English Rhetoric英语专业论文

English RhetoricContentsAbstract.3摘 要. 31 Introduction.32 Communicative Rhetoric.33Aesthetic Rhetoric.4 4 Syntactical Stylistic Devices.55 Phonetic Stylistic Devices.66 Conclusion.87Bibliography88学年论文成绩评定.9 Abstract: language is the most important tool for communication. In our daily life, we not only have to express our ideas clearly, but also exactly、concisely and profoundly. We can achieve the best perlocution only by this way. In order to do that, people try their best to use the language with proper language devices and adjust our language continuously, in the end we named this action: rhetoric. There is no boundary in rhetorics world just like music. But with different features and custom of language, we should learn to understand these differences and distinguish them from each other.Key words: language tool 、 language devices、 rhetoric摘要：语言是人类最重要的交际工具。人类在社会交往中，不仅要使语言清晰、流畅、合乎逻辑和语法，而且还要在这个基础上，进一步做到语言鲜明、准确、精炼、生动、深刻，具有感人的力量，以期达到最佳的表达效果。为此，人们充分地运用和发挥语言各因素的作用，恰当地选择语言手段，不断地对语言进行调整、加工、润色，于是就产生了修辞。就如同音乐一样，修辞也是无国界的。但由于不同国家和地区的语言使用习惯和特点不同，我们学习这些差异，最终能够区分出来。关键词：语言工具、表达手法、修辞IntroductionWhat is rhetoric and where does it come from? According to rhetorician and linguist, rhetoric is the theory of information and persuasive. It is the art of using words in speaking or writing so as to persuade or influence others. Rhetoric concerns on how to make an effective choice between two synonymous expressions. Rhetoric comes from our daily use and develops with our language. Rhetoric is a subject of language. The object of study should be language elements. It does not study the features of language in detail. To achieve the best perlocution , we should have a correct attitude towards rhetoric. Only with enough realization of the importance, can we have the motive to learn rhetoric. With the ability to use rhetoric , we can improve our expressive skills and make our article more exactly、concisely and profoundly.Communicative RhetoricIn order to express our ideas clearly and concisely, we need to learn how to select the proper words and phrases, which is called diction. Diction is very important in rhetoric and it is the foundation of rhetoric. Before we start to select words, we should have abundant vocabulary, then we have to know when and where to use the correct words. It means we can choose the best word according to the situations, becausemany word have the similar meaning. For example:The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed treeHere the author choosegreat to describe the night, instead of important、significant、vital this is because great can give readers a feeling of surprising and different. With this function, it can leave a deep impression on our mind.Then it comes to the classification of words meaning. According the famous Britain linguist Geoffrey leech, it can e divided into seven kinds:Conceptual meaning、connotative meaning、stylistic meaning、affective meaning、reflected meaning、collocative meaning and thematic meaning. On the other hand, according to our traditional classification, it can be divided into three parts: commendatory terms、derogatory term and neutral terms. With these classifications, we can have better understanding on words. Just as Maupassant said no matter what we are going to describe; if we want to show what it is, we should find the only noun; if we want to show its movement, we should find the only verbal; if we want to know its essence, we should find the only adjective; we must word hard to find these only words, we can not use the similar words to replace them, this our attitude.Aesthetic RhetoricThis part includes three elements: lexical stylistic devices、syntactical stylistic devices and phonetic stylistic devices.1. lexical stylistic devicesIn this part, we have simile, metaphor, analogy, personification, metonymy, synaesthesia, hyperbole, oxymoron, irony, pun, euphemism and parody.Simile is the most ordinary and frequently used rhetoric device. It means like, it was defined as a fingure of speech in which one thing is likened to another, in such a way as to clarify and enhance an image. It is an explicit comparison recognizable by the use of the word like or as. Simile has three elements: subject（tenor），reference（vehicle）and indicator of resemblance (simile marker)。 There are many different types of simile marker, such as seem, as if, as though, likento, compareto,asas, the way, might as wellas, a is to b what c is to d, no more than, with, etc. we can decide which to use according to the situation.I always regard metaphor as the brother of simile. Metaphor means a transfer of a meaning, it is defined as a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. Metaphors structure is same as simile, but the ways of expression are very different. In metaphor, we can say a is b. for example:College is a comma of a sentence of life.We can also use a noun as a verbal to describe something. For example:He does not have an idea of his own, he just parrots what other people sayHere we use parrot to describe the man, it gives readers a better understanding of the mans character. Then it comes to analogy. Analogy means according to ratio. It was defined as a form of comparison but unlike simile or metaphor, which usually concerns on one point of resemblance, analogy draws a parallel between two unlike things that have some common qualities or points of resemblance. We use analogy when we want persuade somebody to do something or explain something to somebody.Personification was defined as attributes human qualities and abilities to inanimate objects, animals and events. Generally speaking, personification has three types:The first one is using the words (usually used to describe human) to describe things and make things feel like a person with affection. For example:Depressed, I rushed out of the room. A gentle breeze greeted me. She caressed my cheeks, and soothed my heart.Here, the author used she to refer to the wind, which gives us a feeling that wind is just like a kind mother. The second one is apostrophe. It means calling something just like calling a person. For example:O cuckoo! shall I call thee bird or but a wandering voice!Her，author can not help calling cuckoo thee, it tells us the author loves the cuckoo so much.The last one is completely make things act as human, it has humans ability to speak, to take action, to think and feel. For example:The baby crocodile thought hard, at last he had a good idea.Metonymy means a change of name, the name of something is used to represent a more general but closely-related thing. Metonymy has nine different types: a container for its content, a place for the people, a location for institution or organization, an instrument for its user, a striking feature for the person or thing, an