This document provides an overview of stylistics as a discipline. It discusses the main types and objectives of stylistics. Specifically, it focuses on linguistic stylistics. Linguistic stylistics explores the linguistic features and style of a text through levels of language analysis, such as phonology, graphology, lexis and semantics. It aims to determine how language is used to express meaning. The document contrasts linguistic stylistics with literary stylistics and provides examples to illustrate linguistic analysis at the phonological and graphological levels.

1. STYLISTICS
(LECTURE 03)

2. 1. Stylistics
2. Types of Stylistics
3. Objectives of Stylistics
4. Linguistic Stylistics
5. Differences between Linguistic Stylistics & Literary Stylistics
6. Features of Linguistic Stylistics
7. Phonological Level
8. Graphological Level

3. Stylistics
• Adopts a multidisciplinary approach to achieve its goal.
• Examines language use in different contexts in order to
determine the style, purpose, meaning, and overall merit
of the writing.
• With the techniques of stylistics at your disposal you will
be able to evaluate any instance of language use with
respect to its content and form.

4. Stylistics
• Stylistics enables us to interact meaningfully with a
text. It opens our minds to the various dimensions of a
literary work. It is a discipline which is relevant to all
activities which rely on the use of language.
• Through our knowledge of stylistics, our ability to
appreciate texts will increase.
• Stylistics will make us informed observers and
analysts of language use in the process of negotiating
meaning.

5. Type of Stylistics
•Linguistic stylistics and Literary
stylistics as two broad types of
Stylistics.
•Discuss Linguistics Stylistics and see
how analysis can be done at some
levels of language description.

6. Objectives
•Mention two types of Stylistics and
distinguish between them.
•Identify some features that can be looked at
in linguistic analysis.
•Explain what is involved in a stylistic
analysis of a literary text.

7. Linguistic Stylistics
• According to Ayeomoni Linguistic Stylistics is also
known by the following terms: ( Ayeomoni, N (2003)
“Role of Stylistics in Literary Studies”.
• Formal Stylistics ( Widdowson)
• Modern Stylistics ( Freeman)
• The New Stylistics (Fowler)
• Literary Linguistic Stylistics ( Michael Short)

8. Linguistic Stylistics
.
•Linguistic stylistics explores the linguistic
features of a text.
•There is a reference to style as the
selection of certain linguistic forms or
features over other possible ones.

9. Linguistic Stylistics
•Linguistic Stylistics is primarily concerned with
the use of language and its effects in a text.
•E.g. A poem: a linguistic stylistic analysis will be
interested in describing the form and function of
language in the poem, paying attention to
certain” curiosities” that may be accounted for in
linguistic terms.

10. Example: Robert Browning Porphyria’s Lover
•The rain set early in tonight.
•The sullen wind was soon awake.
•It tore the elm-tops down for spite.
•And did its worst to vex the lake.

11. Linguistic Stylistics
•Linguistic Stylistics directs its attention
on how a piece of discourse expresses.
•(linguistic features that can be examined
on the levels of language) lexis,
semantics, syntax, graphology,
phonology etc. ( elements of language).

12. Linguistic Stylistics
•Linguistics is the “academic discipline
which studies language scientifically”
(Crystal 1969:10) and is concerned with
language usage and its applicability.
Crystal D. “ Investigating English Style”

13. Difference between Linguistic Stylistics &
Literary Stylistics
• Linguistic Stylistics studies the devices in language of literary
texts ( such as rhetorical figures and syntactical patterns) that
are employed to produce expressive or literary style.
• It is different from literary criticism. Literary criticism rests
solely on subjective interpretation of texts, linguistic stylistics
concentrates on the “linguistic frameworks operative in a text”
( Ayeomoni 2003: 177). This gives critic a pattern to follow,
what to look for in a text.
• Ayeomoni, N (2003),” Role of Stylistics in Literary Studies”

14. Feature of Linguistic Stylistics
• “Stylistic analysis in linguistics refers to the
identification of the patterns of usage in speech and
writing”. ( Widdowson Stylistics)
• Linguistic Feature for in depth stylistic analysis.
• Phonological level: (Sounds) Phonology studies the
combination of sounds into organized units of
speech. Through phonology is considered to be the
superficial level of contribution to the meaning of an
utterance.

15. Phonological Level: Example
•Their stanzas of stifling scandals
Cause the masses to curse(Dasylva:
“Song of Odamolougbe”
•Alliteration, the deliberate selection
of sounds, repetition.

16. Graphological Level
•Graphology means the arrangement of words,
the appearance of the text on page.
•E.g, use of capitalization, or avoiding it,
overemphasis on punctuation.
•Emily Dickinson: Use of capitalization
punctuation- Dashes
•e.e. cummings: ignores capitalization.

17. Wild nights - Wild nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile - the winds –
To a Heart in port –
Done with the Compass -
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden -
Ah - the Sea!
Might I but moor - tonight -
In thee!
Wild nights - Wild nights!
BY EMILY DICKINSON

18. [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]
BY E. E. CUMMINGS
i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling) i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)