Stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English

2

Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

G.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University

Institute of Postgraduate Education

Department of English Philology

STYLISTIC POTENTIAL OF TENSE-ASPECT VERBAL FORMS IN MODERN ENGLISH

Content

Introduction

1. Theoretical background of the research of stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms

1.1 Perspective of the research

1.2 The analysis of the stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English by foreign linguists

1.3 The analysis of the stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English by home linguists

2. The analysis of stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English

2.1 The types of transpositions of verbal forms as stylistic means in the category of tense

2.2 The types of transpositions of verbal forms as stylistic means in the category of aspect

3. Methodological recommendations for teaching of tense-aspect verbal forms in English language using their stylistic potential

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

More and more linguists and specialists in study of literature attract their attention to problems of Stylistics and Stylistics itself is divided into some special disciplines which tend to differentiate. But at the same time as well as in any other science we can observe the integration of the processes that is the intensification of different parts of knowledge and appearance of new modern synthetic sections. New problems have been involved in the sphere of stylistic researches, a lot of data and programs have been studied and new aspects of language factors and features have been discovered. Our interest in these points is the first reason of the appearance of our paper.

From the point of our view English Grammar is the most difficult subject for study not only for students but everyone who wants to be a professional philologist. That why the second reason for writing of our paper is the complications of the descriptions of some difficult grammar areas especially «verb-section» in the frames of simplicity.

The verb as a party of speech is the most capacious grammar category. In verbal word with all variety of its denotations, meanings and stylistic potentials there are combinations with different grammar forms, organic connections and associations with tenses and aspect, which characterize all verbal system in the whole. So the third reason of our paper is to analyze some verbal factors and features on the «brighter grammar» level with taking into our consideration some interrelations between grammar forms, their functional content and stylistic potential in contexts.

It will be very important to mark that General Morphology (non-stylistic) treats morphemes and grammatical meanings expressed by them in language in general, without regard to their stylistic value. Stylistic Morphology, on the contrary, is interested in grammatical forms and grammatical meanings in the stylistic sphere, explicitly or implicitly comparing them with the neutral forms common for all sublanguages.

The nature, the essence of stylistic phenomena is radically different in cases where morpheme, word, phrase themselves are analyzed as chosen out of the paradigm from the cases when we try to explain the effect produced by given patterns of the combining units in speech and text. When we use the form «aren't» instead of «have not or am / is / are not», the sentence «John here?» instead of «Is John here?», or one meaning instead of another all could also employ. This is what illustrates the paradigmatic branch of Stylistics.

In the utterances: I ask you / I pray you / I beseech you - we can observe the interrelation between the meanings that is «pray» is stronger than «ask»; «beseech» is the strongest of all three. They are the systematic branch of Stylistics.

Stylistic morphology, both paradigmatic and systematic, has not yet been given full attention, especially with regard to English language. It is the fourth reason for our paper.

Thus, in the paper we turn our attention to the stylistic meanings associated with tenses and aspect having already dealt with their grammar forms.

Topicality of our problem includes some point. The role of some scholars in development of Stylistics is very high especially in Stylistic Grammar but in the whole, not specifically: Palmer, Hornby, Quirk, Yule, Skrebnev, Block and others. There are only a few monographs devoted to Stylistic Morphology as a specific researches. In our days the interest in this problem increases because we can see some questions and problems which are not studied enough, namely:

- connotations of tense-aspect verbal system conveyed by verbal forms in different contextual situations including transpositions and emotional expressiveness;

- lexico-grammatical categories in the peripheral field of aspect and expantion them in the light of stylistic potential;

- idiomatic constructions with different meanings in contexts;

- how to use morphological means of Stylistics and expend their stylistic potential;

- the deep work with tense-aspect verbal forms the main aim of which is to help students understand contexts of English authors more intensive and intensive.

These grammatical problems are very important, especially on the pedagogical level in the frames of student's study, and they were presented by Rayevska N.M., Morokhovskiei A.N., Efimov L.P. and others.

Innovation. We present new types of tables, diagrams descriptions, illustrative material to reach the high level of students knowledge and to elicit their enthusiast in further investigations. New examples from the original literature quoted from Dickens, Collins, Austen and other authors not only confirm the grammatical investments of name scholars in solution of practical value of Stylistic grammar for real seminar studies. In our paper we actualize the topic problem by showing that the general research area-stylistic potential of English verb - is important, central, interesting, problematic.

Tense-aspect verbal form are used to express subtle stylistic nuances and impretions in spoken English, in distributions of light and shade of verbal paints; with the purposes to go over from one style to another.

The why the topic of our paper is determined as «stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English».

The object of our study is «The Tense-Aspect verbal form as many aspectual factor in Theoretical English Grammar».

The subject of our study is «Stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English».

Language Level: Tense-Aspect verbal forms as constructive grammar means for two types of transpositions and some expression from the peripheral field in the frames of Spoken English.

Language material: Original text, dictionaries, thesauruses, monographs, history sources, theoretical grammar textbooks by English, Ukrainian and Russian authors, some pieces of information from Internet, a lot of material from Foreign Philology Faculty of G.S. Scovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University (lectures, books, English Language Encyclopedia), newspapers, journals.

