Stylistics routledge English Language Introductions

Whiskey & Soda
.
If pop group names are indicative, then the performers have come from a wide
range of occupations that they wish to be reminded of: there are 
Administrators
,
Ambitious Beggars
, 
Captains of Industry
, 
Chefs
, 
Dead Milkmen
, 
Diplomats
, 
Engineers
,
Fire Brigade
, 
Hunters & Collectors
, 
Janitors
, a 
Lecturer
, 
Law Lords
, 
Men at Work
, 
Monks
,
Police
, 
Scientists
, 
Shop Assistants
, 
TV Personalities
, 
Undertakers
, 
Vets
, and 
Waitresses
.
The V.I.Ps include 
The Royal Family
, and especially the 
Queen
and 
Prince Charles
.
Many would appear to have been artists (
Deep Green
, 
Deep Purple
, 
Frigid Pink
, 
King
Crimson
, 
Pink and Black
, 
Simply Red
, 
Vicious Pink
, 
Snowy White
, 
Yello
), scientists (
Air
Supply, Antenna, Einstein, Flying Saucers, H2O, Silicon Chip
), and botanists (
Blue
158
E X T E N S I O N
D2
Katie
Wales

---

Orchids, Chrysanthemums, Edelweiss, Holly & The Ivys, Little Acorns, Poppies, Persian
Flowers, March Violets
). More depressing, however, is to discover just how many are
hypochondriacs (
Anorexia, Antidote, Anthrax, Cramps, The Cure, Double Visions, Fatal
Microbes, Fear of Flying, Hypertension, Malaria, Mental As Anything, Scars, Sore Throat,
Social Illness, Suicidal Tendencies, Talking to Walls, Varukers, Vapors
).
Just from the names alone, there is a truly revealing image presented of late twen-
tieth century society, its social symbols and flotsam and jetsam. Mobility and
technology are reflected in transport (
Blue Mercedes, Cars, Fifty-Three Bus, Freight
Train, Heathrow Flyers, London Underground, Metro, Taxi
), and all its social ramifi-
cations (
Car Crash, Crawling Chaos, Jet Set, Love Train, Taking the Trains Out
). The
media of journalism and television are captured in the names that reproduce the
catch-words, buzz-words, idioms and collocations that many up-to-date dictionaries
try hard to record also: 
Alternative TV, Colour Supplement, Local Boy Makes Good,
Mystery Guests, Personal Column, Send No Flowers, Small Ads, Tabloids
. Images of
other aspects of contemporary society are captured in names like 
Neighbourhood
Watch, Overdraft, Photofit, Kissing the Pink, State of Play
and the abbreviations 
UB
40, UFO and VDUs
.
More general in distribution are the names which repeat the cliches, similes and
proverbs of everyday spoken language: 
Curiosity Killed the Cat, Hear No Evil, Humble
Pie, If All Else Fails, If It Moves, Keep it Dark, Lip Service, Look Before You Leap, Midas
Touch, The Name Escapes Me, Scotch Mist, Soft Touch, Tongue in Cheek
. Perhaps some
performers are actually ex-linguists, so sharp is their ear for contemporary idiom.
Indeed, how else are we to explain names like 
ABC, Accent, Bad English, Broken
English, Coptic Roots, English Subtitles, Esperanto, Learning Process, Stylistics, Talk Talk,