Стилистические возможности глагольных конструкций на примере И. Шоу «Молодые львы»

Interactions between grammar and stylistics are of the essence of language and probably the most significant point to notice in studing of a language in general. A special interest attracts the correlation between meanings expressed by grammatical forms and their stylistic meanings to which in our paper we repeatedly draw our attention.

Chapter 2. Some examples of stylistic potential of verbal constructions.

2.1 The Historical Present

The English «historical present» is usually described as a way of making storytelling events more vivid.

e.g.: Last night Blackie (cat) comes with this huge dead rat in her mouth and drops it right at ray feet.

These utterence has an adverbial of time «last night» establishing the time of the event in the past, while the actions are described in the present tense. The actual time is remote from the time of utterence, but the actions described are presented as if they coincide with the time of the utterence.

e.g.: My parents worked in the field all day. And I work in the fields all day like them…

The so-called «historical present» is characteristic of popular narrative style (or fictional present or fictional narrative). In Older English, the simple present was used more widely with reference to a present event which would now be described by use of the present progressive (durative):

e.g.: I go = I’m going.

The «historical present» describes the past as if it is happening now; it conveys something of the dramatic immediacy of an eye-witness account.

e.g.: I couldn’t believe it! Just as we arrived, up comes Ben and slaps me on the back as if we’re life-long friends. «Come on, old pal», he says. Let me buy you a drink! I’m telling you, I nearly fainted on the spot".

A very different use of the present tense in reference to the past is that found with verbs of communication:

e.g.: The ten o’clock news says that there’s to be storm. Such verbs include also verbs like understand, hear, learn which refer to the receptive end of the communication process.

e.g.: I hear that poor Mr. Simpson has gone into hospital.

These sentences would also be acceptable with the simple past or present perfective, but the implication of the present tense seems to be that although the communication event took place in the past, its result — the information communicated — is still operate.

e.g.: The Book of Genesis speaks of the terrible fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Thus, although the Book of Genesis was written thousands years ago, it still «speaks» to us at the present. The notion that the past can remain in the present also explains the optional use of the present tense in sentences reffering to writers, composers, artists, etc., and their extant works.

e.g. In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky draws/drew his characters from sources deep in the Russian soul.

It is something more than a figure of speech to suggest that author is still able to speak to us through his works.

The present tense can even be used, without respect to any patticular work, for general artistic characterization of the author, but biographical details of the artist’s life must be normally reported through the past tense. Hence there is an interesting contrast between:

e.g.: Murasaki write/wrote of life in 11th century Japan.

cf: Murasaki wrote in 11th century Japan.

The simple present is usually used in Newspaper Headlines.

e.g.: «NO SELL-OUT» SAYS P.M.

TRADE UNIONS BACK MERGER

There is a close connection between the «historical present» of above, and the simple present as used in the «Fictional narrative». The only difference is that whereas the events narrated by means of the «historical present» are real those narrated by the «fictional historical present» are imaginary.

This is stylistically marked in contrast to the normal convention of the past tense for story-telling.

e.g.: The crowd swarms around the gateway, and seethes with delighted anticipation; excitement grows, as suddenly their hero makes his entrance…

A special exception in the use of the present tense in stage direction.

e.g.: Millinson enters. The girls immediately pretend to be working hard. William assures a businesslike air, picks up two folders, and makes for door.

Here the present tense is used by convention, as if to represent the idea that events of the play are being performed before our eyes as we read the script.

2.2 Archaisms

Archaisms are the words which were once common but now are replaced by synonyms. N.M. Rayevska characterizes: «The archaic variant forms are used for stylistic purposes to create the atmosphere of elevated speech in pictorical language, in poetry or in proverbial saying». [N.M. Rayevska; 1976, p. 55] The table below shows only small part of archaic words, namely archaic forms of the auxiliaries. It should be noted that these forms are used mostly in poetry, thus forming a characteristic feature of this ganre of literature.

