Lecture 13 The Problem of Functional Styles

Classification of Sublanguages (Skrebnev)

The central part of intersecting ellipses (sublanguages) is made up by stylistically neutral units.

Sublanguages: theoretical aspects

• We can single out as many sublanguages as we think fit to attain our objectives of linguistic research.

The number of SLs and styles is infinite.

E.g. telegraphic style, telephone conversation style, Shakespearean style, the style of the novel, etc.

These styles characterize their respective sublanguages.

• There are as many norms as there are sublanguages. Each sublanguage is subject to its own norm.
• The borderlines between SLs are not strict. There exist ‘borderlands’ (‘tolerance zones’) between SLs which include units tolerable in both neighbouring spheres.

Comparative Overview of Classifications

GALPERIN ARNOLD SKREBNEV

• Functional style - Functional style - Sublanguage (Style-

as basic unit specificity of SL)

• Limited number - Limited number - Unlimited number

of FSs of FSs of SLs and styles

• Written FSs - Written + Colloq. - Written + Colloq.
• Belles-Lettres FS - No Belles-Lettres - No Belles-Lettres
• Newspaper FS - Newspaper FS - Newspaper style –

problematic

Register : definition

• The term ‘Register’ (‘регистр’) is used by foreign scholars in stylistics and sociolinguistics to refer to a variety of language defined according to the situation.
• The term was introduced in the 1950s and the phenomenon thoroughly studied in the 1960s by M. Halliday, N.E. Enkvist, J. Spencer and M.J. Gregory. The scholars created a codification of significant linguistic features which determine the style of the register.
• Other terms for Register: sublanguage, discourse genre, text type.
• “It is part of the communicative competence of every speaker that we constantly switch usages, select certain features of sound, grammar, lexis, etc in the different situations of life.” (Katie Wales)