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56PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES
THE STYLISTIC DIFFERENTATION OF THE ENGLISH VOCABULARY
Guliyeva N.
Senior teacher
Azerbaijan State Oil And Industry University
Baku, Azerbaijan
Abstract
The article investigates stylistical aspects of the words as a branch of linguistics studying subdivisions such as literary, neutral and colloquial layers. It is said that the general principals of semantics are equal in all languages, but its specific peculiarities associated with concrete conditions of language development. It also studies the various specific subgroups being term or scientific words, poetic words and archaisms, barbarisms and foreign words, slang, and argot. Besides above mentioned types, in the non - literary vocabulary of the English language there is a group of words that are called jargonisms. It is emphasized that jargon is a recognized term for a group of words that exist in almost every language and the aim of which is to preserve secrecy within one or another social group. We should mention that jargonic words and expressions of different social groups belong to substandard English.
Keywords: linguistics, slang, non - literary vocabulary, colloquial speech, jargon, substandard English.
There is clear division between the literary and non-literary language. The literary language constantly enriches its vocabulary and includes the non-literary one. The essential difference between the two varieties of language is evidently reflected in the syntactical structure. Considering the already-mentioned division of language into literary and non-literary, the whole of the word-stock of the English language can be represented as being divided into three main layers: literary, neutral and colloquial.
Neutral words form the bulk of the English vocabulary, they are used in both literary and colloquial language. The neutral group of words does not have any special stylistic coloring, whereas both literary and colloquial words have a definite stylistic coloring.
There are words equally fit to be used in a lecture, a poem or when speaking to a child. These are said to be stylistically neutral. The English nouns horse, steed, gee-gee have the same denotational meaning in the sense that all refer to the same animal, but the stylistical colouring is different in each case. Horse is stylistically neutral and may be used in any situation. Steed is dignified and belongs to poetic diction, but gee-gee is a nursery word neutral in a child's speech.
Stylistically words can be roughly subdivided into literary, neutral and colloquial layers. The greater part of the literary layer of Modern English vocabulary are words of general use and known as neutral words. We can distinguish two main subgroups: standard colloquial words and literary or bookish words.
If we compare the words parent - father - dad -sire, we can see identity in their denotational meaning. However, father is stylistically homogeneous. It is a neutral word, parent is a bookish word, dad, daddy are used in colloquial speech, they are nursery words, and can be come across in poetic diction.
We may single out various specific subgroups:
1) term or scientific words (genocide, teletype, computer, file, etc.);
2) poetic words and archaisms. For ex. ; whilom -formally ; aught -anything .morn - morning ,ere -before ,nay - no ,etc.;
3) barbarisms and foreign words: bon mot -a clever and witty saying;
Besides there is slang and argot. E.g. job - a place got by protection; chit - a short letter, message; tiffin -lunch; weed - drugs; gag - joke, etc.
These words serve to denote a special vocabulary and idioms used by a particular social or age group.
It is a common knowledge that colloquial English is very emotional:
On earth or God's name, etc.!
These are colloquial and emotional only after interrogative words:
Why in God's name ...; Why on earth ....; Where in God's name; I wish you dog death!; Let the earth take you!; I wish you speedy recovering; I wish you covered with your own blood!
On the other hand, there exist oaths, swear words and their euphemistic variations ( Damn your eyes!) that functions as emotional colloquialisms independent on the context. For ex.: By God!, Godness!, Gracious!, For Godness Sake!, etc.
Slang words are identified and distinquished by contrasting them to standard English literary vocabulary. They are expressive, mostly ironically for some things. E.g.
- slang words for " money ": beans, brass, dough, chink, wads:
- for the ord 'head': 'attic, brain pan, nut, upper storey;
- for the adj . "drunk" : boozy, cock - eyed, soaked, tight and many more.
There are many slang words for food, alchohol drinks, stealing and other variations of the law, for jail, death, madness, etc.
If the slang words denote a new and necessary notion, they may prove an enrichment of the vocabulary and be accepted into standard English, on the other hand, they make just another addition to a cluster of
synonyms and have nothing but novelty to back them die out very quickly.
