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14PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES
TO THE QUESTION OF THE USE OF UTTERANCE INTENSIFICATION MEANS IN
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WORKS
Trusova A.
Doctor of Philosophy, associate professor
Chigrinova A.
Bachelor degree student The English Language Philology Chair, The English Department Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistics University
Abstract
The present paper deals with the means of utterance intensification in writing at various linguistic levels used in autobiographical works by contemporary foreign authors-musicians. The relatively frequent use of means of utterance intensification plays a significant role in conveying the author's main idea and represents one of the peculiarities of autobiography as a literary genre.
Keywords: means of utterance intensification, written language, autobiography, linguistic levels
Autobiographical works occupy a special place in the system of literary genres. Autobiography, according to the French literary critic and genre researcher Philippe Lejeune, is a retrospective prose narrative of a real person telling about his own existence with a special emphasis on the history of his personality [1]. Philippe Lejeune presents the features of this genre from the point of view of four categories, the main of which is the linguistic form, which allows a free narration form and the author's subjectivity in expressing his thoughts and emotional state.
Thus, among all narration styles, it is the colloquial style that is typical for autobiographical works, as it is characterized by the absence of any stylistic restrictions and informality, allowing a relatively high degree of emotionality [2]. The authors' emotional attitude is to be noticed towards all aspects of their lives: various events, personalities, thoughts and actions. In written speech emotionality is expressed by the abundance of utterance intensification means, i.e. by using intensifiers.
In Russian linguistics special attention is paid to the intensity category by professor Igor Turansky who defined it as 'a semantic category of a language based on the term of quantity gradation in a generalized sense' [3, p. 3]. From the linguistics point of view utterance intensity is observed as a 'measure of expressivity and evaluativity' [3, p. 3]. This measure is estimated through the degree of utterance emotionality graduated by inserting various intensifiers into its structure. The complex of intensifiers of a certain language represents the intensity category.
In this respect a borderline is to be drawn between the terms 'expressivity' and 'emotionality'. The latter does not constitute a linguistic category - it is a state of psyche influencing utterance expressivity in lingual terms. Thus, the emotional is construed as a means to create the expressive. Expressivity is defined as 'the effect created in speech through expressing emotive attitude of the speaker to the subject matter' [3, p. 8].
Intensifiers embrace all linguistic levels represented by six areas in order to simplify the structure:
text, sentence, phrase, word, morpheme, phoneme (Table 1). The linguistic unit division of the kind is most common in linguistics due to the fact that the units of each subsequent area are part of the previous one. The present paper deals with analysing intensifiers on all the language levels mentioned on the basis of autobiographical works by B.Dickinson (What does this Button Do?) [4], S.Erna (The Paths We Choose) [5] and D.Mustaine (Mustaine) [6].
Phonetical level
At the level of phonetics, speech expressivity is conveyed by the graphical representation. In oral speech intensification is achieved by such prosodic means as the increased voice pitch, appropriate intonation, emphatic pronunciation and placing the logical stress in the statement. In writing, it is expressed by capitalization (1), hyphenation (2), italicizing (3), word lengthening (4) or misspelling (5), which in some cases leads to the appearance of author neologisms:
1. 'FIX IT!' I screamed [4, p. 169].
She flew out of that bed screaming and swatting at her ears yelling, 'Ma! He poured acid in my ear. It burns, IT BURNS!' [5, p. 32]
2. Somewhere in the midst of this falling-into-a-musical-black-hole experience, two fellows came on stage dressed in brains [4, p. 63].
Maybe that's why I needed to come back with a big bag of I-told-you-so's for a lot of people, especially for Bill DeMonaco and my father - they were two people who had cut me down at the point and questioned my ability to make it as a musician [5, p. 206].
3. They're drums, they're supposed to be beat on [5, p. 189].
I don't have memories of him not drinking [6, p.
2].
It should be noted that in autobiographical works italics are often used to indicate the narrator's thoughts at the time of the action or event described, rather than to make the utterance intensified:
Tell me something I don't know, I thought [4, p.
119].
I had to wonder: Who the hell punches a ffteen-year-old? [6, p. 15]
4. 'Heeeeeere's Johnny!' [5, p. 102]
And then there's the girls that are like, 'Heyyyyyy!' and grab you and hug you [5, p. 173].
5. 'Faacking 'ell ... 'Oo faacking set fire to my faacking feet?' [4, p. 33]
So as far as getting any kind of rest goes. fahget-taboutit! [5, p. 194]
Capitalization, apart from imitating the volume of the voice, allows the author to convey the emotional tension of the episode described and the abruptness of sounds:
Then, out of nowhere, SMASH! A fucking arrow comes screaming through our window and misses my sister's head by about six inches [5, p. 13].
Suddenly, we heard this huge BANG above our heads. <...> Then, from through the smoke cloud, we saw these huge pieces of airplane coming down right on us [5, p. 24].
We'd go to play with this dude, <...> and [he] would hit that first bass note—BWOWWWWWW!—and sterilize the neighbourhood [6, p. 31].
or to express the narrator's shock and embarrassment from the unexpected event development:
There was a singing test, which was compulsory. <.> I was given a chit - a piece of paper - to deliver to my housemaster. On it was written: 'Dickinson -Sidney House, NON-SINGER' [4, p. 26].
