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 Ling 131: Language & Style
 

 Topic 6 (session A) - Style and Style variation > Style: what is it? > Task D

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Style Variation in USA
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Style: What is it?
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Style: what is it?

Task D - Our Answer

The style changes here are based on grammatical variation. By and large, the lexis does not change.

Example 1 is a simple style. Each sentence is a simple sentence, consisting of just one clause each.

In 2, we have an example of parataxis, or a listing structure. There is one sentence, containing four clauses (the equivalent of the four simple sentences in 1), each of which is juxtaposed, or listed together (cf. the commas).

In 3 we have the style which is often called a 'co-ordinating' or 'additive' style. Each of the two sentences has two clauses coordinated together by 'and', and the second sentences is also 'joined' to the first by 'and'.

In 4 we have a style we might call 'elliptical'. We have four sentences, as in 1, but this time (a) the grammatical words, (b) some word-internal grammatical markers and (c) some of the lexical words which carry less information (cf. 'appeared') are omitted. Elliptical sentences are often used to create 'impressionistic' styles of description.

 

 

 


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