SEMINAR 2

PHONETIC AND GRAPHIC MEANS OF STYLISTICS

Outline
1. Phonetic means of stylistics. The notions of versification and instrumentation.
2. Types of rhyme and rhyme schemes.
3. Rhythm in poetry and prose. The main English feet.
4. Alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia.
5. Graphon and its stylistic functions.
6. Graphic means of stylistics.
EXERCISES

EXERCISE 1. Identify the type of rhyme employed in the following lines from the
poems by Edgar Allan Poe:
1/ slant rhyme
2/ a) internal rhyme
b) feminine rhyme
3/ masculine rhyme
4/ a) feminine and end rhyme
b) slanted rhyme
5/a) eye rhyme
b) slant or imperfect rhyme
c) exact rhyme
d) imperfect rhyme
e) exact rhyme or perfect rhyme
6/ a) slant rhyme
b) eye rhyme
7/ feminine rhyme
8/ a) eye rhyme
b) eye rhyme
c) eye rhyme
EXERCISE 2. State the effects achieved through the use of alliteration, assonance
and onomatopoeia in the following sentences:

1. Susan stared at him wildly. ―You must be deaf. It goes on and on. Listen!‖ she
suddenly backed away from him, her eyes alight with alarm. ―It‘s beating inside
my head‖, she cried hysterically. ―It goes boom…boom…boom…it gets louder and
louder …it goes on and on and on …don‘t you hear it?‖ (J. Chase)
Thanks to alliteration and assonance, a disturbing effect is created. Repetition
increases anxiety and attracts the reader's attention even more.
2. With effort he held his eyes open; Then he squeezed, Blooooom! He was stiff, not
breathing . The gun was still in his hands. Dammit, he‘d done it! He fired again.
Blooooom! He smiled. Blooooom! Blooooom! Click, click. There! It was empty. If
anybody could shoot a gun, he could. He put the gun into his pocket and stared
across the fields (R. Wright).
In this example, audio replays create the effect of an upcoming event.
3. Bow-wow, says the dog,
Mew, mew, says the cat,
Grunt, grunt, goes the hog,
And squeak goes the rat.
Tu-whu, says the owl,
Caw, caw, says the crow,
Quack, quack, says the duck,
And what cuckoos say you know
By repeating certain sounds, the effect of imitating animals is created.
4. From far off came a faint hoooof – hoooof; hoooof – hoooof; hoooof – hoooof. …
He stood rigid (R. Wright).
Such repetitions create the effect of the train approaching or moving away.
(depending on the context)
5. It was in that heavenly moment that Fanny heard a twing-twing-tootle-tootle, and a
light strumming (K. Mansfield).
As I understand it, we are talking about playing on some kind of Toolkit.
Repetitions of such sounds create the effect of kicking. (probably on guitar)
6. An old grandfather clock in the corner groaned, wheezed, snorted automatically, and
then struck twelve (A. Christie).
Using of onomatopoeia creates a fantastic or mystical effect in this sentence.
7. Though the other noise I heard a cough, then came the chuh-chuh-chuh-chuh – then
there was a flash, as when a blast-furnace door is swung open, and a roar that started
white and went red and on and on in a rushing wind (Ch. Dickens).
This sentence has the effect of imitating a fireplace, I think.
8. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting,
dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream to dream before (E. Poe).
 In this sentence, you can see the effect of the inner feelings and feelings of the
hero.
9. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain (E. Poe).
And in this sentence, due to the repetition of sounds, there is a feeling of rustling,
which you immediately imagine in your head.

EXERCISE 3. Decide on the factors originating graphons: a) physical peculiarities

of a person (physical defect of speech, excitement, intoxication, carelessness); b) his
social status (lack of education), c) his age, etc.:

