Functional Styles of the English Language

Each style makes use of a group of means the interrelation of which is peculiar to the style. It is
the coordinator of the I-ge means and stylistic devices which shapes the distinctive features of
each style. Each style is recognized by one or more leading features, which are especially
conspicuous. A style of l-ge can he defined as a system of coordinated, interrelated and
interconditioned I-ge means intended to fulfill a specific function of communication and aiming
at a definite effect. It is relatively stable at a given stage in the development Of the literary 1-ge,
but it may change from one period to another, thus making the 1-ge style a historical category.
The development of each style is predetermined by the .hanges in the norm of Standard English.
The English literary 1-ge has evolved a number of styles easily distinguishable from One
another. They are not homogeneous and fall into several variants. The existence of functional
styles is conditioned by the specific peculiarities of communication in the large diversity of
human activity spheres. The styles differ in bot.11 possibility and impossibility of using certain
elements and structures in a given context.
The Publicistic Style started to be recognized as a separate style in the middle of the 18th
century. It is characteristic of radio commentaries, essays and newspaper articles. Unlike other
styles, the publicistic style has a spoken variety, namely, the oratorical substyle. Book reviews in
journals, newspapers and magazines and also pamphlets are generally included among essays. Its
aim is to exert a constant and deep influence on public opinion, to convince the reader or listener
that the writer's or speaker's interpretation is the only acceptable one and to cause him to accept
the point of view expressed in the speech, essay or article not only by logical argumentation, but
by emotional influence too. This brain-washing function is most effective in oratory, for here the
most powerful instrument of persuasion, the human voice, is brought into play. Due to this
combined influence (logical and emotional), the p.s. has Features in common with the style of
scientific prose through its coherent and logical syntactical structures with an expanded system
of connectives and careful paragraphing and that of emotive prose through the use of words with
emotive meaning and of imagery. The manner of presenting ideas, however, brings this style
closer to that of belles-lettres, in this case to emotive prose, as it is to a certain extent individual.
Naturally, of course, essays and speeches have greater individuality than newspaper or magazine
articles where the individual element is generally toned down and limited by the requirements of
the style. One of the leading features of the p.s. is brevity of expressions. In essays brevity
sometimes becomes epigrammatic.
The oratorical substyle is the oral subdivision of the p.s. having the purpose of persuasion. It
belongs to the written variety of the l-ge, but it is modified by the oral form of the utterance and
the use of gestures. In oratories the speaker addresses directly to the audience (dear guests, ladies
and gentlemen), uses the 2nd person pronoun you, sometimes contractions and colloquial words.
'The substyle is especially made use of in political speeches and those on social problems, in
speeches on solemn occasions (weddings, funerals, anniversaries), in speeches in parliament and
courts of law. The sphere of application of oratory is confined to appeal to an audience and

therefore matters on science, business, art, literature should not been mentioned here. As the
speaker can only rely on the memory of the audience, he will often make use of repetitions to
enable his listeners to follow him, retain the main points of his speech and to persuade and add
weight to the speaker's opinion. In order not to bore the speaker with mere repetitions, synonyms
are used instead, thus filling tip the speech with details and embellishing it. Any piece of oratory
will contain parallel constructions, antithesis, suspense, climax, rhetorical questions and
questions-in-the-narrative. Questions are more frequent as they promote closer contact with the
audience.
Essays started to he distinguished linguistically at the end of the 16 th century. The essay is a
literary composition on philosophical, social, aesthetic or literary subject dealing with it only
superficially. The most obvious characteristics of the essay arc personal approach in treating the
problem and natural way of expression. In order to achieve this brevity of expression, the use of
the first person singular, an expanded use of connectives to facilitate the process of grasping the
ideas, an extensive use of emotive words and similes and metaphors are vital in writing an essay.
In comparison with the oratorical substyle, which aims at an immediate effect, essays aim at a
more lasting, thus slower effect. The language of articles is characterized by all the features of
the publicistic style. The character of the magazine or newspaper and the subject chosen
influences the choice and use of stylistic devices. In articles one can frequently find rare and
bookish words, neologisms, parentheses, various word combinations. The emotional appeal is
achieved by emphatic constructions, periphrasis etc.
Newspaper style was the last to be recognized as a specific form of writing, dating from the 17th
century. Its purpose is to inform the reader about the events of the day and to make the reader
have an attitude towards these events. To serve this purpose the newspaper style makes use of a
system of interrelated lexical, phraseological and grammatical means. Not everything that is
printed belongs to newspaper style as a modern paper publishes articles on various topics
(poems, stories, crosswords, science, and art). Only the printed material which imparts
information belongs to n.s. Thus, brief news items and communiqus, press reports,
informational articles and advertisements and announcements are attributed to this style. The
most concise form of newspaper information is the headline, which is the title given to a news
item or a newspaper article. Apart from giving info about the subject-matter, headlines also carry
a considerable amount of appraisal, thus indicating the interpretation of the facts in the news item
that follows. English headlines are short and catching, sometimes sounding sensational.
Headlines are critical, summarizing and drawing attention to the story. Their telegraphic style is
the best-known feature of news reporting. They may contain emotionally coloured words and
phrases. Syntactically headlines are very short sentences or phrases which may be declarative
sentences (Channel Tunnel Will not Meet), interrogative sentences (Do You Love War?),
nominative phrases (Royal Scandal Fatigue), elliptical sentences (Still in Danger), sentences with
articles omitted (Stolen Painting Was Found by Tree), phrases with verbals (Border Pact
Blocked), complex sentences (New Strike Looms as Iraq Rejects U.N. Arms Inspection) etc. The

