Stylistics
| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Faculty: |
Faculty 05 - Language, Literature, Culture |
| Department: | Department of English |
| Title: | Stylistics |
| Code: | 0509 |
| Lecturer: | Dr. Tobias Bernaisch |
| Type of course: | Seminar |
| Description: | The first associations we have with ‘style’ probably more readily relate to fashion than to linguistics, but the conceptual underpinnings of the notion of style can as easily be applied to linguistics as to vogue. Imagine you are scheduled for an interview with the head of personnel of the multinational corporation you have always wanted to work for. Just like we have at our disposal different ways of dressing ourselves for this occasion – we have the choice between e.g. a pair of jeans, a skirt, a suit or sweat pants – we also have different ways of dressing our thoughts linguistically when we, for instance, introduce ourselves to said head of personnel. Upon first meeting the person in question, we can, for instance, say “Good afternoon, my name is Joe Smith. It is a pleasure to meet you.” or we can say “Hi, how are you doin’?”. Stylistics is interested in the various forms a user of a language can employ to communicate certain content in a given situation – and aims at describing which of these forms may be considered most appropriate under consideration of certain contextual factors such as the interlocutor, medium, degree of formality, etc. In the course of this class, we will first of all tackle some major theoretical frameworks surrounding the notion of (linguistic) style and then analyse and compare the styles users employ in written and spoken texts, fictional as opposed to non-fictional texts and various texts forms we encounter in popular culture. |
| Date/Time: | Thursday, 10.00am – 12.00pm CET |
| Language: | English |
| Target group: | Bachelor students English language and literature (advanced) |
| Requirements for participation: | Introduction to English Linguistics |
| ECTS: | 5 |