CC BY
33
УДК 82.09:811.111
Алена Штулайтерова, ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8647-6605
университета Матея Бел, г. Банска-Бистрица, Словакия,
ВОСКЛИЦАТЕЛЬНЫЙ ЗНАК - СТИЛИСТИЧЕСКИЙ И ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ СИГНАЛ В СТИЛЕ ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ
В статье рассматривается потенциал восклицательного знака с точки зрения стилистики и семантики. В частности, анализируются возможности данного знака препинания, особенно в тех случаях, когда он призван дополнить психологически значимые выражения экстралингвистическими функциями.
Автор показывает что восклицательный знак заслуживает более пристального внимания лингвистов, поскольку в их работах, как правило, не находит отражения ценность и важность данного знака. Целью автора является доказать, что восклицательный знак может влиять на изменение семантики высказывания, особенно в эмотивной прозе и драме, где он успешно используется для передачи целой палитры чувств и эмоций.
Ключевые слова: пунктуация, знаки препинания, восклицательный знак, диахронический подход, синхронический подход, литературный стиль.
Introduction. Punctuation has usually been neglected by researchers in theoretical linguistics over the years. This has been due to the absence of a concise, formal background for such an abstract issue. However, once we remember that punctuation is an orthographical component of written language, we see that research on punctuation makes reasonable sense. Accordingly, it has come to be realized that a true understanding of written language will be impossible if punctuation marks are not taken into account. Punctuation appears in every variety of written discourse in all functional styles of language. Quirk et al. divide punctuation marks into categories of separation and specification. The first comprises successive units (when punctuation separates units which are in a simple linear relation to each other) and included units (when the separated unit interrupts a larger unit and the orthographic symbol must therefore be correlative, indicating both the beginning and the end of the included unit) [11, p. 1055-1056]. Specification embraces the punctuation marks having a clear role (often in addition to marking the point at which one unit is separated from another) in specifying a function.
The stylistic view is put forward by Mistrik who states that punctuation marks are the visual demonstratives which complete and refine the appearance of a written text [9, p. 239]. They represent equivalents to the complex of sound elements (melody, emphasis, pauses, etc.) and the elements of movement (mimicry, gestures, proximity, etc.). The role of punctuation in the area of stylistics is to distinguish various functional language styles and the degree of variability regarding the usage of punctuation marks in a text exactly indicates the attachment of the text to a certain style. Consequently, there is a great difference in the usage of punctuation within the individual styles. Crystal and Davy point out that "while the language of legal documents hardly uses any punctuation at all and its application in the language of religion is very simple (conditioned by phonetic criteria), in the language of newspapers punctuation marks appear very frequently" [4, p. 156].
Although placing punctuation mainly within the sphere of grammar, Quirk et al. believe that punctuation is also concerned with "expressing emotive or rhetorical overtones" [11, p. 1056]. Furthermore, punctuation can help modify the semantics of the uttered statements, particularly in 'belles-lettres' style and it is the dash which is the most effective and expressive device for doing so.
Due to their frequent appearance in texts, the greatest attention has generally been given to the comma and the full stop. However, none of the works stated above offer sufficient information on the exclamation mark, even though its presence in literature is by no means rare. Our paper attempts to prove that the exclamation mark deserves far more attention than it receives as its employment transcends the limits of grammar. This particular punctuation mark is an inevitable aid in the domains both of stylistics and of semantics.
Though the individual punctuation marks are well established, it is impossible to state the precise rules for their usage. If more writers were asked to punctuate a fairly lengthy passage, none of them would use the same punctuation. This would happen mainly because of the fact that the roles and purposes of many punctuation marks can be used instead of those with a similar function and it is only a matter of the writer's choice, which device s/he will use. One of the most flexible punctuation marks from the point of view of its usage is certainly the exclamation mark.
The Exclamation Mark. An exclamation mark is a punctuation mark usually used after an interjection or exclamation as an indicator of strong feelings or high volume. It generally marks the end of a sentence.
The Exclamation Mark from the Diachronic Point of View. The exclamation mark, originally known as the mark of admiration, was introduced into English printing in the 15 th century. At this time it had dividing function, similar to present day comma. It had a surge in popularity during the baroque era, probably because it suited the search for strength of emotion that was so formative for this era. When we look at German orthography, it appeared first in the Luther Bible in 1797. Another source goes back to the year 1573, when in the book "Flöh Hatz, Weiber Tratz" by the German author Johann Fischarts, the punctuation marks was used very sparingly, just six times in the whole work and they was omitted in many places where today they would be considered appropriate. The symbol may be derived from the Latin word "Io" (meaning joy), with the "o" written under the "I". In this way, the familiar exclamation mark was created. It was not until 1970s that it appeared on standard manual typewriters.
