Salida, Jayson M.

IV –BSEDE
ENG 140 – Introduction to Stylistics TTh (10:30 -12:00)

Final Examination

Narrative Chosen: “The Devil Wears Prada” by Lauren Weisberger

1. Transitivity at work:

 Give at least three (3) for each of the ‘processes’:

 Material Processes
These refer to the processes that naturally pertain to DOING.
Examples:

“The woman showed me Madelaine’s stitched-up belly.” (on page 6)

Actor Process Goal

“ I lit another cigarette.” (on page 6)

Actor Process Goal

“ I climbed into the chauffeured Town Car.” (on page 6)

Actor Process

“ I strolled confidently into the assistants’ suite outside Miranda’s office.”

Actor Process (on page 7)

“ I ’d arranged the stiff orange boxes on the ready-to-distribute

Actor Process Goal
shelf of the closet.” (on page 96)

 Mental Processes
These refer to processes of SENSING.
Examples:

“ I glanced down to confirm visually that I was only in second gear.”

Sensor Process (on page 3)

“ I stared at it for a few seconds.” (on page 4)

Sensor Process Phenomenon

“The driver looked at me sympathetically.” (on page 6)

Sensor Process Phenomenon

“ I looked down at my cheap, mismatched suit and very wrong shoes

Sensor Process Phenomenon .” (on page 12)
 Behavioural process
These are processes that embody physiological actions.
Examples:

“ I breathed a sigh of relief.” (on page 4)

Behaver Process

“ I relished a last drag before stamping out the cigarette.” (on page 7)
Behaver Process

“ I ’d scrounged together what little cash I could find.” (on page 8)

Behaver Process

“Sharon smiled tersely.” (on page 12)

Behaver Process

 Processes of Verbalisation
These pertain to processes of SAYING
Examples:

“ He screamed out a few highly unoriginal “fuck you’s” before weaving

Sayer Process Verbiage
forward.” (on page 3)

“She said, “Madelaine’s their French bulldog puppy.”

Sayer Process Verbiage (on page 5)

“Alex and I talked about how we were both embarking on a new stage in our
Sayer Process Verbiage
lives.” (on page 9)

“They whined about the long days, the coworkers, and the office politics.”
Sayer Process Verbiage (on page 14)

 Relational Processes
These are processes of BEING in the specific sense of establishing
relationships between two entities.
Examples:

“My goals were not so lofty.” (on page 9) - Intensive (Attributive)

Carrier Process Attribute

“High fashion was perhaps the single exception to this widely

Identified Process Identifier
bragged-about fact.” (on page 8) – Intensive (Identifying)

“My entire existence was a perfect cliché.” (on page 8)

Carrier Process Attribute - Intensive (Attributive)
 “ I had nowhere to live.” (on page 20)
Carrier Process Attribute - Possessive (Attributive)

“ I had no apartment in New York.” (on page 20)

Carrie Process Attribute - Possessive (Attributive)

“Home base was my parents’ house in Avon.” (on page 20)

Identified Process Identifier - Possessive (Identifying)

“the temperature was in the midthirties.” ( on page 22)

Identified Process Identifier - Possessive (Identifying)

“ All weighed less than 110 pounds.” (on page 30)

Carrier Process Attribute - Circumstantial (Attributive)

“The keys are on the kitchen table.” (on page 22)

Identified Process Identifier – Circumstantial (Identifying)

“ She ’s at the East Side Animal Hospital.” (on page 5))

Identified Process Identifier – Circumstantial (Identifying

 Existential process
These processes assert that something exists or happens.
Examples:

“ There will be fourteen-hour days.” (on page 13)

Existent

“There were slick frozen patches on the back roads.” (on page 22)
Existent

“There was a couple looking to rent out an extra room in their apartment .”
Existent (on page 24)

 Cite one (1) that you believe clearly defines the author’s style.

Among these processes, the one that clearly defines the author’s style is the
“Material Processes.” As I have observed, the author of the book frequently elaborated
how the life of the personas or the characters revolved around the story. In the story each
character possesses certain roles and responsibilities. All of them are given work that they
must also perform. These different tasks given to them denote things that they have to
perform physically, and eventually what they do in the story reflect their roles in the
story. Like for example Emily and Andrea, they both arrange the schedules of Miranda,
fetch Miranda’s coffee at the Starbucks, keep Miranda’s cloaks and bags, etc. Example in
the lines, “I’d arranged the stiff orange boxes on the ready-to-distribute shelf of
the closet.” (stated by Andrea on page 96), and “I fetched the water, which she accepted
without a thank you, and made my way through the thinning crowd to the car.” (stated
by Andrea on page 247), it is clear that the character who uttered the line works performs
a certain job in the company.
  Was the ‘transitivity profile’ effective enough to indicate the character(s) role(s)?