Morphology level
While the intensification of the utterance external
It is worth noting that the intensifying role of adjectives increases when relative rather than qualitative adjectives are used in the comparative or superlative degrees.
Within the framework of morphology, the 'do'-operator should also be examined, as its intensifying function increases if the logical stress falls on it:
Martin, it's been a long time. Do come in [4, p. 184].
I don't know that I would have quitted Metallica, but I do believe we were destined to fracture [6, p. 100].
Third, when I do get the job, and I will, are you prepared for a totally different style and opinions? [4, p. 94]
the morphological means of expressing intensity deal with the utterance content. They include various cases of affixation i.e. usage of word-building morphemes aiming to increase the degree of quality of the object described.
There was a super-early flight on a 747 from Chicago to New York [4, p. 164].
I guess I was just what you'd call. overactive [5, p. 26].
Say what you want about lead singers: they're arrogant, egotistical, immature, petulant, hypersensitive [6, p. 132].
Gadgets, posters, books and a stereo system, which I played super-loud in my room to the annoyance of anyone sleeping nest door [4, p. 129].
As a rule, affixes 'over-', 'super-', 'hyper-' are used with adjectives and adverbs to single out one object distinguished by a special, extreme degree of a certain quality manifestation. It can be a person, a thing, or even an action, as shown in the examples above.
As for the form-building affixes worth mentioning in studies on the category of utterance intensity, they are represented by those taking part in forming degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs, since these parts of speech express the feature prominence degree in its purest form. Lexical amplifiers such as 'possible', 'yet', 'ever', 'in years', etc. are widely used in utterances with them. Here are some examples for comparison:
I did try, and I accept it is a very challenging and skillful sport [4, p. 280].
These sentences express the speakers' confidence in their words, thoughts and actions. The 'do'-operator utterances are suitable enough to formulate important life conclusions to convince the reader.
Lexicological level Speaking of lexical intensifiers, it is necessary to consider cases of usage of various superordinate semantics adjectives (incredible, fabulous, pure, complete, perfect), amplifying particles and adverbs (really, just, so):
form is achieved through the graphical representation,
It just seemed like a natural thing. It just seemed like the most natural thing in the world [6, p. 153].
I designed and built a useless and uncomfortable chair and an incompetent set of bookshelves. In woodwork I was an abject failure, although I designed and built the world's most useless and uncomfortable chair and the most incompetent set of bookshelves yet devised [4, p. 33].
It was a strange, eccentric educational institution. It was one of the strangest, most eccentric educational institutions I have ever encountered [4, p. 17].
My goal at the time was to assemble a band and then upgrade the parts as needed until I had a lean, mean fighting machine. My goal at the time was to assemble a band <.> and then upgrade the parts as needed until I had the leanest, meanest fighting machine possible [6, p. 104].
The sabbatical generally had been a good thing, leaving me healthier than I'd been. The sabbatical <.> generally had been a good thing, leaving me healthier than I'd been in years [6, p. 320].
And maybe it was a coincidence. And maybe it was just pure coincidence [6, p. 241].
Moreover, he was young. Moreover, he was just so young [6, pp. 48-49].
What an enterprise the whole thing was. For the next week we would be prisoners in the hotel, <...> until the moment we were released to go to the festival, and what an incredible enterprise the whole thing was [4, p. 168].
Our way of thinking changed fast Our way of thinking changed really fast [5, p. 131].
Such structures enable the author to convey most accurately the strong impression of life experience gained, to express their attitude to it, formulate goals and intentions, emphasizing their originality.
When analysing adjectives of superordinate se-
While the sentences in the first column are emotionally coloured, those in the second one are considered evaluative, but expressively unmarked.
Adverbs-intensifiers (completely, absolutely, totally, sure) are not characterized by such dependence on their position in the sentence:
In the meantime, I was completely helpless until she got off of me [5, p. 45].
OK, I admit I had long hair and I was a freak, but I sure as hell didn't look like Ace Frehley [5, p. 123].
I was fifteen years old and, for all intents and purposes, totally on my own [6, p. 21].
Entertainment seemed absolutely the place to go [4, p. 59].
Finally, quantifiers fulfil the function of expressing an extremely large (or extremely small) quantity of an object and occupy a special place in the lexical language system. Among these are such structures as 'lots of', 'loads of', 'a ton of', 'not a':
A different and better question is, 'Have you made any mistakes?' And the answer to that one is equally easy - loads of them [4, p. 365].
I sold a ton of equipment to pay off my debts [6, p. 321].
They immediately shut me down and told me not to say a word to my sister [5, p. 37].
I was dead fucking broke. Not a dollar to my name [6, p. 96].
All the above-mentioned lexical intensifiers are used to emphasize the redundancy or lack, as well as the extreme manifestation of object feature. They enhance the impression made by the author's narration and contribute to the reader's immersion into the plot, allowing them to 'experience' the author's emotions.