Forms Grammatical characteristics Verbs dost [dΛst], [dəst] Present indefinite, 2nd person singular to do doth, doeth (dΛØ), [dəØ] Present indefinite, 3rd person singular didst [didst] Past indefinite, 2nd person singular art- [a:t], [ət] Present indefinite, 2nd person singular to be wast [wost], [wəst],

wert [wə:t], [wət] Past indefinite, 2nd person singular hast [hæst], [həst], [əst], [st] Present indefinite, 2nd person singular to have hath [hæØ], [həØ], [əØ] Present indefinite, 3rd person singular hadst [hædst], [hədst], [ədst] Past indefinite, 2nd person

singular shall [ƒælt], [ƒəlt], [ƒlt] Present indefinite, 2nd person singular shall shouldst, shouldest (ƒudst) Past indefinite, 2nd person

singular wilt [wilt], [əlt], [-it] Present indefinite, 2nd person singular will wouldst, wouldest [wudst] Past indefinite, 2nd person

singular

We can add some more examples:

Saith = says; Modal verbs:

endeth = ends; canst, needest, mayest.

knoweth = knows;

spake = spoke;

throve = thrived;

bare = bore

art = is;

stretchest, coverest fwalketh, maketh, layeth, gettest, didst, stiteth, beginneth, heareth and others.

«…For it hath been by sorrow nursed,

And ach’d in sleepless silence long;

And now 'tis doom’d to know the worst,

And break at once-or yield to song."

[G.G. Byron. My soul is dark; 1992, p. 16.]

«Old Yew, which graspest at the stones

That name the under-lying dead,

Thy fibres net the dreamless head,

Thy roots are wrapt about the bones."

[A. Tennyson; 1992, p. 182]

A lot of Shakespearisms are used in Modern English which are described by A.V. Kunin in his book «The Course of Phraseology of Modern English». He lines out some phraseological units as arkhaisms:

be at accord with somebody = agree to smb.;

play upon advantage = to deceive;

at adventure = at random;

at fortune’s alms = as charity of a fate;

all and some = separately and together.

The use of archaic variant forms in fiction, for instance, in historical novels, serves to characterize the speech of those times, reproduce its atmosphere, its «couleur historique» (historic colour).

2.3 Stylistic potential of the continious forms of the

In this paragraph we briefly characterise the stylstic potential of the continious forms of English verb.

The first and commonly used is the expression of anger or irritation with adverbs such «always, every time, continually, constantly, forever»:

e.g. «I am astonished, «said Miss Bingley,» that my fattier should have left so small a collection of books. What a delightful library you have at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy!

«It out to be good, „he replied,“ it has been the work of many generations».

«And then you have added so much to it yourself, you are ALWAYS buying books.»

«I cannot comprehend the neglect of a family library in such days as these.» «Neglect!.»

[Jane Austen; 1992, p. 38].

In combination with always, continually, or forever, the progressive loses its semantic component of «temporariness» The speaker seems to suggest that «buying books» are an irritating or deplorable habits.

The second is future arising from present arrangement, plan, programme:

e.g.: «A fine evening, Miss Peecher», said the master.

«A fine evening, Mr. Headstone», said Miss Peecher. «Are you taking walk?»

«Hexam and I are going to take a long walk».

[Ch. Dickens; 1992, p. 206].

e.g.: «If you think I might risk it, Miss, I’d like to slip round to my dentist.» — Oh! what race is being run this afternoon, then, topping?" [Galsworthy; 1992, p. 145].

Continiuous tense is also used to express imperative modality.

e.g. «We're going after buff in the morning», he told her.

«I'm coming», she said.

«No, you’re not».

«Oh, yes, I am. Mayn’t I, Francis?»

«We'll put on another show for you tomorrow», Francis Macomber said.

«You are not coining», Wilson said.

[Hemingway; 1992, p. 145].

There are a lot of the subtle meaning associated with the progressive aspect. Syntagmatic connotative meanings of the Present Continuous signalled by different context, linguistic or situational, may denote: expression of anger or irritation; future arising from present, arrangement, plan and programme; the imperative modality and other expressive elements.

Here there are only few example of a possible use of verbal constructions to form stylistically marked elements.

Conclusion

In our research we have touched upon the problem of the stylistic potential of verbal constructions in modern English. We can see that the verb suggests a wide use of its forms in different stylistic contexts. This is due to the fact that during its history the English language has devloped an extensive range of verb forms to express the thinest nuances of the naration according to the speaker’s will.

In a dictionary most of the words are neutural, they receive stylistical coloring only in contexts. The means of creating this colouring is the use of verbs in unusual context. An example of such use is the historical present. We have also seen that not only modern verb forms have stylistic potential, but also archaic ones. The latest are widely used in poetry and in historical novels to convey the atmosphere of the time.

This work gives only a brief introduction to the problem. It suggests a potential for further study.

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