文体学答案.doc

English Stylistics Answers to Questions and Tasks I. Introduction 1. What is stylistics? Why is it considered to be a sub-branch of linguistics? Stylistics is a science dealing with styles. It is relegated to linguistics because it studies styles using the theories and methods of modern linguistics. It is concerned with the characteristic use of language by an individual or a group. 2. What is style? Style refers to the habitual use of language typical of an individual or a group, including the effectiveness of language use in a particular context. 3. Can we call the compositions written by a class of middle school students different styles? Explain. It is not appropriate to call the compositions of students of a class ‘different styles’ because students are still learning the language and they have not formed a linguistic habit yet. As 　they progress in language learning with time, they will improve their ability of using the language. As a result, the language they produce will be different. Only when they have a relatively fixed ways of using the language can we refer to their writings different styles. 4. Name a few types of language habitually used by a group. The language that a group of people habitually use is usually known as a variety—the characteristic use of language in a particular context for a specific purpose, such as news report, business letter, advertisement, poetry, play, short story and so on. 5. In what way can stylistics help us in our comprehension of the text? A very important part of comprehension is to get the meaning of a text. A grammar knowledge can only help us to understand the text in terms of its surface meaning. The study of style, however, can deepen our understanding and lead us to go beyond the surface and dig out the hidden meaning or the writer’s intended meaning such as class background, social status, region, occupation, education, political attitude, etc. 6. How can stylistics help us in our study of a foreign language? 　La