Crystal dates the first appearance of this punctuation mark, called punctus exclamativus or punctus admi-rativus in Latin, back to the year 1400. In the following lines he says, that at this time it was used "to show utterance needed to be read with some exclamatory force" [3, p. 283]. In early manuscripts, the exclamation mark appears with two points under a short line and the whole being sloping to the right. It was represented as an upright by the printers.
The Exclamation Mark from the Synchronic Point of View. Referring to Barnhard, the exclamation mark is nowadays used to express firstly strong or sudden feelings, secondly emphasis or strong point of view and thirdly to express irony, sarcasm, or amusement [1, p. 683]. Quirk et al. define an exclamation as "a type of sentence that is used to express the speaker's feeling or attitude". The exclamation usually begins with what as determiner in noun phrases or how in connection with adjectives or adverbs [11, p. 1633].
The exclamation mark is used more rarely when compared to the question mark and "its excessive use is often taken as a sign of frivolous or immature writing" [11, p. 1633]. There are examples where the use of the exclamation mark is necessary since the grammatical form itself would be misleading. For instance, the sentence "Isn t it lovely!" without the exclamation mark would suggest a question. However, the exclamation mark does not occur normally with vocatives and imperatives or epistolary formulae and generally is used seldom in English. The same view is shared by Metcalfe and Astle who emphasize that the use of the sign mentioned must be limited to exclamations, exclamatory sentences and exclamatory phrases [8, p. 283]. Similarly, Perrin advises to use exclamation marks sparingly because only a small number of sentences require the emphasis provided by this punctuation mark [10, p. 584]. This concerns especially the formal writing, where all but necessary and emphatic uses should be replaced by full stops otherwise it distracts the reader and reduces the mark's meaning and, according to Metcalfe and Astle, "it is as if the writer is screaming at his reader to take special notice of his devastating sentence, but the civilized writer should not adopt the tactics of the songwriter or the poster artist" [8, p. 92]. Exclamation mark can add special effects like drama, irony or emphasis to our writing, but we the writer should always reconsider its appropriate use.
Other Uses of the Exclamation mark. Exclamation marks are used in various spheres of everyday life. In mathematics, a punctuation mark represents factorial operation; n! is "the product of the integers from 1 to n". In computing, it is used especially for logical negation, e. g.: A! = B means "A is not equal to B". Phonetics sometimes uses this symbol for indicating an ejective consonant although an apostrophe or a glottal stop symbol (□) is more common in this use. Exclamation marks on warning signs are intended to attract people's attention to hazards, a warning of danger, and the unexpected, and are common in potentially dangerous environs or on dangerous equipment. A yellow triangle with a black exclamation mark is the commonest type. The variation with a white triangle bordered in red occurs on European roads. Single exclamation mark (!) denotes a good and double exclamation mark (!!) an excellent move in chess. In baseball, exclamation marks on score-
cards denote a "great defensive play". In comics, computer and video games, a large exclamation mark placed close to the character's head indicates surprise. In the middle of the 20th century, exclamation mark used to be printed in comics instead of a full stop. It was partly because it led to creation of a typical exaggerated comics' speech, partly it was motivated by the fact that due to the printing process used at that time a full stop might not be recognizable. In the United Kingdom there is a town named "Westward Ho!" and in Quebec "Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!", officially spelled even with two exclamation marks. Other examples of the appearance of the exclamation mark in the spelling of individual words are "Yahoo!" (Web service), "Jeopardy!" (game show), or "Moulin Rouge!" (title of a film).
