Publication details
Stylistika, stylizace a spisovnost
| Title in English | Stylistics, stylization and language standards |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2004 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Spisovnost a nespisovnost. zdroje, proměny a perspektivy. |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Linguistics |
| Keywords | sylistics; stylization; language standard |
| Description | Theory of style usually tries to avoid the problem of the standard vs the substandard. One reason for this attitude may be that this need not be a priority problem for the particular language and its linguistic description (eg in English stylistics) or stylistics is supposed to deal with public texts, in which standard means of expression are expected and a deviation from this expectation is regarded as a fault (in non-fiction) or as a specific means of foregrounding (in fiction), which is also a starting point of functional linguistics. This limitation applies also to teaching process, because schools focus on teaching how to use standard language in all types of public communication (as distinct from private communication where standard language is not expected; hopefully this will never become a part of school curricula). Stylistics as a scholarly discipline is not based on prescription but on analyses of usage in various texts and on subsequent generalization of the facts. In present-day situation it is undoubtedly unrealistic to limit stylization to standard language only. The exception could perhaps be relatively stabilized and primarily written texts belonging to non-fiction, but this does not apply to other spheres of communication in the sphere of spoken and private communication, use of standard language is possible, but highly unlikely. Style can be studied and described only on the basis of all varieties of the particular language, including potential phenomena. The opposition the standard vs the substandard is thus only one of possible distinctive features used in stylistics. |
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