I introduction: stylistics

I. INTRODUCTION: STYLISTICS
Stylistics is the study of style. Ufot (2017) sees stylistics primarily as the analysis of the language of texts. Ufot (2014, p. 28) argues that even though it is applicable to all kinds of texts, whether literary or non-literary, stylistics appears to be more frequently associated with literary texts. In fact, traditionally, as conspicuously seen in its checkered history, the preoccupation of stylistics has been the language of literature. In this light, some scholars often typify literary stylistics as a stylistics that focuses on the language of literary text(s), distinguishing it from a non-literary stylistics which is concerned with the analysis of non-literary text(s) (Jeffries and Mclntyre 2010, p. 2, Ufot 2017).
Essentially, owing to its nature, a good definition of stylistics considers both literary and non-literary texts. An example of such definition has been given by Ufot (2012, p. 2460) who sees stylistics as the linguistic study of the various components of a writer's literary (or non-literary) style. Also, as pointed out by Wales (2014, p. 400), stylistics is confusingly called linguistic stylistics "because its models or tools are drawn from linguistics". Ufot (2006, p. 13) then defines stylistics as the linguistic study of style. Notably, the study is a systematic one that aims appreciably at objectivity. Jeffries and Mclntyre (2010, p.) write:
Stylistics has been defined as a sub-discipline of linguistics that is concerned with the systematic analysis of style in language and how this can vary according to such factors as, for example, genre, context, historical period and author....
Simpson (2004, p. 2) notes that modern stylistics is positively flourishing. It has embraced different disciplines with its methods, and it has been enriched by the mingling. Wales (2014, p. 399) observes, "style can be viewed in several ways, so there are several different stylistic approaches." Thus, there are so many approaches identifiable in stylistics. Jeffries and Mclntyre (2010, p. 3) write:
Stylistics draws upon theories and models from other fields more frequently than it develops its own unique theories. This is because it is at a point of confluence of many sub-disciplines of linguistics, and other disciplines, such as literary studies and psychology, drawing upon these (sub-)disciplines but not seeking to duplicate or replace them.
Prominent amongst these approaches are the linguistic and literary approaches to stylistics.
Hence, by approach, we have literary stylistics (which in addition to its aforementioned description in paragraph one emphasises the use of "linguistic techniques" in the interpretation of texts) and linguistic stylistics (which as indicated in paragraph one emphasises the use of linguistic models or tools in textual analysis). The text can be literary or non-literary. What are the differences between these two approaches? This paper sets about to present each of the approaches. Citing considerable examples, it seeks to describe the two approaches by means of empirical review of works that have employed the approaches, thereby highlighting the observed salient differences between the two approaches.