Yes. The patterns of transitivity choice indicate who the characters are and what
do they play in the story. Like for example the character of Andrea. She does actions that
denote the role that she play in the story. As the implication of the quoted line above,
“I’d arranged the stiff orange boxes on the ready-to-distribute shelf of the closet.” and
the line “I fetched the water, which she accepted without a thank you, and made my
way through the thinning crowd to the car.”, where Andrea (represented by the pronoun
“I”) is the actor of the process, we can easily identify what kind of role does she play in
the story through the processes that she does which embody a specific transitivity choice.

2. Examine Varieties of Language (provide two examples for each, if available)

 Idiolect
As I have read the book, I noticed only one word that seems to be pronounced by
the speaker differentlym and is written by the author strangely.

“Ahn-dre-ah? Hello? Is anyone there? Ahn-dre-ah!” (on page 58)

This line is delivered by Miranda Priestly, the owner of the fashion company
where Andrea Sachs, the main character of the story, works. As we can see, the original
word “Andrea” is structurally written as “Ahn-dre-ah.” This now denotes that instead of
pronouncing the word directly as “Andrea” the character uttered the word differently. In
the first syllable of the word, a phoneme ”h” is inserted between the phonemes “a” and
“n” and in the third syllable, the same phoneme is also inserted after the phoneme “a.”

Through this, we can infer that the author gives a sophisticated personality or trait
on Miranda Priestly.

 Accents/ Dialects ( Standard vs. Non-standard)

The novel explores a variety of language patterns and vocabulary as dictated by

the characters’ diverse roles which elaborate the culture and the environment they are
bringing. The primary setting of the novel took place at New York, a very sophisticated,
liberated and explicit city. Thus, in order to exhibit the place’s modern and popular
culture, the author has used vocabularies and accents that represent the “kind” of
language that some people have acquired and used in the place.

 Standard

“I sat her down on a window ledge that looked reasonably like it wouldn’t have an
alarm and ordered her not to move.” (on page 122)

“Nice to meet you, Stuart. Why don’t you give Lily here your number and she can
give you a call when she’s feeling a little better—or not. How does that sound?” I
flashed him a smile.” (on page 122)

“I thought about eating the steak myself, but the mere thought that it had been on
Miranda’s desk only moments earlier made me feel nauseated. I took the tray to the
kitchen and tilted it so every single item would just slide directly into the garbage—
all the expertly cooked and seasoned food, the china plate, the metal butter container,
 the salt box, the linen napkin, the silver, the steak knife, and the Baccarat glass.” (on
page 117)

 Non-standard

“She. Is. Such. A. Bitch! I cannot deal with her anymore. Who does that? I mean,
really—WHO DOES THAT?” (on page 11)

“It was Friday—at seven o’clock in the goddamn morning—and they wanted me to
start on Monday?” (on page 20)

“Goddamn do-gooder. Always doing good, spreading good cheer wherever you go.
I’d hate you if I didn’t love you so much.” I leaned over and kissed him good-bye.”
(on page 22)

“One dollah, skeem or bleck, you peek.” (on page 26)

“I thought about asking someone to pick something up for me, but it seemed too
prima donna–ish to ask a perfect stranger to fetch me lunch.” (p46)

“And while this would’ve normally driven me crazy, all I could concentrate on was
getting food and getting back, ASAP.” (on page 46)

“Ohmigod, is it the fashion editor herself?” Jill mock-shrieked when she opened the
front door. “Come on over here and let your big sister genuflect a li’l.” (52)

“Hey there, Andy darlin’, you’re looking more beautiful every time I see you.”Yer
lookin’ more beeyootiful avery time I see ya . “What are they feeding y’all at
Runway, huh?” (on page 52)

“Andy, just come and visit, sweetie. Bring Alex along and y’all can make it a li’l
vacation. It’s not that bad, you’ll see.” (on page 53)

“Darlin’, you know Mr. T. always wants to talk to you. Hold just a sec.” (on page 60)