most often employed figure of speech in creating headlines is the pun (Traffic Dead Rise Slowly,
Iraqi Head Seeks Arms). A brief news items only states facts without giving any comments. This
accounts for the total absence of any individuality of expression and the almost complete lack of
emotional colouring. The bulk of employed vocabulary is neutral and common literary. Apart
from this, special political and economic terms (parliament, code, output), non-term political
vocabulary (public, peace, opposition), newspaper clichs (vital issue, overwhelming majority,
war escalation), abbreviations (UNO, EU), neologisms are made use of in newspaper style and in
brief news items. However, some popular papers tend to insert emotionally loaded vocabulary.
The basic peculiarity of news items lie in their syntactical structure. As the reporter is
constrained in space, he tries to cram all the facts in the space allotted. For that he uses complex
sentences with many clauses, verbal and noun constructions, nominative with infinitive
constructions, specific word order. Journalistic practice has developed the pattern called five-wand-h-pattern rule (who-what-why-how-where-when) subject-predicate-adverbial modifier of
reason/ manner- adverbial modifier of place- adverbial of time.
Advertisements and announcements appeared in the British press in the 17th century. Their
function is to inform the reader as well. There are classified and non-classified ads and
announcements. In classified ads various kind of info is arranged according to subject-matter into
sections (Births, Marriages, Deaths, Business Offers etc). All announcements are built on an
elliptical pattern so that all elements that can be done without are eliminated. The elliptic
sentence structure is done purely technically to economize space. The vocabulary of classified
announcements is on the whole neutral with some emotional colouring to attract the reader's
attention, especially in the section Personal. As for separate (non-classified) advertisements, the
variety of language form and subject-matter is so great that hardly any essential features common
to all may be pointed out. The reader's attention is attracted by every possible means:
typographical, graphical and stylistic. Me advertiser may use as much space as he chooses.
Allusions, hyperboles, repetitions are frequent practice in advertisements. The phraseological
units are changed so that other words are inserted into them. The names of colours are often used
in advertisements with various connotations: red represents warmth, yellow joy, green
calm, white comfort.
Editorials are articles which comment on the political and other events of the day. Their function
is to influence the reader by giving interpretation of certain facts and to present the editor's
opinion and interpretation of the news published and to suggest to the reader that this is the
correct one. They appeal to both the reader's mind and his feelings. Hence, the use of
emotionally coloured language elements, both lexical and structural. Editorials abound especially
in metaphors and epithets (international climate, price explosion, crazy policies). Periphrasis is
also a common feature of editorials (developing countries, the great powers). Scientific Prose
Style is typical of academic scientific writing intended to communicate exact info from a
peculiar area and to consolidate the process of learning. Its main function is to communicate on a
scientific topic. The aim of the 1-ge of science is to prove a hypothesis, to create new concepts,
to disclose some laws and relations. The 1-ge means used tend to be objective, precise,
unemotional, devoid of any individuality. The leading feature of this style is the logical sequence
of utterances. In no other style can be found such a developed system of connectives. Another
feature is the use of special terminology characteristic of each branch of science. No other field
of human activity is so prolific in coining new words as science is. Words used in this style tend

