GENERAL

CHARACTERISTIC
OF FUNCTIONAL
STYLES
In the English literary standard the following major FS are distinguished:
1.the belles-lettres functional style 2.the publicistic functional style 3.the newspaper functional style

poetry oratory brief news items

emotive prose essays advertisements and announcements
drama articles in newspapers and magazines headlines
the editorial

4. the scientific prose style 5. the official documents functional style

exact sciences diplomatic documents

humanitarian sciences business letters
popular- science prose   military documents
legal documents
 THE OFFICIAL
DOCUMENTS
FUNCTIONAL STYLE

1) the language of business
documents,
2) the language of legal
documents,
3) language of diplomacy,
The aim:
1. to reach agreement between two
contracting parties;
+2. to state the conditions binding two
parties in an understanding.

4) language of military
documents.
PUBLICISTIC STYLE
The publicistic style became a separate
style in the middle of the 18th century.
 The Written form:
publicistic • the style of newspaper and
style includes: magazine articles
• essays
Oral form:
• oratorical speech
• the style of radio and
TV commentaries
 AIM OF THE PUBLICISTIC STYLE
The general aims of the publicistic style are:

 to influence public opinion,

 to convince the reader (or the listener) that the writer’s (or
speaker’s) interpretation is the only correct one, and
 to make the reader (listener) accept the author’s viewpoint not
merely through logical argumentation but through emotional
appeal as well.
Publicistic style is characterized by
brevity of expression. In some varieties
of this style it becomes a leading feature,
an important linguistic means.

In essays brevity sometimes becomes

epigrammatic.
 Peculiarities:
1. logical argumentation +
emotional appeal = (scientific
prose and belle-lettres style).
2. the emotional appeal – the
use of words with emotive
meaning + the use of stylistic
devices.
3. the form of a monologue.
4. the coherent and logical
syntactical structure.
5. careful paragraphing, extended
system of connectives.
6. a great number of literary and
bookish words.
 Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Vocabulary:

terms (political, economic, etc.);

newspaper clichés;
emotionally coloured vocabulary;
stylistic devices.
Essays Features: brevity of expression

the use of 1st person singular

personal approach
the use of emotionally coloured words
the use of epigram, paradoxes, aphorisms.
 Oratorical speech

Features of the oral speech:

 the use of direct address

 the use of contractions
 the use of pronouns I and we
 the use of colloquial words and phrases
 the use of alliteration.
 SUMMARY
 The use of direct address and 1st person pronouns.
 A rather wide use of connectives.
 The abundant use of expressive and emotive words.
 The use of tropes, especially sustained metaphors and
similes.
 The use of traditional set expressions and clichés.
 The use of colloquial vocabulary.