 Registers

“. . . stilettos . . . (on page 10)

“. . .real people shouted Prada! Armani! Versace! from every surface.” (on page 8)

“ . . . fashion assistants . . . .” (on page 125)

“Mr. Tomlinson!” she exclaimed, yanking off her headphones and tossing her iPod in her
Gucci tote.” (on page 126)

“Along the perimeter were walls of shoes in every size and color and style, a virtual
Willy Wonka’s factory for fashionistas, with dozens of slingbacks, stilettos, ballet
flats, high-heeled boots, open-toe sandals, beaded heels. Stacked drawers, some built-
in and others just shoved in corners, held every imaginable configuration of stockings,
socks, bras, panties, slips, camisoles, and corsets.” (on page 129)

“There were eight or nine options for tops, ranging from a skintight ribbed turtleneck
sweater by Calvin Klein to a teeny, completely sheer peasant blouse by Donna Karan.
A dynamite graphic Diane Von Furstenburg wrap-dress was folded neatly over a navy,
 velvet Tahari pantsuit. I spotted and immediately fell in love with an all-around pleated
Habitual denim skirt that would fall just above my knees and look perfect with the
decidedly funky floral-printed Katayone Adelie blazer.” (on page 31)

 Antilanguages

This contemporary story looks in the daily lives and routines of the characters
inside the fashion company. Language is the main medium of communication in the
company. Thus, the some characters in the story exchange thoughts inside the company
using words that have been formed to carry specific meanings that only the users know.
Some of these words are:

Clackers – it is the term used to describe the sound of the runway-girls’ stilettos
clacking on the floor of the company; and

Runwaygirl – this refer/s to those women who work in Miranda Priestly’s company.

MJ’s – this refers to the clothes and dresses manufactured by Marc Jacobs, a famous
clothing line in the US.

FedExing – a word formed through neologism. In the novel, this represents the
process of sending or delivering something. As in the line,

“We would be FedExing about 150 bottles all over the world.” (on page 45)

Carb Corner – this refers to a table containing side-dishes. As in the line’

“Weaving quickly, intently, I bypassed gorgeous racks of lamb and veal marsala
in the entrees section and, with a push of willpower, cruised right past the
sundried tomato and goat cheese pizza special which resided on a small table
banished to the sidelines that everyone referred to as “Carb Corner.”
(on page 46)

B-DAD – an acronym which means to Blind, Deaf and Dumb. This is an acronym
created by some of the characters in the story which refers to the husband
of Miranda Priestly. As in the line/s,

“Just wanted me to switch around B-DAD’s lunch reservation. Not sure why I’m
doing that when he has his own assistant, but hey, I don’t ask questions around
here.” Mr. Blind, Deaf, and Dumb was our nickname for Miranda’s third
husband.” (on page 59)

Closet – this refers to the a specific place in the building where all the high-branding
stocks are kept. As in the line,

“The Closet wasn’t really a closet at all. It was more like a small auditorium.”
(on page 129)
  How do these linguistic varieties shape the social and cultural backdrop of
the text?

The linguistic varieties mirror the kind of society or environment of the

characters as well as the personalities of the characters in a story. Through these
linguistic varieties, readers will be able to see as to what underlies on the texts.
The social and cultural backdrop of the text is shaped through the exploitation of
the type of language used in the text. For instance, the non-standard language
used in the text, one can easily identify as to what society and culture are
embedded in the text.
By considering these also, certain features and characteristics are
attributed to the social and cultural backdrop of the text, like if a specific text is
used to express thought using “slang”, then readers can easily conclude that the
text is not appropriate for formal occasions or one may say that it is vulgar or
vituperative.

These would also help the readers identify the type of social setting and
situation revealed by the text. Registers, in particular, would help the readers
identify the social context. Idiolect reveals the cultural identity of the deliverer of
the text, and Anti-languages would dictate the type of lifestyle embedded in the
text.

3. Relationships of Power – The Feminist’s Lens

 Figure out how women were portrayed in the context (social, political, religious)
that manifests ‘them’ being empowered. Cite examples to justify your answer.

In the novel “The Devil Wears Prada” by Lauren Weisberger, women are given
high emphasis and are empowered by subjecting them to responsibility, assertion, power,
discretion, love, happiness, change and self-actualization. Women, in the story, are given
the chance to act and reflect the social, political and religious values of being a woman.

