.

The omission of some parts of the sentence is an ordi­nary and typical feature of the oral type of speech. In bel­les-lettres style the peculiarities of the structure of the oral type of speech are partially reflected in the speech of cha­racters:

"I'll see nobody for half an hour, Marcey", -said the boss, "Understand? Nobody at all." (Man­sfield).

These are normal syntactical structures in the spoken language.

The omission of some parts of the sentence in the above example reflects the informal and careless character of speech.

Some parts of the sentence may be omitted due to the excitement of the speaker. Such cases of omission of some parts of the sentence in the speech of characters reflecting the natural structure of the oral type of speech are not considered a stylistic device:

Got a letter? Enjoy your holiday? My best wishes to your father! Had a good time.

The stylistic device of ellipsis is used in the author's narration and in the represented speech to add emotional colouring or to underline the most important information of the utterance:

"Serve him right; he should arrange his affairs better! So any respectable Forsyth." (J.Galsworthy)

In the above example the predicate is omitted and the reader has to supply what is missing. The stylistic device of ellipsis makes the sentence laconic and prominent.

The stylistic device of ellipsis used in represented in­ner speech creates a stylistic effect of the natural abrupt­ness:

"It would have been a good idea to bring along one of Doc's new capsules. Could have gone into a drug store and asked for a glass of water and taken one". (D. Carter)

It is difficult to draw a line of demarcation between elliptical sentences and one-member sentences.

One-member sentences are often used of present the background of the action as in this example:

"Men, palms, red plush seats, while marble tables, waiters in the aprons. Miss Moss walked through them all". (Mansfield)

One-member sentence may be used to heighten the emotional tension of the narration or to single out the cha­racter's or the author's attitude towards what is happe­ning.

The most widely used patterns of elliptical construc­tions are the following:

1. The simple verbal predicate is omitted. In English parallel constructions this omission shows the similar or opposed nature of the phenomena:

1. His face was rather rugged, the cheeks thin;

2. She had a turn for narrative, I for analysis.

2. Attributive constructions can also be elliptical.

"He told her his age, twenty-four, his weight, a hundred and forty pounds; his place of resi­dence, not far away'. (J. Galsworthy)

The deliberate omission of some parts of the sentence is met in the written type of speech - especially in belles-lettres style. Very often ellipsis occurs in poetry:

And all men kill the thing they love, By all let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!
Litotes is a stylistic device consisting of peculiar use of negative constructions instead of positive forms. It is used to diminish the positive meaning. E.g.:

He is no coward - He is a brave man.

He is not a silly man - He is a clever man.

In this case we have intentional restrain which produces a stylistic effect. "Not silly" is not equal to clever" although the two constructions are synonymous. The same can be said about the other pair: "no coward" and "a brave man". In both cases the negative construction is weaker than the affirmative one. But it should be noted that the negative constructions here have a stronger impact on the reader than the affirmative ones. The latter have no additional connotation; the former have. That is why such constructions are regarded as stylistic devices.

Thus litotes is a deliberate understatement used to produce a stylistic effect. It is not a pure negation, but a negation that includes affirmation. Therefore here we may speak of transference of meaning, i.e., a device with the help of which two meanings are materialized simul­taneously: the direct (negative) and transferred (affir­mative).

The stylistic effect of litotes depends mainly on into­nation:

1. It troubled him not a little.

2. Mr. Bardwell was a man of honor - Mr. Bardwell was a man of his word - Mr. Bardwell was no deceiver... (Dickens)

The negation does not indicate the absence of the quality mentioned, but suggests the presence of the opposite quality. In one of the above given examples the litotes "no deceiver" is clearer and more emphatic because of the preceding phrases "a man of honor", "a man of his word". Thus like other stylistic devices litotes displays a simultaneous materialization of two meanings: one

negative, the other affirmative. This interplay of two grammatical meaning is keenly felt, that the affirmation suppresses the negation. The two senses of the litotes expression, negative and positive, serve a definite stylistic effect.

In litotes we have two meanings of quality - positive and negative. The positive meaning is in opposition to the negative meaning. The negative part is under double stress. This double stress helps to overestimate the whole construction. In usual negative constructions we do not have double stress and emphasis.

Litotes as a stylistic device must not be mixed up with logical negation. Sometimes litotes serves to make a negative statement less categorical.

Litotes is used in different styles of speech but official and scientific prose.

I. Questions and Tasks

1. What is the stylistic device of polysyndeton?

2. What does polysyndeton stress in the text?

3. With what stylistic device is polysyndeton used? , Give illustrations.

4. What effect is achieved with the help of polysyn­deton?

5. What is the stylistic devise of asyndeton?

7. Define the cases and peculiarities of asyndeton.

8. What is the stylistic devise of asyndeton?

9. Define the cases and peculiarities of asyndeton.

10. What does asyndeton create? Give an example

11. Speak about the nature of elliptical sentences.

12. What is the difference between ellipsis used in oral speech and ellipsis used as a stylistic device?

13. What is the difference between elliptical sentences and one-member sentences?

14. What are the widely used patterns of elliptical constructions?