Stylistic Function of Articles

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 479.

Stylistic Function of Plural Forms and Genitive Case

We have already mentioned the use of genitive case in the examples of personification and analyzed its stylistic function. The use of inflectional forms is typical of newspaper article headlines, and not because they are shorter, but because of some expressive function. Inflectional genitive is frequently used with the names which are of great importance for the person's activity, for his life:

Duty's call;

Love's spirit;

The mind's general development

These phrases are more expressive than of-phrases

Sometimes we may see the examples of deviation from the norm. They create humorous effect.

She's the boy I used to go with's mother.

In this case the apostrophe refers to the whole attributive complex.

The same result may be found in the following example, where the ending s (plural form) is added to the whole sentence:

One I-am-sorry-for-you is worth twenty I-told-you-so's

From the course of grammar you know the rules of using definite and indefinite articles. In stylistics the use of articles has its special function. The definite article before the proper name denotes the family, the clan. The indefinite article is used to show either one of ( один из) or with some other function.

When a Forsyte was engaged, married or born, the Forsytes were present.

(Galsworthy)

Indefinite article with a proper name may be used metonymically.

Have you a Hogarth? (a picture by Hogarth) - transposition into the class of common names)

In the case where there is no transposition, the indefinite article creates some metaphorical meaning:

I do not claim to be a Pavlova = Я не считаю, что хорошо танцую (the high

appreciation of a person)

I do not claim to be Pavlova = Я не говорю, что моя фамилия Павлова

Elizabeth was a Tudor (belonged to a famous, well known family)

The definite article before the proper name denotes that the person is well known, famous or notorious:

Know my partner? Old Robinson. Yes, the Robinson. Don't you know? The notorious

Robinson.

In case of enumeration of some homogeneous parts in a sentence the repetition of articles has some stylistic function: it either underlines the importance of the enumerated words, or gives some rhythmical utterance to the sentence.

It may be analogous to the repetition of conjunctions, prepositions (polysyndeton) and it is closely connected with gradation.

e.g. Amidst the cheers of the assembled throng, the band, and the constables, and the

committee-men, and the voters, and the horse-men, and the carriages, took their

places. (Dickens)