organ for its function, author for work, the concrete for the abstract, or the specific for the general and the abstract for the concrete,or the general for the specific.Synaesthesia is sensation produced in one modality when a stimulus is applied to another modality, as when the hearing of a certain sound induces the visualization of a certain color. For example:What a noisy scarf it is!Hyperbole means an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as to wait an eternity. Hyperbole has four kinds. The first one is exaggerating by lengthening, strengthening.For example:Bob loves running risks, and he once divided from the overhanging cliff of ten thousand feet high into the sea.Here, we use ten thousand feet to describe the situation, which can better show Bobs brave spirit.The second one is to emphasis some of the words. For example:And I will lure thee still, my dear,Till the sea gong dry,Till the sea gong dry, my dearAnd the rocks melt with sun (Robert burns: A Red Red Rose)Here the author emphasis on the sea and rock, to show hie eternal love to his lover.The third one is using noun or noun phrase to exaggerate. For example:To get a decent apartment these days in New York , you have to pay an arm and a leg.Here, we know the house price is so expensive that people have to pay it with an arm and a leg. Readers can better understand the situation.The fourth one is using simile (metaphor), personification and metonymy to exaggerate. For example:A man with a mouth like a mastiff, a brow like a mountain and eyes like burning anthracitethat was Dan Webster in his primer.Irony was defined as a figure of speech in which the intended meaning is the opposite of that expressed by the words used; usually talking the form of sarcasm or ridicule in which laudatory expressions are used to imply condemnation or contempt. Generally speaking , irony can be divided into two kinds: verbal irony and situation irony. For example:The virtuous, dignified bishop has four illegitimate children.In this sentence, virtuous anddignified are irony, but actually they refer to morally and degenerate and hypocritical.Here, we also have to distinguish irony, innuendo and sarcasm. Innuendo means a mild from irony, hinting in a rather round about way at something disparaging or uncomplimentary to the person or subject mentioned. According to 冯翠华（1995：218）while innuendo is a mild form of irony, sarcasm is just the opposite. It attacks in a taunting and bitter manner, and its aim is to disparage, ridicule and wound, the feelings of the subject attacked.Pun means a play on words. It was defined as the use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings or different associations, or the use of two or more words of the same or nearly the same sound with different meaning, so as to produce a humour effect. For example:On Sunday they pray for you and on Monday they prey on you.Syntactical Stylistic DevicesParallelism was defined as consisting of phrases or sentences of similar construction and meaning placed side by side, balancing each other.Parallelism has five different types of expression:1. a series of words eg:But the houses were cold, closed, unfriendly2. a group of phrases eg:Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.3. a row of clauses eg:Is there anything different for us to do in the world? If we do it, the difficult thing will be easy; if we do not, the easy thing will be difficult.4. a series of sentences eg:We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air, until, with Gods help, we have rid the earth of his shadow and liberated it people from his yoke. (Winston Churchill)5. a group of paragraphs eg:I shot an arrow to the air, it fell to earth, I knew not whereI breathed a song into the air, it fell to earth, I knew not whereAntithesis was defined as contrasting of ideas expressed by parallelism of strongly contrasted words. For example:The wicked flee when no one pursuers, but the righteous are bold as a lion.There are two kinds of antithesis:1. comparing between two different things eg:When poverty comes in at the door, love leaps out at the window.paring between two sides of one thing eg:If a free society can not help the many who are poor, it can not save the few who are rich.Repetition means the repeating of any element in an utterance, including sound, a word or phrases, a pattern of accents, or arrangement of lines.Repetition can be divided into two kinds:1. immediate repetition eg:Would you please, please, please, , please, please, please stop talking2. intermittent repetition eg:There she stretched, growing warmer and warmer, sleepier and sleepier.Anastrophe: in rhetoric the natural or usual order of words, as homeward directly he wentAnastrophe can also be divided into two kinds:Full inversion and Partial inversionAnd there are four functions of Anastrophe:1. to emphasis eg:sweet was that evening2. to balance the sentence eg:Happy is he who dedicates his life to the emancipation of all mankind 3. to make the sentence closer egThe committee have asked me to region., that I will never do 4. to make the description vivid eg:Away went the car like a whirlwind Phonetic Stylistic Devices1. alliteration: repeating and playing upon the same letterAlliteration was defined as the repetition of the same consonant sound in several words close together in a sentence or in a line.Alliteration has been used in many fields, such as:Poems and songs eg:I slip, I slip, I gloom, I glance, among my skimming swallow Speech eg:Scandals and scares, booms and busts made 1987 a period of tumut.Proverb egWhen wine sinks, words swim practice makes perfect Title and books names egLoves labours lost pride and prejudice Tone twist egBetty Botter bought some butter.Seven series southern soldiers set south suddentlyOnomatopoeia means making words, it was defined as word formation based on the imitation natural sounds. Onomatopoeia has been used in three fields:1.voice of peoples emotion egMy oral slip set all the girls giggling2. voice of animals eg:Assess bray / heehaw horses neigh/ snort3. voice of subject crushing into each other eg:The door banged shut.ConclusionThere is no boundary in rhetorics world just like music. language is the most important tool for communication. In our daily life, we not only have to express our ideas clearly, but also exactly、concisely and profoundly. But with different features and custom of language, we should learn to understand these differences and distinguish them from each other.Bibliography1. Auer. J.J. The rhetoric of our times. New York, 19692. Lv. Xu. Practical English rhetoric.Beijing,Tsinghua University press 20043. Scollon, R.S.W. Intercultural communication. Blackwell, 19954. 陈望道，修辞学发凡,上海，上海外语教育出版社，19795. 陈厚，社会语言学，上海，学林出版社，2000.6. 李鑫华英语修辞格详论，上海，上海外语教育出版社，2000