Re: [tied] Categories of Language Styles

The study of speech styles is called phonostylistics. Stylistic varieties of spoken language are classified differently by different authors. Your styles 2, 3 and 4 correspond to what are often termed "guarded speech" (formal), "colloquial speech" (neutral) and "casual speech" (intimate).

Type "phonostylistic variation" or "phonostylistic processes" in the window of your favourite search engine, and some useful info will probably emerge.

I'm not sure if there is a commonly accepted term for archaising, highly formal written language. "Hieratic" would surely do the job.

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: michael_donne

To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 3:25 AM

Subject: [tied] Categories of Language Styles

There are various styles of language within any tongue. They must have been categorized by linguists long ago but I haven't seen it discussed. Could someone give me the most accepted terms for these kinds of language styles and point me to some texts that discuss them in a definitive way including who the major thinkers were that proposed/elaborated on them? Taking English as an example I'll use stylistic examples that predominated until the 1960s when everything became very informal. In order of decreasing formality we have what I have called: 1) Formal, Heiratic Language (often in verse) that is almost never spoken but everyone understands, e.g. King James Bible. 2) Formal Written (or Spoken Language although it often differs from written). In English this would have included rules like don't use contractions (use "it is" instead of "it's"), don't begin a sentence with 'And', etc. 3) Informal but Proper Spoken (or Written): contractions are fine, as are sentence fragments, etc. Words like "ain't" are not acceptable. 4) Highly informal, Colloquial, Slang, Common Speech often including Dialects. "Ain't", "youse guys", etc. Thanks, Michael Donne

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