1. Dave cried, seeing blurred white and black faces. ―Ahh ddinn gggo tt sshooot
hher. … Ah ssswear ffo Gawd. Ahh ddin. … Ah wnz a- truin t sssee ef the old
gggun would sshoot – ‖ (R. Wright).
In this sentence, the physical defect of speech generates graphons, or rather
stuttering.
2. His face had brightened. ‖I didn‘t inraduce myself,‖ he said,‖ I‘m Manley Pointer
from out in the country around Willohobie, not even from a place, just from near
a place‖ (O‘Connor). intoxication
3. He stood rigid. Two dollahs a mont. Les see now. … The means it‘ll take bout
two years. Shucks! Ah‘ll be dow! (R. Wright). excitement
4. He took the money, ran down the steps, and across the yard. ―Dave! Yuuuuuh
Daaaaave!‖ He heard, but he was not going to stop now. ―Naw, Lawd!‖ (R.
Wright). intoxication
5. They sat within the door on two empty kegs. Bibi was four years old and looked
very wise. ―Mama‘ll be ‗fraid‖, he suggested, with blinking eyes. ―She‘ll shut
the house. Maybe she got Sylvie helpin‘ her this evenin‘,‖ Bobinфt responded
reassuringly. ―No; she ent got Sylvie. Sylvie was helpin‘ her yistiday‖, piped
Bibi (K. Chopin). The appearance of graphons in this sentence is related to the
age of the child. He is 4 years old.
6. ―Howdy, Dave! Whutcha want?‖ ―How yuh, Mistah Yoe? Aw, Ah don
wonna buy nothing. Ah jus wanted t see ef yuhd lemme look at tha catlog
erwhile.‖ ― Syre!You wanna see it here?‖ ―Nawsuh. Ah wans t take it home
wid me. Ah‘ll bring it back termorrow when Ah come in from the fiels‖ (R.
Wright). I think this sentence is an example of a person who doesn't speak
English well. b) his social status (lack of education)
7. The sleek manager, who was marvelously like a fish in a rock-coat, skimmed
forward. ―Dis way, sir. Dis way, sir. I have a very nice little table‘, he gasped.
―Just the little table for you, sir, over de corner. Dis way‖ (K. Mansfield). a) the
physical peculiarities of a person, or rather his Lisp.
8. You‘d thought it was a reserved seat like they have in a theayter (R. Lardner). b)
his social status (lack of education)
9. ―Now, Mike, thith ith Thtevie Taggert, who you‘ve theen before, though you‘ve
never been properly introduthed. Thtevie – Mike‖ (C. Carr). a) physical defect of
speech
 10. ―Hey, hey,‖ Sick Louie protested, ―I told ya a million times, Nosy, It‘s my
intestines, I was born widdout a buncha my intestines, dat‘s what does it!‖ (C.
Carr). c) his age or a) physical peculiarities of a person
11. ―‗Theeeeeeeey‘re OOF, screamed Bagman.‖
―‗AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RGGGHHHH!NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO!‘
Shouted Harry. ―‘Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaaaand − Lynch!‘‖
(J.K. Rowling). As I understand it, this is just a way of talking at an event.
When someone is announced.
12. ―Thquire!‖ said Mr. Heary, who was troubled with asthma, and whose breath
came too thick and heavy for the letter s, ―Your thervant! Thith ith a bad piethe
of bithnith, thith ith. You‘ve heard of my clown and hith dog being thuppothed to
have morrithed?‖ (Ch. Dickens). a) physical peculiarities of a person, namely
because of his sick.

EXERCISE 4. Consider the peculiar segmentation of the following poems. Define

how their specific form influences the perception:

1)In the first poem, the separation of the last word plays an important role. The
author thus focuses on this word, forcing the reader to think differently.
2) In this poem, the author used the form of a ladder to emphasize comparison,
perhaps. (GESTURE)
3) I think this form creates a special perception of the author of the poem: first, your
rhythm and emotions increase, and then come to one clear word. (EASTER WINGS)
4) This form, I think, attracts the reader, it becomes more interesting to read such a
poem. At the beginning of the poem - a question, at the end - an answer. (Dylan
Thomas)
5)In this form, the author leads the reader to the idea of the poem. First the flow of
thoughts, then the word, and then the finale. (UPLIFTING)
6) A very strange and unusual form of the poem. The author focuses on some words,
or even on suffixes. In addition, the author uses words in parentheses, which are also
emphasized.(MOUSE)
7) Oh, this poem seemed to me the most unusual. The form reflects the meaning of
the poem. You can also see the image of a Swan reflected in the water, I think. I've
never seen this shape before.
EXERCISE 5. Analyse phonetic and graphical peculiarities of the following
advertisements. What response do they evoke in the reader/customer?
1) The first picture is filled with various emotions and phrases, which is difficult to
understand, I think. The font is small and not very clear.
2) The second image immediately attracts our attention with a large font and this
style. Stretching the word immediately reminds us how we yawn. In this way, the
author of this picture advertises massage.
3) With this font and form, the reader immediately pays attention to the highlighted
words. A large word in the title attracts the reader's attention and puts emphasis on it.
4) The last picture arouses the reader's interest and engages them in this atmosphere.
After such a poster, you want to learn more about how to win money.