The Exclamation Mark - a Psychological Signal in Text. In the literary style, the exclamation mark is largely used as a stylistic device, as well as a mark to indicate the peculiar semantics of an utterance. It is rather difficult to present a detailed inventory which would sum up the functions of this punctuation mark. Different linguists present the exclamation mark from different angles. As a result, the precise, systematic and coherent enumeration of its employment in the written or printed text has not yet been fully encountered. Therefore the aim of this paper is to outline the principal nuances concerning the usage of the exclamation mark, with respect to its actual use in fiction. This punctuation mark significantly completes the semantics of an utterance and it reports different meanings and a great number of situations, feelings or emotions not mentioned previously, for example:
- Expressing strong point of view:
"I said it's the market price!" said Mor. /Mudroch/
- Emphasis, stress:
"Yes, it was theirs - everything that they could see was theirs!" /Orwell/
- Crying, weeping:
"Take me out! Let me go into the nursery!" was my cry. /Bronte, Ch./
- Anger:
"But they have destroyed the windmill. And we had worked on it for two years!" /Orwell/
- Reproach:
" What ridiculous nonsense you are talking!" /Stoker/
- Lamentation:
"Ah! my lady, ah!" /Meredith/
"O deadly sin! O rude unthankfulness!" /Shakespeare/
- Praise:
"O, he's a perfect gentleman!" /Shakespeare/
- Sorrow, pity:
"Oh, Miss Jane! don't say so!" /Bronte, Ch./
- Joy, pleasure:
"Arthur! Oh, my love, I am so glad you have come! Kiss me!" /Stoker/
- Disapproval, protest:
"No, comrades, a thousand times no!" /Orwell/
- Amazement:
"It was the most affecting sight I have ever seen!" said Squealer, lifting his trotter and wiping away a tear. /Orwell/
- Warning:
"Boxer! Get out! Get out quickly! They are taking you to your death!" /Orwell/
- Wish:
"Oh my God! If I only knew!" /Stoker/
- Swearwords, insults:
"I gave you a shilling, you ass!" /Meredith/
We have to add to our classification that it was difficult to classify the sentences into these specific categories as they are overleaping and one sentence could be classified into more categories. The examples cannot be viewed isolated but in the context of the specific literary works. Our aim was to demonstrate the multifarious usage of the exclamation mark on as many different examples as possible.
The Occurrence of the Exclamation Mark in Poetry, Prose and Drama. Our quantitative analysis is focused on the frequency and distribution of the exclamation mark (EM) in the selected literary works of earlier and modern poetry. The results are shown in the table below:
POETRY
AUTHOR TITLE GENRE YEAR(S) Number of pages Number of excl. marks Excl. marks per page
EARLIER POETRY
William Blake Selected Poetry Collection of of poems 1788-1820 256 435 1,70
Alfred Tennyson Poems of Tennyson Collection of poems 1830-1889 474 388 1,22
Total earlier poetry 730 823 1,13
MODERN POETRY
Lawrence Ferlinghetti These Are My rivers Collection of poems 1955-1993 302 29 0,10
Allen Ginsberg The Fall of America Collection of poems 1965-1971 188 156 0,83
Edward Hirsch Earthly Measures Collection of poems 1994 87 1 0,01
Pet Parker Movementin Black Collection of poems 1961-1978 139 1 0,01
Total mod. poetry 716 187 0,26
TOTAL 1 446 1 010 0,70
When comparing the use of the exclamation mark from the point of view of the individual authors, we can observe great differences, especially in the collection of poems by William Blake (1,70 EMs per page) in comparison with Edward Hirsch and Pet Parker (0,01 EMs per page). The second part of our quantitative analysis aims at literary works of earlier and modern prose. The results are presented below:
PROSE
AUTHOR TITLE GENRE YEAR Number of pages Number of excl. marks Excl. marks per page
EARLIER PROSE
Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre Novel 1847 439 376 0,86
Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels Novel 1726 315 2 0,01
Total earlier prose 754 378 0,50
MODERN PROSE
Kingsley Amis The Green Man Novel 1969 242 0 0
Beryl Bainbridge The Bottle Factory Outing Novel 1974 173 2 0,01
Graham Green Our Man in Havana Novel 1958 214 10 0,05
George Orwell Animal Farm Dystopian novel 1945 97 61 0,63
Total mod. prose 726 73 0,10
TOTAL 1 480 451 0,30
In this part of our research, great difference can be seen even between two authors belonging both to the earlier prose. While Charlotte Bronte uses the exclamation mark rather excessively, we could count only two exclamation marks in the book by Jonathan Swift. Kingsley Amis, representative of the modern prose, did not use a single exclamation mark in the whole novel The Green Man.
The third part of our quantitative analysis aims at literary works of earlier and modern drama:
DRAMA
AUTHOR TITLE GENRE YEAR Number ofpages Number of excl. marks Excl. marks per page
EARLIER DRAMA
William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's Dream Romantic comedy 1594-1596 84 103 1,23
William Shakespeare Julius Caesar Tragedy 1599 87 145 1,67
William Shakespeare Macbeth Tragedy 1603-1606 118 1б5 1,40
William Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing Romantic comedy 1598-1599 93 140 1,51
William Shakespeare Othello Tragedy 1603 126 189 0,67
William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet Tragedy 1597 11б 422 3,64
William Shakespeare Hamlet Tragedy 1599-1601 142 132 0,93
Total earlier drama 766 1 296 1,69
MODERN DRAMA
Edward Albee Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Dark comedy of manners 1961-1962 240 155 0,65
Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot Tragicomedy in 2 Acts 1952-1953 108 338 3,13
Thomas S. Eliot The Coctail Party Comedy 1949 178 71 0,40
Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman Tragedy 1949 129 307 2,38
John Osborne Look Back in Anger "Kitchen sink"drama 1956 96 15б 1,63
Total mod. drama 751 1 027 1,37
TOTAL DRAMA 1 517 2 323 1,53
Results and Discussion. When comparing the difference in occurrence of the exclamation mark in earlier and modern drama, the difference (1,69 to 1,37 EMs per page) is smaller than in prose or poetry, although there are differences among authors reflecting their individual style, e. g. between Thomas S. Eliot (0,40 EMs per page) and Samuel Beckett (3,13 EMs per page), both representatives of the modern drama.
