3 Linguistic features

Stylistics focuses on texts and gives
much attention to the devices, parts
of speech and figures of speech. It
goes further to look into the effects of
the use of the devices on the reader.

Talking about the scope of stylistics, Onwukwe
Ekwutosi gave four distinctive types of stylistics
and they are:
General stylistics
Literary stylistics
Stylo-stylistics
Phono-stylistics
non-dialectical varieties
found within a language
language use in
literature
the qualification of stylistic pattern
study of expression of
aesthetic function of
sound

General stylistics deals with the non-dialectical
varieties found within a language. In other words, it
deals with situational or contextual use of
language, that is, variation according to use.
It also includes variation of language according to
field of discourse, variation according to mode of
discourse and finally, variation according to style of
discourse.
General stylistics

Literary stylistics deals with language use
in literature, that is, variations,
characteristics of individual writer that
made mark in literature.
Often, we hear people talk about the style
of Shakespeare, Milton, Achebe or
Soyinka.
Literary stylistics

Stylo-stylistics deals with the qualification
of stylistic pattern. It studies the
statistical structure of literary texts often
using computers.
Stylo-stylistics

Phono-stylistics is the study of expression
of aesthetic function of sound.
Phono-stylistics

STYLISTIC FEATURES
Stylistic features can be described as features that
produce style. They include linguistic features such as:
• Diction: writer’s choice of
words
• clichés, archaism,
polysyllabic,
monosyllabic
• Sentence structure such
sentences
• Parallelism
• Parenthetical
expressions
• Passive expressions
•Punctuation marks

DICTION: Choice of
words
Slang: Very informal words and expressions that are more
common in spoken language, especially used by a particular
group of people.
Colloquialism: A word or phrase that is used in conversation
but not in formal speech in writing.
Connotation: It is the additional meaning the word gains
because of the different environment in which a word has

DICTION
group of people.
• BAE
• Lit
• Low key
• On point
• Savage
• Ship
• The tea
• Woke
• YOLO

DICTION:
group of people.
• BAE: A term of endearment, meaning "before anyone else,"
used between romantic partners that can
"I love her to death. She's so fierce!"
• Lit: If something is "lit," it means it's super cool or "on fire."
"Last night's party was lit."
• Low key: If someone or something is "low key," it means it's
being done under the radar or they don't want anyone to know.
"I low key love Imagine Dragons, but don't tell anyone!"
• On point: Outstanding, perfectly executed.
"Her accessories are on point. She looks great."
• Savage: Someone who "roasts" people nonstop and doesn't
care what others will say.
"Jimmy Kimmel's monologue on Donald Trump last night was
savage."
• Ship: Short for "romantic relationship," sometimes used as a
verb.
"Everyone wants to ship Edward and bella, but they say they're
just good friends.
• The tea: When someone is dishing "the tea," they're
gossiping, particularly with the juiciest or most dramatic gossip.
"Let's call Wendy. She always has the tea."
• Woke: Slang for "awakened," as in being highly aware of
social injustices.
"If you're so woke, why didn't you vote?"
• YOLO: An acronym for "you only live once," encouraging
people to seize the day.
"Of course you should go on that trip to Dublin! YOLO

DICTION
Colloquialism: A
word or phrase
that is used in
conversation but
not in formal
speech in writing.

DICTION
Connotation:
It is the additional
meaning the word
gains because of
the different
environment in
which a word has
been used in the

ARCHAISM: use of older
versions of language and art
Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)
“Perhaps he loves you now,
And now no soil nor cautel doth
besmirch
The virtue of his will
There; my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy
memory
Give thy thoughts no tongue …
I find thee apt;
And duller shouldst thou be than the
fat weed
That rots itself in ease on Lethe
wharf,
Wouldst thou not stir in this …”

Hamlet (By William Shakespeare)
“Perhaps he loves you now,
And now no soil nor cautel doth
besmirch
The virtue of his will
There; my blessing with thee!
And these few precepts in thy
memory
Give thy thoughts no tongue …
I find thee apt;
And duller shouldst thou be than
the fat weed
That rots itself in ease on Lethe
wharf,
Wouldst thou not stir in this …”

Many English proverbs and idioms contain archaism
examples, such as the following:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you.
 Often called the Golden Rule, both the word “unto” and the
grammatical constructions of starting with “do” and the
linking “as you would have” are archaism examples

To thine own self be true.
 Originally a William Shakespeare quote, this sentence has
evolved into a common English proverb, yet retains the
archaism “thine”
Full of vim and vigor.
 “Vim” is now only used when in conjunction with “vigor”

POLYSYLLABIC: a word
with many syllables
in-tel-li-gent
in-i-ti-at-ve
per-so-ni-fi-ca-tion
fun-da-men-tal-ly
in-fe-ri-o-ri-ty
syl-la-bi-fi-ca-tion

MONOSYLLABIC: a word
which contains only one
syllable You
Are
One
Of
A
Kind

PARALLELISM: defined as two
or more phrases or clauses in a
sentence that have the same
grammatical structure.
For example:
We wanted to cook and to go swim
(Not parallel)
We wanted to cook and to swim.
(Parallel)

PARALLELISM
Common Examples of Parallelism:
• Like father, like son.
• Easy come, easy go.
• Whether in class, at work, or at home, Shasta was
always busy.
• Flying is fast, comfortable, and safe.

