1. Colloquial vs.
Literary
type of
communication

2. The English Language is divided
into 3 different layers:
• The Literary layer - The literary communication, most often (but
not always) materialized in the written form, is not
homogeneous, and proceeding from its function (purpose) we
speak of different functional styles. As the whole of the language
itself, functional styles are also changeable. Their quantity and
quality change in the course of their development.
• The Neutral layer – has no emotional colour
• The colloquial layer - everyday non-official communication which
is known as colloquial speech. It occupies a prominent place in our
lives, and is viewed by some linguists as a system of language
means that can be classified as an independent entity with its
own peculiar units and rules of their structuring.

3. Colloquial Style
• Common colloquial vocabulary overlaps into the standard
English vocabulary and is therefore to be considered part of it. It
borders both on the neutral vocabulary and on the special
colloquial vocabulary, which falls out of the standard English
altogether.
• Functions: provides information; communicates
• Forms: primarily spoken
• Substyles: slang; dialect; jargon; professionalisms; vulgarisms,
colloquial words
• General Characteristics: informal, familiar, conversational;
paralinguistic context, non-verbal communication

4. Colloquial Vocabulary.
Slang
• the core of the colloquial language outside of the conventional or
standard usage
• deviation from the established form
• indicates membership in a particular social group
• developed from the attempt to find new, fresh, original, creative,
playful, colourful and humorous expressions
• requires continuous innovation; never goes stable, gets dated
very quickly

5. Dialect
• Forms: Cockney; Estuary English; Scottish
English; etc.
• cohesive regional and socio-economic variety
of language
• confined to a particular location
• some dialect words have become generally
understood as colloquial /‘lad’/

6. Jargon
• Substyles: computer jargon, jargon of musicians, of sportsmen, of
students, etc.; cant = the jargon of thieves and vagabonds /‘ain’t a lifer’
for ‘not sentenced to life imprisonment’; ‘get a stretch in stir’ for ‘be
imprisoned’; ‘pulling a leather up’ for ‘stealing a purse’/
• a special lexicon to preserve secrecy within a particular social group
• incomprehensible to people out of the group, needs translation (unlike
slang)
• old words with entirely new meaning imposed upon them
• some words have become legitimate English words /‘kid, fun, humbug’/

7. Professionalisms
• a special lexicon for a particular profession or
trade
• aims at a quick and adequate grasp of the
message, does not aim at secrecy
• designates working processes or implements
of labour
• names anew already existing concepts (tools,
instruments)

8. Vulgarisms
• Forms: obscenities = four-letter words;
expletives = swear words /‘damn, bloody, to
hell’/
• a special lexicon for low colloquial speech
• also in emotive prose in direct speech of
characters
• express strong emotions, esp. negative
(anger, annoyance, hostility)

9. Literary style
• Even though it is true that the majority of literary studies
focus on the analysis of the actual text and not on the
literary communication between author and reader, it has
also been accepted that a comprehensive literary theory
needs to include both the analysis of the text and the
examination of its contexts. Because, as important as the
studying of the text might be, the text's functions and the
conditions of its production and reception are equally
important as they connect it to its reader, without whom
the text would not achieve its purpose.
• At present most scholars differentiate such functional
styles: scientific, official, publicist, newspaper, belles-
lettres

10. Literary Vocabulary.
Terms
• Terms are generally associated with a definite branch of
science and therefore with a series of other terms
belonging to that particular branch of science. They know
no isolation; they always come in clusters, either in a text
on the subject to which they belong, or in special
dictionaries which, unlike general dictionaries, make a
careful selection of terms. All these clusters of terms form
the nomenclature, or system of names, for the objects of
study of any particular branch of science.
• Terms are characterized by a tendency to be monosemantic
and therefore easily call forth the required concept. Terms
may appear in scientific style, newspaper style, publicistic
style, the belles-lettres style, etc.

11. Poetic and highly literary
words
• First of all poetic words belong to a definite style of
language and perform in it their direct function. If
encountered in another style of speech, they assume a
new function, mainly satirical, for the two notions,
poetry and prose, have been opposed to each other
from time immemorial.
• Poetic language has special means of communication,
i.e. rhythmical arrangement, some syntactical
peculiarities and certain number of special words. The
specific poetic vocabulary has a marked tendency to
detach itself from the common literary word stock and
assume a special significance. Poetic words claim to
be, as it were, of higher rank.

12. Archaic words
• There are 3 stages in the aging process of words: 1) the
beginning of the aging process when the word
becomes rarely used. Such words are called
obsolescent, i.e. they are in the stage of gradually
passing out of general use; 2) The second group of
archaic words are those that have already gone
completely out of use but are still recognized by the
English speaking community. These words are called
obsolete. 3) The third group, which may be called
archaic proper, are words which are no longer
recognized in modern English, words that were in use
in Old English and which have either dropped out of the
language entirely or have changed in their appearance
so much that they have become unrecognizable.

13. Barbarisms and foreign
words
• Barbarisms are words of foreign origin which have not entirely
been assimilated into the English language. They bear the
appearance of a borrowing and are felt as something alien to the
native tongue. The great majority of the borrowed words now
form part of the rank and file of the English vocabulary. There are
some words which retain their foreign appearance to greater or
lesser degree. These words, which are called barbarisms, are also
considered to be on the outskirts of the literary language. Most
of them have corresponding English synonyms. Barbarisms are
not made conspicuous in the text unless they bear a special load
of stylistic information.
• Foreign words do not belong to the English vocabulary. In
printed works foreign words and phrases are generally italicized
to indicate their alien nature or their stylistic value. There are
foreign words which fulfill a terminological function.

14. Bookish Words
• Bookish words are mainly used in writing and
in polished speech. They form stylistic
opposition to their colloquial synonyms.
Compare: infant (book­ish) = child (neutral) =
kid (colloquial); parent (bookish) = father
(neutral) = daddy (colloquial).
• They are used: in books, public speeches and
official negotiations

15. Thank you
for your attention!