Under the substandard English we understand jargons, colloquialisms, slang words. Such class jargons cannot de considered as languages because they have neither vocabulary nor grammatical structure of their own.
In English dictionaries some words of social groups are marked as "slangs" (sl.) ( that's not literary words).
Webster's Dictionary (3 rd international dictionary) gives the following meanings of the term slang:
1. language pecular to aparticular group:
a) the special and secret vocabulary used by a class (as thieves, beggars, etc.).
b) the jargon used by a particular trade, profession, etc.
2. a nonstandard vocabulary expressing quick popularity and relatively rapid decline into disuse. They are grouped as following:
a) the special vocabulary used by any sets of persons;
b) the cant or jargon of a certain class or period;
c) language of a highly colloquial type considered as below the level of standard educated speech, etc.
As it is seen from those quotations slang is represented both as a special vocabulary and as a special language. The followings are some more examples of ords that are considered slang:
Bread - basket = the stomach ( jocular use ) ;
to do a fit = to guit one's flat or lodgings at night without paying the rent; rot! = nonsense!; the cat's pyjamas = the correct thing.
Besides above mentioned types, in the non - literary vocabulary of the English language there is a group of words that are called jargonisms. Jargon is a recognized term for a group of words that exist in almost every language and the aim of which is to preserve secrecy within one or another social group. Jargonisms are generally old words with entirely immaterial, only the new, improvised meaning is of importance.
Thus, the word grease means money; leaf = head; a lexer = a student preparing for a low course, a tiger hunter = a gambler, etc.
Jargonisms are social in character. They are not regional. In Britain and in the USA, almost any social group of people has its own jargon .They are: the jargon of thieves, the jargon of jazz people, the jargon of army, known as military slang, the jargon of sporsmen, and many others. Jargon belongs to all social groups and is therefore easily understand by everybody. That's why it is difficult to draw a hard and fast line between slang and jargon. Here are some examples of jargon:
Piou - Piou = a French soldier - has passed from military jargon to ordinary colloguial speech;
Hammen = a false arrest ( american);
Malto (n) -a sailor (from the French word " material " );
Man and wife - a knife , etc.
When a jargonism becomes common, it has pressed on to a higher step and becomes slang or colloquialism.
The term colloguial is considered to be old enough. The great English lexicographer wanted to reform the English language clearing it from colloquial barbarisms ( E.Patridge ).
Colloquialisms do not mean "slangy" and jar-gon.This term is used to denote the vocabulary used by educated people in the course of ordinary conversation.
There is familiar colloquial hich charactarized by a great number of jocular or ironical expressions. It is more emotional and much more free and careless than literary colloquial. Lo colloquial is used for illiteraten-popular speech. It is different from familiar colloquial in that it contains more vulgar words and sometimes also elements of dialects. Here are some colloquial words:
daily = a woman who is paid to come and do housework everyday ;
greens = green vegetables, such as spinash, cabbage, etc .
Words among different social groups we find :
1.colloquial vulgarism; 2. Special professional words; 3. jargonic words and set expressions of declassed elements ( thievis,tramps ), etc.
The third group is called cant - ( jargon ). The ords and expressions of the to above mentioned groups have a certain stylistic colouring and are very expressive. E.g . rubbish - tommy rot = nonsense; yes - man - today -lickspittle = ( a person who says to everybody " yes"); bore = a dull person, a tiresome person. E.g. Ne is a bore.
Professional jargonic words are used by people having the same profession. So, they may be student's jargon, journalistic jargon, etc. E.g. The greats = state examination; to be ploughed = to fall at an examination; prof = professor; maths = mathematics; cabbage - synopsis; trig = trigonometry, etc.
Today all these words belong to the student's jargon.
A penny dreadful = a cheap adventurous novel;
Sob - sister = a woman writer; ad = advertisement.
These words belong to journalistic jargon.
Jargonic words and expressions of different social groups belong to substandard English.
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