Background to Stylistics and Style

 Stylistics is the scientific study of style. It is scientific because it follows an objective methodology, namely, retracing or recovering the process of text production (i.e. the intention of the writer) starting from clues left in the text as product, which sets it apart from other less scientific methods of text analysis (Short, 1996);  “Stylistics draws on the models and terminology provided by whatever aspects of linguistics are felt to be relevant” (Wales, 1989: p. 438)

 Description: “Stylistics is … concerned with relating linguistic facts (linguistic description) to meaning (interpretation) in as explicit a way as possible” (Short, 1996: p. 5)  Interpretation: “The goal of most stylistic studies is not simply to describe the FORMAL features of texts for their own sake, but in order to show their FUNCTIONAL significance for the interpretation of the text” (Wales, 1989: pp )

 “Stylistic analysis is therefore presented as a necessary complement to what many stylisticians regard as the impressionistic and implicit nature of much work within literary criticism” (Semino & Culpeper, 1995: p. 514);  The jobs of linguists, literary critics, and stylisticians are different: “The linguist… directs his attention primarily to how a piece of literature exemplifies the language system. We will say that he treats literature as text… The literary critic searches for underlying significance, for the essential artistic vision that the poem embodies and we will say that he treats literary works as messages. Between these two is an approach to literature which attempts to show specifically how elements of linguistic text combine to create messages, how, in other words, pieces of literary writing function as a form of communication. Let us say that this approach treats literature as discourse. It is this approach … which is most centrally stylistic (Widdowson, 1975: p. 6).

 Style is a way in which language is used: i.e. what linguistic choices are made by a particular author, in a particular genre, or in a particular text);  Stylistic choice is limited to those aspects of linguistic choice which concern alternative ways of rendering the same subject matter (Leech & Short, 1981: pp. 38-9).

 Language is a symbolic system;  The words we say are conventional;  The meanings that words have for us and for the others are also conventional;  The symbolic dimension mediates between the words we say, their meanings in context, and the effects that they have for us and for the others;  How does a word said to someone lead to their happiness, sadness, fear, offense, or anger? PSYCHOLOGY

 DETERMINE which stylistic feature, i.e. which grammatical category, is predominant, i.e. statistically significant (description);  DECIDE which function the stylistic feature(s) play(s) in the overall meaning of the text (interpretation);

 It is a masterpiece of styling whose proportions are dramatic yet perfectly judged and well- mannered; its crisp details are in complete harmony with the broader outlines of the gorgeous general arrangement, and, symbolically, it evokes with exquisite eloquence all the ideas of speed, glamour and romance associated with travel. You can just feel air and bodies rushing and swooning all over that lascivious shape. Never, ever, has that creaking old trope about form and function had a better character witness (The Independent, Weekend Review, , p. 1).

 It is a masterpiece of styling whose proportions are DRAMATIC yet PERFECTLY JUDGED and WELL- MANNERED; its CRISP details are in complete harmony with the broader outlines of the GORGEOUS general arrangement, and, symbolically, it evokes with EXQUISITE eloquence all the ideas of speed, glamour and romance associated with travel. You can just feel air and bodies rushing and swooning all over that LASCIVIOUS shape. Never, ever, has that creaking old trope about form and function had a better character witness (The Independent, Weekend Review, , p. 1).

 It is a MASTERPIECE of styling whose proportions are dramatic yet perfectly judged and well- mannered; its crisp details are in complete HARMONY with the broader outlines of the gorgeous general ARRANGEMENT, and, symbolically, it evokes with exquisite ELOQUENCE all the ideas of SPEED, GLAMOUR and ROMANCE associated with travel. You can just feel air and bodies rushing and swooning all over that lascivious shape. Never, ever, has that creaking old trope about form and function had a better character witness (The Independent, Weekend Review, , p. 1).

 The text belongs in promotional discourse, whose objective is to persuade audiences that the E-type jaguar is the best car for them. The ad’s persuasive load is shared equally by adjectives and nouns and, to a lesser degree, by verbs.

 The adjectives “dramatic”, “well- mannered”, “crisp”, “gorgeous”, “exquisite”, and “lascivious” not only convey a positive point of view about the car, but also present it as an attractive female, which targets male persuadees.

 Nouns such as “masterpiece”, “harmony”, “arrangement”, “eloquence”, “speed”, “glamour”, and “romance”, on the other hand, target persuadees through their positive nature and suggestion of perfection. They seem to seduce especially through “glamour” and “romance.” Thus, adjectives and nouns appear to conspire to change the buying habits of male persuadees.