to be used in their primary logical meaning without taking in consideration the context. Terms
are coined so as to be self-explanatory to the greatest possible degree. Even though, a new term
is usually followed by an explanation. Another feature of scientific style is the sentence-patterns,
which are of three types: postulatory, argumentative and formulative. This style also makes use
of quotations and references, which sometimes may occupy half a page. The impersonality of
any scientific writing is another feature typical of the style (I
we, active
passive). In
connection with the general impersonal tone of expression, it should be noted that impersonal
passive constructions are frequently used with the verbs ascertain, assume, compare, conclude,
construct, describe, determine, estimate, explain, infer, note, point out, record, suppose, test,
verify(h should be assumed). Verbs of warning and advising (avoid, check, ensure, notice,
prevent, remember) and of manipulation (adjust. assemble, begin, boil, connect, cover, decrease,
dilute, release, rotate) are often employed.
The Style of Official Documents. The style of official documents is one of the most important
functional styles of the English language. It is sometimes called "officialese". The official style is
subdivided into several substyles which represent the features of the root style and therefore they
have much in common. These substyles are:
the language of business documents
the language of legal documents
the language of diplomacy
the language of military documents.
The official-administrative style is the style of official documents, office acts, diplomatic and
juridical texts, business correspondence, of different provisions, decrees, resolutions, contracts,
declarations, government notes. Otherwise said, the specific nature of this style is determined by
the functioning sphere of the language, thus, manifesting in the field of political, juridical,
administrative, diplomatical activities etc. The communicative aim of official style is to state the
conditions binding two parties in an undertaking. "These parties may be: the state and the citizen,
or citizen and citizen (jurisdiction); a society and its members (statute or ordinance); two or more
enterprises or bodies (business correspondence or contracts); two or more governments (pacts,
treaties); a person in authority and a subordinate (orders, regulations, instructions, authoritative
directions); the board or presidium and the assembly or general meeting (procedures acts,
minutes), etc. In other words the aim of communication in this style of language is to reach
agreement between two contracting parties. Even protest against violations of statutes, contracts,
regulations, etc., can also be regarded as a form by which normal cooperation is sought on the
basis of previously attained concordance.

In a document or office act the word must be used in such a way mat the interpretation of its
significance should not lead to ambiguity. The necessity of rendering, the ideas with a maximum
accuracy imposes the elimination of any secondary semantic development, canceling by this any
possibility of ambiguous interpretation of the utterance. Perhaps, because of the denial of any
expression vagueness there is in the official-administrative style a series of stereotype
expressions, fixed formulas, these representing at the same time the result of some judgements,

which often cannot be expressed in all their scope, in all their unfolding, as it is in the scientific
prose style.
"The official-administrative style is one of bookish styles and it figures, as a rule, in written
form. This style doesn't recognize expressions with emotive meaning, artistic methods etc. The
use of such attributes of Belles-Lettres style would make them seem uncertain, because the text
would become hard to understand, and it will not exclude false and doubtful interpretations.
Even it seems to be unitary, the official style is heterogeneous, it caters three main spheres of
activity, which helps to distinguish in this style three substyles: legal, diplomatic and
administrative. Since all these stylistic subdivisions are characterized by common fundamental
features, as accuracy, stereotyped and standard expression, they cater the domain of social
activity including the official relations sustained both locally and internationally." [Marin V.;
1991; 48] One of the most striking functions of the style of official documents is a special stem
of clichs, terms and set expressions. e.g. I beg to inform you private advisory Dear Sir
Abbreviations, conventional symbols and contractions are also used in this style: e.g. fo.b. (free
on board) G. v. t. (government) L.t.d. (limited) M.P. (Member of Parliament).Those words which
have an emotive meaning have no place in the style of official documents. Even in the style of
scientific prose some words may be found which reveal the attitude of the writer, his individual
evaluation of the facts and events of the issue. But such words are not to be found in official
style, except those which are used in business letters as conventional phrases of greeting or close,
as Dear Sirs, Dear Miss Smith, Yours sincerely, Yours truly, Very truly yours etc. As in all other
functional styles, the distinctive properties appear as a system. There cannot be singled out a
style by its vocabulary only, recognizable though it always is. The syntactical pattern of the style
is as significant as the vocabulary though not perhaps so immediately apparent. The most
noticeable of all syntactical features are the compositional patterns of the variants of the style.
Thus, business letters have a definite compositional pattern, namely, the heading giving the
address of the writer and the date, the name of the addressee and his address. It is important to
mention that the texts of official style are distinguished by lack of connotation, otherwise said,
this style doesn't include words with a figurative meaning. But this does not mean that the texts
of this style are deprived of graphicalness. The syntax of this style presents the following
peculiarities: developed sentences, multiple subjects, predicates expressed by verbs at reflexive
voice, lack of pronominal attribute, participial constructions, different stable constructions,
stereotypes etc. Almost every official document has its own compositional design. Pacts and
statutes, orders and minutes, codes and memoranda all have more or les definite forms and it will
not be an exaggeration to state that the form of the documents is itself informative, inasmuch as
it tells something about the matter dealt with (a letter, an agreement, an order, etc.) "The over-all
code of the official style falls into a system of subcodes, each characterized by its own
terminological nomenclature, its own compositional form, its own variety of syntactical
arrangements. But the integrating features of all these subcodes emanating from the general aim
of agreement between parties, remain the following:

