IS THERE A LITERARY LANGUAGE?

• Stylisticians would say no- no language is inherently or exclusively literary.

• But literature– Offers chance to study language at its out of the

ordinary, an embodiment of the creative spirit– Specific forms eg sonnets, the novel, the alliterative

style of the anglo-saxon poem– ** are there merely representatives of specific codes

and which are evolutionally?

• Is the question of a literary language, necessary then?

THE LITERARY LANGUAGE ISSUE: THE OBJECTIONS

• Paul Simpson’s arguments why literary language is not special– Language of literature is drawn from the same language people in

ordinary every day experiences borrow from. Stylistics is about what writers do with and through language

– To claim a literary language with special features would be to codify it and make it a register with its special characteristics- systematize it. Originality then would be lost. A writer has to “speak it” to qualify

– If its special, then it would be taken away from stylistics- the objective tools of analysis would not apply. F.W Bateson’s remark “The mechanical procedure of the stylistician is no match for the sensitivity of the critic

Exercise

– Read the poem and answer the following questions:• How many speakers are there in the poem and how can

we work this out from the poem?

• What sort of vocabulary is used by the poet? That is, is it modern or archaic, formal or conversational?

• Can you identify a ryhme scheme in the poem? If so what sort of scheme is it?

• Can you spot any marked or unusual features of grammar in the poem?

ONE PERFECT ROSE

One Perfect RoseA single flow'r he sent me, since we met. All tenderly his messenger he chose; Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet - One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret; 'My fragile leaves,' it said, 'his heart enclose.' Love long has taken for his amulet One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet One perfect limousine, do you suppose? Ah no, it's always just my luck to get One perfect rose.Dorothy Parker

OBSERVATIONS

• One speaker- mainly• Archaisms in flow’r, floweret• Inverted clause structures with subject at the end eg “all

tenderly….he chose”• Abab ryhme pattern even with trisy-llabic words• Symbol of the rose etc• Shift in last stanza to modern English and also introduction of

a sense of contradiction, reversal or message( from wow to ah?)- comic twist encoded in play with modern and old English– Introduction of an informal register of discourse– Subject restored to its formal positioning

LITERARY LANGUAGE?

• Stylistics not amenable to the view that literary language is special

• Stylistics see texts in the context of its other stylistic possibilities

• Literary language is not outside the boundaries of the overall language system.

• Better to think of literariness as a question of language in use as opposed to language in isolation- eg the rose assumes different meanings in this poem as opposed to the same in isolation.

• Literariness then becomes not just a feature of literature but anywhere where language is used/ creatively/

STYLE, REGISTER AND DIALECT

• Introduction:– When speakers switch between languages, that is

known as code-switching.

– When the switching takes place within the same language (intra-lingual variation) it encompasses the following:• Idiolect• Accents and dialects• Register• Antilanguage

IDIOLECT

• Individual linguistic mannerisms and stylisitc idiosyncracies

• Individual’s special unique style

THINK: Compare P. Lumumba, Raila Odinga and Kibaki- supposed you told them to deliver a message on TV calling for Unity?

Task: Construct a sentence for each one of them

ACCENTS AND DIALECTS

• Influenced by the following:– Regional origins– Social economic background

• Dialects are distinguished by patterns in grammar and vocabulary.– Eg Nyeri and Murang’a Kikuyu

• Use of double negatives acceptable in Nyeri, not in murang’a• To hold a baby: kunyita vs kugwata• Greetings- hierarchized in Nyeri by age and gender, in Muranga “how are you” is

ok for everyone!!• Yorkshire- “hi ya” for how are you? “A i t” for “alright”

• Accents are distinguished through patterns of pronunciations- see wahome mutahi articles “ngoat” for goat, park and bark- ask a Luhyia to say the words, uncle- ankle-angle etc

• See extract from Yvone Awuor.

REGISTER

• Determined by the use to which language is put to.

• Usually discussed in terms of three features of context:– Field> setting and purpose of interaction– Tenor>Relationship between the participants in the

interaction– Mode> medium of communication: written vs

spoken

ANTILANGUAGE• Defined as semi-secretive languages born out of

subcultures and alternative societies- does Sheng qualify?

• Usually the language of ‘anti-societies’ or societies established as alternatives to mainstream society.

• Relexicalisation characteristic of this language- words are given new meaning and new words invented to mean for alternative behaviour: drugs, sex, certain criminal activities, police, teachers etc

EXAMPLES

• Earthwire Neck tie

•

• Mathree, mat, jive, jav, buu Matatu

• Punch, jirongo Five hundred shillings

• Mbao, blue Twenty shillings

• Pack Live (somewhere)