Theoretical Value: The central interest in our paper is connected with very specifical but important for real understanding of spoken English problems in the frames of Theoretical English Grammar, connected with tense-aspect verbal forms, their features, constructions and behavior in specific environment. Analyzing tense-aspect verbal forms from these positions we have marked connotative aspect and emotional overtones as important semantic components of spoken English that is stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal form. All these ideas are based on principle which are related by Theoretical English Grammar on the university level.

Practical value: The discussion of the tense-aspect verbal forms and their stylistic potential in modern English has been made concrete by the use of illustrative examples in the practical part of our paper, quotations from the original literature, tables, diagrams, comparison with Ukrainian and Russian.

Main methods for researching of our topic problem:

Methods of scientific research used in our paper have been connected with the general trends in the science of language, namely:

- critical and contextological analysis of some original texts with the aim to present the samples and the cases of practice of stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English;

- the historical approach that is retrospective exposure of native and world experience;

- eliciting facts, samples and generalization them in borders of the positive and real practice;

- philological observations using especially two types of transpositions and principles of the peripheral field so that to expand the borders of the traditional Theoretical English Grammar and obtain some cases to wide students knowledge;

In the light of our philosophy and philological observations, critical and contextological analysis of some original contexts our results were obtained on the edge of some linguistic sciences: Stylistics (Decoding), Functional Grammar, Syntax, Functional and Communicative Linguistics, Theory of Interpretation of Text, Theory of Contextual Situation and other.

At the end our paper, there are some ideas for teachers to help them of exercises and activities for students.

Further Reading List has been given for teachers who wants to expand their language skills by the way of additional investigations.

1. Theoretical background of the research of stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms

1.1 Perspective of the research

Interest in our main problem, how it originated, how it works and develops, has existed in remote ages. Chronologically at once we pay our special attention to individuals, whose contribution to the subject - Stylistic Potential of Tense-Aspect Verbal Forms in Modern English - has been well-known. In Table 1 that we have completed for students we present some names of philologist, titles of their works, years who began to research this problem many years ago up to now. [38; 43; 47]

Our short overview we begin with William Lily (1468-1522) who wrote «A short Introduction of Grammar» and was the first between others in this sphere. Then in 1580 «A Treatise for Declining Verb» was written by Claudius Holyband (1580). After that William Bullokar (1530-1609) created the first grammar of English «Pamphlet for Grammar» in 1586, a short sketch based on Lily's Lating Grammar.

Naturally in this years the struggle for national grammar and language began and John Wallis (1616-1703) wrote Gramatica Liguae Anglicanae (1649) for foreign students that was held in high esteem but has only produced since the eighteenth century. John Walker's Ryming Dictionary of the English Language (1732-1807) is used in works on stylistic problems by our contemporary scholars. Next was Lindley Murray (1745-1826) who published his English Grammar, adapted to the different classes of learners, and became the best-known scholar with the nickname «Father of English Grammar».

In 1853 year Macel Claude Victor Andre (1793-1875) published his major work Language as a Means of Mental Culture and International Communication, written in English, where he showed his position that «impression» - stylistic background of grammar - should always precede «expression». Then a Grammar of Spoken English with a lot of stylistic features was presented by Palmer Harold (1923). His friend who became effectively Palmer's «crown prince» - Hornby Albert (1898-1979) - developed ideas and projects in his pedagogical grammar Guide to Pattens and Usage in English (1954) where the author put the concept of «grammar time» on the first place: what type of grammar time we need to use for expressing of definite temporal relationship, positions and states.

In this time Eckersley C.E. (1893-1967) wrote Brighter Grammar (1953) were he tried to approach English grammar in the same «scientific» way and to show that it is not a collection of dull, dead words but a living thing.

A lot of works on Linguistics which are used by Russian and Ukrainian scholars were written by Ottor Jesprsen (1860-1943), especially his monumental Modern English Grammar (1909-1949); The Philosophy of Grammar (1924), Efficiency in Linguistic Change (1943) and others. Edward Sapir wrote in a Danish newspaper:

«Your (Jespersen's) work has always seemed to me to be distinguished by its blend of exact knowledge, keenness of analysis, ease and lucidity of STYLE, and by an imaginative warmth that is certainly not common in scientific writing» [43; 95].

The reality can be seen in the three kilos of paper of A Comprehensive Grammar of English Language (1985) written by Randolph Quirk and his team. In our paper we will exploit Chapter 4 «The Semantics of the Verbal Phrase». We have completed Table 1 for those students who wish to continue their researches this problem in the historical frames.

Throughout of centuries English Scholar created the system of the Morphology Grammar where English verbal forms as the basis of Grammar have gradually been presented, studied and researched as a great stylistic potential. Being placed in unusual syntagmatic environment which change their canonized grammatical characteristics and combinability, English Verbs acquire stylistic significant.

1.2 The analysis of the stylistic potential of tense-aspect verbal forms in modern English by foreign linguists

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