Syntactic level
Syntactic intensifiers deal with two language levels - sentence and text - and include syntactic idiomat-ics, splitting of sentence structure, exclamatory and subordinate comparative sentences, as well as syntactic repetition. In all cases, uttermost utterance intensification is achieved.
they can be used only attributively, otherwise the sentence will be considered unmarked from the point of view of its expressivity and, consequently, intensity. Here are some examples for comparison:
Syntactic idiomatics is typical for colloquial speech and can be represented by the construction of 'but + adjective'. Its purpose is to enhance the content of the stative predicate so that it becomes the semantic center of the sentence:
This made me grumpy- but interested [4, p. 92]. Splitting of sentence structure with the help of a negative particle 'not' serves the same purpose - to single out the semantic center of a statement. This means of utterance intensification is based on the opposition of homogeneous components, rather than on their juxtaposition, which adds to emotional expressivity: We are dreamers, not killers [5, p. 101]. I was a leader, not a follower [6, p. 50]. Music, not singing, came first [4, p. 40]. In the absence of homogeneous constituents, intensification is achieved by using sentences exclamatory in meaning and interrogative in structure. As a rule, the initial position is taken by rhetorical addresses: Man, was I psyched! [5, p. 15] My God, could they puff away [4, p. 11]. Man, could he play the guitar [5, p. 106]. Among the subordinate clauses it is the comparative ones that are highly expressive, since they indicate the limit of the state degree. The subordinate clause begins with the conjunction 'as if' or the demonstrative pronoun 'that', and in most cases the antecedent includes the pronoun 'such' or the adverb 'so':
Such was the enthusiasm of the fans <...>, that we could have stood on stage in our underwear waving white flags and the reaction would have been the same [4, p. 156].
My hand remains dead, as if shot full of Novocain [6, p. XIV].
The layered harmony vocal was such a colossal change for the Maiden sound our jaws dropped as we heard the rough mixes [4, p. 104].
Six foot tall, with immense, black curly hair and a gaze that would fell a tree at 20 paces, she's worked as a servant girl [4, p. 14].
mantics, it is important to take into account the fact that
The welcome committee was cordial, relaxed and the complete opposite of any preconceived notion [4, p. 155]. The instrumental portion was virtually complete [4, p. 210].
Building the perfect beast - in this case the perfect band -takes time [6, p. 102]. Although we were tighter and made fewer mistakes, we certainly weren't perfect [6, p. 61].
The above-mentioned examples prove the fact that the use of utterance intensification means at the sentence level helps the author focus the reader's attention on the most important component of the sentence, thus highlighting the key points in the text.
In its pure form, syntactic ways of expressing intensity are represented by repetition which has many varieties. Repetition is enhanced by using introductory constructions, adverbs-intensives or profanity, as well as various clarifying sentence structures inserted into the context:
What a rollercoaster of a year. Looking back further, what a rollercoaster of a life [4, p. 365].
And you know - you just fucking know - whatever you accomplish, somehow it will never be quite good enough [6, p. 242].
Impoverished, transient childhood? Check. Abusive, alcoholic parent? Check. Alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness? Check, check, check [6, p. XXI].
Repetitions help create the effect of increasing narration tension necessary to convey the author's emotions and feelings.
After analyzing the utterance intensification means at all language levels and confirming their relevance, it seems appropriate to explain their frequent use by the authors of the works under consideration.
This tendency takes place primarily due to the personal orientation of the autobiography genre in general, since the quality of an autobiographical book directly depends on the quality and reliability of the impressions, thoughts and feelings conveyed by the author.
In their attempts to achieve the goal of being open to the reader, the authors are free to choose the appropriate means of self-expression, and in particular, the means of utterance intensification. Their use frequency depends on the emotionality of the writer, on the psychological characteristics of his personality and serves the purpose of conveying the main idea of the book.
Table 1
Means of utterance intensification at different linguistic levels
Types of intensifiers Linguistic levels Intensifiers
syntactic text syntactic repetition
sentence exclamatory sentences with interrogative structure
subordinate comparative sentences
splitting of sentence structure
syntactic idiomatics
lexical word quantifiers
adverbs-intensifiers
lexical amplifiers: particles, adverbs
adjectives of superordinate semantics
morphological morpheme affixation
degrees of comparison of adjectives and adverbs
'do' - operator
phonetical (graphical representation) phoneme italicizing
capitalization
hyphenation
misspelling
word lengthening
REFERENCES:
1. Lejeune P. Pour l'autobiographie. 1998.-247p.
2. Screbnev Y.M. Ocherk teorii stilistiki / Gorky State Pedagogic Institute of Foreign Languages, 1975. - 175 p.
3. Turansky I.I. Sredstva intensifikatsii vyskazyvanija v anglijskom yazyke / Kuybyshev State Pedagogic Institute, 1987. - 78 p.
4. Dickinson B. What Does This Button Do? / B.Dickinson. - London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. - 371 p.
5. Erna S. The Paths We Choose / S.Erna. -United States: Bartleby Press, 2007, 2013. - 286 p.
6. Mustaine D. Mustaine / D.Mustaine. - United States: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010, 2011. - 372 p.