This line on page 248 expresses women’s power to learn and self-actualize based
on what she had experienced in the social context.

“I’ve learned more in one year working for you than I could’ve hoped to have learned in any
other job. It’s been fascinating, really, seeing how a major—the major—magazine runs, the production
cycle, what all the different jobs are. And, of course, being able to observe the way you manage everything,
all the decisions you make—it’s been an amazing year. I’m so thankful, Miranda!”

If we try to examine the line, we can infer that there is progression and
empowerment in terms of the social facet of the women, that even in the context of “job”
and “working” with diverse people she can be able to take pride and develop.

In these lines on page 74, women’s power to be superior be superior is conveyed.

“Andrea! You know Miranda’s on her way here, don’t you?” Sophy called from the reception
desk as I flew by.

“Yeah, I know, but how do you know?”

 “Sweetie pie, I know everything. Now I suggest you get your butt in gear. One thing’s for sure:
Miranda Priestly doesnot like to be kept waiting.”

I leapt onto the elevator and called out a thank you. “I’ll be back in three minutes with the
papers!”

The two women on the elevator stared at me in disgust, and I realized that I had been screaming.
“Sorry,” I said, trying to catch my breath. “We just found out that our editor in chief is on her
way to the office and we weren’t prepared, so everyone’s a little edgy now.” “Why am I explaining myself
to these people”

If we examine the lines, we can conclude that women are reflected as feared by
people in terms of leadership, responsibilities and job. Eventually, this indicates that
women are empowered and are attributed as leaders.

And this third set of lines on page 261 expresses women’s power to fight
whenever they are stuck into provoking situations.

“Ahn-dre-ah, you realize what you’re doing, do you not? You do know that if you simply leave
here like this, I’m going to be forced—”

“Fuck you, Miranda. Fuck you .”

She gasped audibly while her hand flew to her mouth in shock, and I felt not a few Clackers turn
to see what the commotion was. They’d begun pointing and whispering, themselves as shocked as Miranda
that some nobody assistant had just said that—and none too quietly—to one of the great living fashion
legends.

“Ahn-dre-ah!” She grabbed my upper arm with her clawlike hand, but I wrenched it out of her
grip and plastered on an enormous smile. I also figured it’d be an appropriate time to stop whispering and
let everyone in on our little secret.”

As we can infer, in this story, women are also reflected as strong. They can assert
and fight for their rights whenever they get oppressed and insulted. As empowered
women, they don’t just sit down, do nothing, and get stepped over, they will fight as long
as they know that they are on the right track.

 Is there an issue on dominance, empowerment and stereotyping? If there is, how is

dealt?

There are no issues on dominance, empowerment and stereotyping in the story.

However, there is great emphasis on women’s power to influence, manipulate and threat
people’s career. These lines below show how women could be superior and feared in the
field of her expertise.

“As I raced out of the office, I could hear Emily rapid-fire dialing four-digit extensions
and all but screaming, “She’s on her way—tell everyone.” It took me only three seconds to wind
through the hallways and pass through the fashion department, but I already heard panicked cries
of “Emily said she’s on her way in” and “Miranda’s coming!” and a particularly blood-curdling
cry of “She’sbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack !” Assistants were frantically straightening clothes on
the racks that lined the halls, and editors were racing into their offices, where I could see one
changing from her kitten-heeled shoes to fourinch stilettos while another lined her lips, curled her
lashes, and adjusted her bra strap without so much as slowing down. As the publisher walked out
of the men’s room, I glanced past him and saw James, looking frenzied, checking his black
cashmere sweater for lint while spastically popping Altoids in his mouth. Unless the men’s room
was wired with loudspeakers for these very occasions, I wasn’t even sure how he’d heard yet.”

“ I was dying to stop and watch the scene unfold, but I had less than ten minutes to
prepare for my first meeting with Miranda as her actual assistant, and I wasn’t going to blow it.
Until then I’d been trying not to appear as if I’d been actually running, but upon witnessing the
utter lack of dignity everyone else had demonstrated, I broke into a sprint.” (on pages 73 - 74)
 As expressed in the lines, the characters’ way of dealing with this situation in the
story is to fear and to be oppressed by the situation, which indicates superiority among
others.

Reference:

Weisberger, L. (2003). The Devil Wears Prada – First Edition. Doubleday, a Division of
Random House, Incorporated: New York City.