 conventionality of expression;
absence of any emotiveness;
the encoded character of language; symbols (including abbreviations)
a general syntactical mode of combining several pronouncements into one sentence.
The official style is subdivided into several substyles which represent varieties of the root style
and therefore have much in common with it. They are as follows:
- The language of business documents
- The language of legal documents
- The language of diplomacy
- Military terms.
This style has a definite communicative aim and accordingly has its own system of interrelated
language and stylistic means. The aim of this style is to state the conditions binding two parties
and to reach agreement between them. This aim predetermines the peculiarities of the style. A
striking feature is a special system of clichs, terms and set expressions by which each substyle
is easily recognized, for example the above mentioned, private advisory, taxable capacities, a
body of judges etc. Another characteristics of this style is the extensive use of abbreviations,
conventional symbols and contractions, for example MP (member of parliament), Gvt
(government), Ltd (limited), S (dollar) etc. The third feature of the style is the use of words in
their logical dictionary' meaning. There is no room here for words with contextual meaning or
for any kind of simultaneous realization of two meanings. Words with emotive meaning are also
not to be found in the style of official documents. These are the words which reveal the attitude
of the writer, his individual evaluation of the facts and events, except for those which are used in
business letters as conventional phrases of greeting or closing, such as Dear Sir, Yours faithfully.
All these properties appear as a system. A style cannot be singled out only' by its vocabulary. The
syntactical pattern of the style is as significant as the vocabulary though not so immediately
apparent. The most noticeable of all syntactical features are the compositional patterns. Thus,
business letters have a definite compositional pattern, namely, the heading, giving the address of
the writer and the date, the name of the addressee and his address. The Belles Letters Style. This
is a generic term for three substyles in which the main principles and the most general properties
of the style are materialized. These three substyles are: the language of poetry, emotive prose (the
1-ge of fiction) and the 1-ge of drama. Each substyle has certain common features, typical of the
general belles-letters style, but they are also individual. The first common feature is the function
of all three substyles, which is aesthetic and cognitive. This function aims at the cognitive
process, which secures the gradual unfolding of the idea to the reader and at the same time
creates a feeling of pleasure, which is derived from the content. This pleasure is caused by both

the admiration for the 1-ge means selected and their peculiar arrangement and by the fact that the
reader is allowed to form his own conclusions. The purpose of this style is not to prove, but to
suggest a possible interpretation of the phenomena of life by forcing the reader to see the writer's
opinion. This means selecting a system of 1-ge means which will secure the effect sought. The
indispensable linguistic features of the style are - genuine, not trite imagery, achieved by purely
linguistic devices; - the use of words in contextual and very often in more than one dictionary
meaning; - a vocabulary which reflects the author's personal evaluation of things or phenomena;
- a peculiar individual selection of lexical and syntactical means, sometimes idiosyncratic; - the
introduction of the typical features of colloquial 1-ge to a full degree. The belles-letters style is
individual in essence. This individuality is illustrated by the selection of I-ge means, mainly of
stylistic devices.