Microsoft Word stilistika O'UM. doc

PHONETIC EXPRESSIVE MEANS AND STYLISTIC DEVICES 
Different types of sound combination may produce certain stylistic effect 
especially if they are properly used. In order to get a clear understanding about the 
function of phonetic means they are divided into two groups: those used for 
versification and instrumentation – a combination of different phonetic means which 
bring special emphasis into poetry and prose. Instrumentation usually comprises: 
alliteration, assonance and onomatopoeia. 
Speaking about the sound the system of the language, it is necessary to pay 
attention to the following fact: there are some sounds that are phonetically motivated, 
i.e. they carry some hidden additional information within the semantic structure of 
the word. It is most clearly seen in onomatopoeia. There is the opinion that angina, 
pneumonia and uvula would make beautiful girl’s names instead of such names as 
Joan, Joyce and Maud. 

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The theory of sound symbolism state that sounds may be classed according to 
the following qualities: strong-weak, tender- rough, quick- slow etc. Thus, sound [b] 
is considered as strong, [m] is mild [l] is slow and warning, [f] is dark, rough and 
weak. Of course this classification is subjective and diverse. 
Onomatopoeia is a EM of the language which imitates the sounds produced by 
animals, some mechanical devices, by natural phenomena and by people: murmur, 
clatter, cuckoo, kiss: 
The cock is crowing, 
The stream is flowing, 
The small birds twitter, 
The lake does glitter, 
The green fields sleep in the sun.
The italicized words are onomatopoeic. These words are divided into the 
following groups: 1) onomatopoeic words (verbs and nouns) which denote the sound 
of movements: bang, boom, bump, hum, rustle, smack. The sound of forceful motion: 
dash, crash, whack, whip, whisk. 2) onomatopoeic words which produce sounds 
appearing in the process of communication: babble, chatter, giggle, grunt, grumble, 
murmur, mitter, titter, whisper. 3) sounds of animals, birds, insects: huzz, cackle, 
crook, crow, hiss, moo, mew. 4) the sound of water: bubble, splash. 5) the sound of 
metallic things: clink, tinkle etc. 
Many onomatopoeic words have two fold meaning: one- direct or dictionary, 
another- transferred, or figurative. Thus we may say that onomatopoeia may be 
looked upon as a sounding metaphor: to croak- the direct meaning is to make a deep 
harsh sound ( about frogs and ravens), but in its transferred meaning it denotes a 
hoarse human voice. Its contextual meaning may be: to protest dismally, grumble 
dourly, to predict evil. Note the following example: If that child doesn’t stop 
whining, I’ll drown it. In this sentence “whining” is used as an onomatopoeic word 
and means “long-drawn complaining cry or high-pitched sound made by a miserable 
dog, a siren, a motor or a shell in flight.” 
Alliteration is a device which is based on the reiteration of initial sounds of the 
utterance: And the day is dark and dreary; no pay, no play; fate and fortune. 
Alliteration is often used in poetry, emotive prose and the style of mass media 
(especially headlines). 
In this forms of written texts alliteration is used to attract the reader’s attention, 
to make certain parts of the text more prominent: The place of light, of literacy and 
learning. 
Live and learn. Look before you leap. Vision, Venture, and Victory. 
The titles of some books are alliterated: School for Scandal; Sense and 
Sensibility. 
Many proverbs and sayings are built on alliteration: safe and sound, tit for tat; 
blind as a bat; neck or nothing.