PARALLELISM
1) Eggs contain not only protein but are also are full
of vitamins.
Correct: Eggs contain not only protein (noun) but also
vitamins (noun).
2) The yolk of one egg contains 213 milligrams of
cholesterol and there are 5 grams of fat.
Correct: The yolk of one egg contains 213 milligrams of
cholesterol and 5 grams of fat

PARALLELISM
3) Still, the whites are both fat-free and have no
cholesterol.
Correct: Still, the whites are both fat-free and cholesterol-
free.
4) Generally, it is better to eat eggs moderately than
avoiding them entirely.
Correct: Generally, it is better to eat eggs moderately than
to avoid them entirely.

EXAMPLES OF
PARALLELISM IN
LITERATURE
Example #1: A Tale of Two Cities (By Charles Dickens)
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was
the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was
the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was
the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it
was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
By repeating “It was…” in the passage, the readers are prompted to focus
on the traits of the “age” they will read about in the succeeding passages.

EXAMPLES OF
PARALLELISM IN
LITERATURE
Example #2: The Tyger (By William Blake)
“What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?”
Blake uses parallel structures, starting with “what” in each phrase, creating
a beautiful rhythm in the above lines.

EXAMPLES OF
PARALLELISM IN
LITERATURE
Example #3: Presidential Inauguration Speech (By Barack Obama)
“My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us,
grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices
borne by our ancestors.”
In this speech, U.S. President Barack Obama uses structural parallelism in
the bold phrases, giving his speech beauty.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
• a word or words added to a sentence without
changing the meaning or grammar of the original
sentence;
• extra information but are not essential. You can
add and remove a parenthetical and the sentence
works just the same.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
• Essential: The person taking money
at the door asked for a form of
identification.
• Nonessential: The police, hoping to
save time, took the expressway.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
In fact there are three types of
punctuation that can separate
parenthetical expressions:
• commas , .......,
• round brackets (.......)

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Commas: are the usual form of punctuation for
parenthetics. Remember, if the parenthetic appears
in the middle of the sentence there must be TWO
commas, one before and one after.
Example:
Some foods, sugar for example, are not good for us.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Brackets: are the next most common form of
punctuation for parenthetics. Bracketed parenthetics
can only appear in the middle of the sentence, and
there must always be TWO brackets.Example:
The planet closest to the sun (ie Mercury) has the most extreme
temperature variations.
The 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings (6 June 1944) was attended
by many world leaders.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Dashes: for parenthetics are much less common. If
the parenthetic appears in the middle of the
sentence, there must be TWO dashes, one before
and one after.
Example:
The cheetah—the world's fastest land animal—is native to
Africa.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Use the punctuations to separate parenthetical
expressions:
• Tara although she comes from a hot climate hates hot
weather.
• If they didn't understand you a qualified teacher how will they
ever understand me?
• The 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings 6 June 1944 was
attended by many world leaders.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Use the punctuations to separate parenthetical
expressions:
• Tara, although she comes from a hot climate, hates hot
weather.
• If they didn't understand you—a qualified teacher—how will
they ever understand me?
• The 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings (6 June 1944)
was attended by many world leaders.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
Note that in all the above cases, where the
parenthetic is in the middle of the sentence, there
must be a PAIR of punctuation marks—an opening
mark and a closing mark. However, when a
parenthetic is at the beginning or end of a sentence,
we can use a single comma or a single dash. It is
NOT possible to use a single bracket.

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
• Well how are you going to explain
yourself now?
• You should never drink and drive of
course.
• John had not been drinking or so he

PARENTHETICAL
EXPRESSION
• Well, how are you going to explain
yourself now?
• You should never drink and drive, of
course.
• John had not been drinking—or so he

PASSIVE EXPRESSION
In English, the active voice uses a subject which actually “does”
something (the main verb).
For example:
She sent the letter.
(Here, “she” does something: sends the letter)
In the active voice, the subject is called the 'agent' because it
actually “does” the main verb. So, 'she' is the agent in the above
example.

PASSIVE EXPRESSION
The passive voice is formed by using the verb “to be” in the same
tense as the main verb in the active voice, followed by the past
participle of the main verb.
Most importantly, the object of the active voice becomes the subject
of the passive voice. However, the new subject is NOT the agent.
She sent the letter.
(active voice, “to send” - past tense)
The letter was sent.
(passive voice: “to be” - past tense, “to send” - past participle, “letter” – subject)

PASSIVE EXPRESSION
The people will elect a new president.
(active voice: “to elect” - future tense)
A new president will be elected.
(passive voice: “to be” - future tense, “to elect” - past participle, “a new
president” - subject)

These are signs in writing to divide sentences
and phrases and to make meanings clear.
PUNCTUATION
MARKS

FIGURE OF SPEECH
A figure of
speech is an
expression used
figuratively rather
than literary. It
gives a deeper
meaning to word.

FIGURE OF SPEECH
• Metaphor: Is a comparison between two dissimilar things which have
something in common.
• Simile: It is a clear comparison between two dissimilar things. These two
unlike items however share something in common. It is this common
characteristic that is emphasized by the use of like or as …as.
• Hyperbole: It is an overstatement where the speaker exaggerates what
he is saying out of proportion.
• Metonymy: This is using a word for something to refer to another with which it
has become closely associated.

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