Expressive Resources of the Language

Points for discussion:
Expressive means and stylistic devices
Classification of expressive means and stylistic devices

Expressive means of a language are those linguistic forms and properties that have the potential to make the utterance emphatic or expressive
Expressive means of a language are those linguistic forms and properties that have the potential to make the utterance emphatic or expressive

Expressive means:
Phonetic phenomena: vocal pitch, pauses, logical stress
Morphological forms:
diminutive suffixes (girlie, piggy, doggy, etc.);
the author's nonce words like: He glasnosted his love affair with the movie star
Lexical expressive means: intensifiers (awfully, terribly, absolutely, etc.)
Grammatical forms and syntactical patterns: I'm really angry with that dog of yours! If only I could help you!

A stylistic device is a literary model in which semantic and structural features are blended so that it represents a generalized pattern

The nature of the interaction
affinity (likeness by nature) - metaphor,
proximity (nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, relation) – metonymy,
contrast (opposition) - irony.

The evolution of metaphor
My new dress is as pink as this flower: comparison (ground for comparison—the colour of the flower)
Her cheeks were as red as a tulip: simile (ground for simile— colour /beauty/ health/ freshness)
She is a real flower: metaphor (ground for metaphor—frail/ fragrant/tender/ beautifu1/ helpless...)
My love is a red, red rose: metaphor (ground for metaphor— passionate/beautiful/strong...)
Ruby lips, hair of gold, snow-white skin: trite metaphors

I. R. Galperin's classification of expressive means and stylistic devices
Phonetic expressive means and stylistic devices
Lexical expressive means and stylistic devices
Syntactical expressive means and stylistic devices

Phonetic expressive means and stylistic devices
onomatopoeia: ding-dong; tinkle, tinkle;
alliteration: to rob Peter to pay Paul; oh, the dreary, dreary moorland;
rhyme: a regular recurrence of corresponding sounds at the ends of lines verse;
rhythm: a regular recurrence of elements in speech.

Lexical expressive means and stylistic devices
the interaction of different types of a word's meanings
the interplay of dictionary and contextual meanings
metaphor: A mighty Fortress is our God
catachresis: Alibi for excuse; mental for weak-minded
personification: Time, the subtle thief of youth,…
metonymy: Crown for sovereign
synecdoche: I'm all ears
irony: A fine friend you are!

Lexical expressive means and stylistic devices
the interaction of primary and
derivative meanings
zeugma: She dropped a tear and her pocket handkerchief
pun: What steps would you take if an empty tank were coming toward you?—Long ones.
the opposition of
logical and emotive meanings
epithet: a lovely, summery evening
oxymoron: peopled desert, populous solitude, proud humility
the interaction of logical and nominal meanings
antonomasia: a Solomon; Don Juan

Lexical expressive means and stylistic devices
the interaction between two lexical meanings simultaneously materialized in the context
simile: treacherous as a snake, faithful as a dog
periphrasis: a gentleman of the long robe (a lawyer)
hyperbole: he is stronger than a lion

Lexical expressive means and stylistic devices
stable word combinations in their interaction with the context
clichés: crushing defeat, the whip and carrot policy
proverbs and sayings: Come! he said, milk's spilt
epigrams: A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.
quotations: Ecclesiastes said, 'that all is vanity'.
allusion: It's his Achilles heel
allegory: the scales of justice
decomposition of set phrases: You know which side the law's buttered.

Syntactical expressive means and stylistic devices
Devices built on the principle of juxtaposition
anastrophe: Me he restored, him he hanged.
detached constructions: She was lovely: all of her—delightful.
parallel constructions: The seeds ye sow—another reaps, The robes ye weave—another wears, The arms ye forge—another bears.
chiasmus: He went to the country, to the town went she.
repetition: For glances beget ogles, ogles sighs, sighs wishes, wishes words, and words a letter.
anaphora: No tree, no shrub, no blade of grass
enumeration
climax\anti-climax
antithesis: Youth is lovely, age is lonely; Youth is fiery, age is frost

Syntactical expressive means and stylistic devices
Devices based on the type of connection
asyndeton: He provided the poor with jobs, with opportunity, with self-respect
polysyndeton: He thought, and thought, and thought
gap-sentence link: It was an afternoon to dream. And she took out Jon's letters

Syntactical expressive means and stylistic devices
The peculiar use of colloquial constructions
ellipsis: Nothing so difficult as a beginning
aposiopesis: (break-in-the-narrative): Good intentions but - …
question in the narrative: Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did.
represented speech: Over and over he was asking himself, would she receive him?