Classifying Phonetic Styles

Among the well-known classifications of phonetic styles we would like to mention

the following two. One of them belongs to S.M. Gaiduchic. He distinguishes five phonetic

styles: solemn (урочистий), scientific business (науково-діловий), official business

(офіційно-діловий), everyday (побутовий), and familiar

(невимушений). As we may see

the above-mentioned

phonetic styles on the whole correlate with functional styles of the

language. They are differentiated on the basis of spheres of discourse. The other way

of classifying phonetic styles is suggested by J.A. Dubovsky who discriminates the following

five styles: informal ordinary, formal neutral, formal official,

informal familiar, and

declamatory. The division is based on different degrees of formality or rather familiarity

between the speaker and the listener. Within each style subdivisions are observed.

M.A. Sokolova’s approach is slightly different. She distinguishes between segmental

and suprasegmental level of analysis because some of them (the aim of the utterance, for

example) result in variations of mainly suprasegmental level, while others (the formality of

situation, for example) reveal segmental varieties.

It might be generally assumed that there are five intonational styles singled out

mainly according to the purpose of communication

and to which we could refer all the

main varieties of the texts generated in everyday communication of a modern man. They

are as follows:

1. Informational style.

2. Academic style (Scientific).

3. Publicistic style (Oratorical).

4. Declamatory style (Artistic).

5. Conversational style (Familiar).

1) Informational - in press reporting, educational descriptive texts. May be represented in monologues, dialogues, polylogues. Phonostylistic characteristics: Loudness normal or increased; pauses are rather long; rhythm is stable, properly organized; falling tones on the semantic centres, falling-rsisng or rising in the initial intonation groups
2) Academic (scientific)- style of lectures (conferences, seminars). It is determined by the purpose of communication as the speaker*s aim is to attract the listener*s attention, to establish close contacts with the audience and to direct the public attention to the message carried in the contents of the text. Phonostylistic characteristics: Loudness increased; pauses are rather long; rhythm is properly organized; high proportion of compound terminal tones (high fall + low rise, fall – rise, rise-fall-rise), a great number of high categoric falls
3) Publicistic (oratorial)-this term serves for many kinds of oratorial activities (especially this style uses in political speeches). Phonostylistic characteristics: Loudness enormously increased; pauses are definitely long between the passages; rhythm is properly organized; tones mostly emphatic, especially emotionally underlined semantic centres, in non-final intonational groups falling-rising tones are frequent
4) Declamatory (artistic)- this is the style of declamation. This is a highly emotional and expressive intonational style, that is why it needs special training. Attitudinal, volitional and intellectual functions of intonation are of primary importance here and serve to appeal to the mind, will and feelings of the listener. This style can be heard on the stage, on the screen, in a TV studio, thus we see that it is always a written form of the language read aloud or recited. Phonostylistic characteristics: Loudness varied according to the size of the audience and to the emotional setting; pauses are long especially between the passages, prolonged emphatic pauses are used to underline the emphasis; rhythm is properly organized; common use of categoric low and high falls in final and initial intination groups and on semantic centres
5) Conversational (familiar) - this kind of English is a means for everyday communication, heard in natural conversational interaction between speakers. This style occurs mainly in informal external and internal relationships in speech of relatives, friends, well - acquainted people and so on. So this is spontaneous, colloquial, informal, everyday speech.