Phonetic expressive means and devices

ALLITERATION is a device based on repetition of the same or similar sounds at close distance, which makes speech more expressive. It is frequently used in idioms:

e.g. blind as a bat; tit for tat; bag and baggage; as good as gold; willy-nilly; to dilly-dally, etc.

A variant of alliteration is ASSONANCE, i.e. repetition of the same or similar vowels only, as in the phrase wear and tear (My shoes show signs of wear and tear; the wear and tear of city life).

The term “assonance” is also used to denote an imperfect rhyme, when only vowels are rhymed: number – blunder; same – cane.

ONOMATOPOEIA. This term denotes sound imitation, i.e. the use of words which denote some phenomenon by imitating its real sounding. It may be imitation of the sounds produced by animals: buzz (sounds of bees); hiss (snakes); bow-wow (dogs); quack (ducks); moo (cows). It may also be imitation of other natural noises: bubble, rustle, splash, whistle, giggle, chuckle, roar, jingle, tick-tuck, bang, etc.

Words built on the basis of onomatopoeia make speech especially expressive when used in their figurative meanings: Cars were whizzing past (= moving very fast); The pot was bubbling on the fire (= boiling and making this sound); The crowd buzzed with excitement (= made a noise like that); I’ll just give him a buzz (= phone call).

Onomatopoeia may also be used in poetry:

e.g. Boots – boots – boots – boots – moving up and down again!

RHYME is the repetition of identical or similar terminal sound combination of words. Rhyming words are usually placed at a regular distance from each other. In verse they are placed at the end of the lines. We distinguish full rhymes, which means identity of the vowel sound in a stressed syllable (love – dove, might – right, glass – dance), and incomplete rhymes (grabble – gribble, flung – long).

LEXICAL EXPRESSIVE MEANS are represented by synonyms and antonyms.

SYNONYM – is a word with the same meaning as another one in the same language, but often with different implications and associations. Sometimes the synonyms are used to avoid repetition in narration, but the main idea of using synonyms is in varying the meaning of an expression. One and the same thing can be described in different ways, showing different peculiarities of the word. Another item of using the pair of synonyms is expression of their emphatic function. In such cases their similarity is important: a pair of synonyms used instead of one word serves to strengthen the expressed idea. E.g.: open and aboveboard, fair and square, over and done with.

Usually synonyms are divided into three types: ideographical, stylistic and absolute.

Ideographical synonyms are those which differ in some additional meaning or in combinability, or they may differ in both these items. E.g.: to look – to glance – to peep, to stare – to gaze – to watch, annoyed – angry – enraged – furious, etc.

Stylistic synonyms are words or word combinations which are very close in their meanings, but they are used in different styles of speech. E.g.: nonsense (neutral) – bombast (literary) – rot, bosh, stuff (colloquial) – fiddlesticks (familiar) – wish-wash (vulgar).

Absolute synonyms are very rare. But they can be found in scientific style. E.g.: wireless – radio, airman – flying man, screenwriter – scriptwriter – scripter – scenarist.

ANTONYM – is a word that is contrary in meaning to another one, e.g.: hot – cold. The main function of antonyms in the text is the expression of contrast. Alongside with language antonyms there can be occasional antonyms – the words expressing contrast in the frames of one and the same text. E.g.: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the era of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of Darkness" (Ch. Dickens).

8. THE THEME of a story is the main area of interest treated in the story. Various themes may be treated by the writers: love, family relations, school life, an anti-war theme, human relations in various layers of society, the power of beauty, etc.

THE MESSAGE of the story is the most important idea that the author expresses in the process of developing the theme. The message is closely connected with the theme and is generally expressed implicitly (неявно), i.e. indirectly, and has a complex analytical character.

INTRODUCTORY PHRASES

The text under analysis/study is taken from the novel ... belonging to the pen of ..., the famous/ well-known/ celebrated/ popular writer.

He belongs to the brilliant school of critical realism/romanticism/modernism, etc.

The author is the master of psychological analysis.

His works are marked by a deep penetration into the soul of man/keen observation of characters (точное замечание, тонкое наблюдение).

In his work the author provided the best portrait of...

His novels are written with power and brilliance.

His novels and short stories are heavy with satire/sarcasm.

The author treats the existing reality negatively and attacks the most common vices (пороки) of man: cruelty, hypocrisy, greediness, money-worship, etc.

The author viewed human nature from all sides.

What we value most in N's works is his brilliant/vivid style/ refined (изысканный, утончённый) treatment of characters/ deep insight into human nature/ powers of psychological analysis/ fine sense of humor/ humanism and optimism/belief in human nature, etc.

The author gained his popularity as a short-story writer/playwright/essayist.

N's manner of writing is characterized by the sincerity (откровенность) of intonation and spontaneity (естественность) of presentation.

N's numerous novels have conquered the world by their intricate (запутанный) and absorbing (захватывающий) plots.

The author manages to hold the reader's undivided attention from start to finish.

Economy of expressive means and simplicity are typical of N.

The author possessed a keen and observant eye and in his best works he ridiculed philistinism (мещанство), narrow-mindedness (слепая приверженность чему-либо), hypocrisy, egotism, utilitarian (практический) approach to art, etc.

N. was a prolific writer (автор создал большое количество произведений).

N. is an incomparable (непревзойдённый) story-teller. He writes with lucidity (ясность) and almost ostentatious (показной) simplicity.