Furthermore, we focused our research on the frequency of the exclamation mark in Shakespeare's We examined four of his famous tragedies and two romantic comedies. On the basis of the results we came to the conclusion that even works by the same author show great differences. Romeo and Juliet reported the highest frequency of the exclamation marks (3,64 per page), conversely Othello reported relatively low frequency of this punctuation mark (only 0,67 EMs per page). Examples of the excessive use of the exclamation mark in the works by William Shakespeare:
Example 1: Romeo and Juliet (1967, p. 147)
NURSE: Mistress! What, mistress! Juliet! Fast, I warrant her, she. Why, lamb! Why, lady! Fie, you slugabed! Why, love, I say! Madam! Sweetheart! Why, bride! ...God forgive me! Marry, and amen! How sound is she asleep! ...Lady! Lady! Lady! Alas, alas! Help, help! My lady's dead! O weraday that ever I was born! Some aqua vitae, ho! My lord! My lady!
Example 2: Julius Caesar (1958, p. 111-112)
FIRST CITIZEN: O piteous spectacle!
SECOND CITIZEN: O noble Caesar!
THIRD CITIZEN: O woful day!
FOURTH CITIZEN: O traitors, villains!
FIRST CITIZEN: O most bloody sight!
SECOND CITIZEN: We will be revenged.
ALL: Revenge! About! Seek! Burn! Fire! Kill! Slay! Let not a traitor live!
Taking all the results of our quantitative research into account, we can conclude that the highest frequency of the exclamation marks can be found in the language of drama with a total average number of 1,53 EMs per page, followed by the language of poetry with 0,70 EMs per page and emotive prose with 0,30 EMs per page.
А. ШТУЛАЙТЕРОВА
If we want to express the proportion of each sub-style of the literary style, it would look as follows: drama -61,40%, poetry - 26,69% and prose - 11,91%.
Another interesting fact comes from the comparison between earlier and modern works of each sub-style of the literary style. Generally, nowadays we can observe a tendency towards a more limited use of the exclamation marks when compared to the past. However, we have to admit that the use of the exclamation marks is a matter of the individual taste of the author, thus creating his individual style.
Conclusion. The article presented the capacity of the exclamation mark on the stylistic as well as semantic layers of the language. We examined the potential of the exclamation mark when used to complete the appearance of psychologically significant expressions along with its function outside the borders of language. We also wanted to demonstrate that the exclamation mark needs and deserves more attention of theoretical works on linguistics which generally do not outline its full value and significance. Our aim was to prove that the exclamation mark is capable of modifying the semantics of uttered statements, particularly in emotive prose and drama where it is effectively used to convey such feeling as happiness, sorrow, anger, disappointment or amazement.
СПИСОК ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ
1. BarnhardC. L. The World Book Dictionary. - Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992. - Vol. one A-K. - 1166 p.
2. Burton A. Practical Punctuation and Spelling. - Oxford: Heineman, 2005. - 138 p.
3. CrystalD. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language. - Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. - 489 p.
4. Crystal D., Davy D. Investigating English Style. - London: Longman, 1986. - 264 p.
5. Dale R. Exploring the Role of Punctuation in the Signalling of Discourse Structure. In: Ideas from Linguistics. - Berlin: Technical University of Berlin, 1991. - Р. 110-120.
6. Jarvie G. Chambers Punctuation Guide. - Edinburgh: Chambers, 2002. - 104 p.
7. Гальперин И. Р. Стилистика. - Москва: Высшая Школа, 1977. - 330 с.
8. Metcalfe J. E., Astle C. Correct English. - Berkshire: Clarion, 2005. - 320 p.
9. Mistrik J. Stylistika. - Bratislava: SPN, 1989. - 582 p.
10. Perrin R. The Beacon Handbook. - Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010. - 708 p.
11. Quirk, R. et al. A Grammar of Contemporary English. - London: Longman, 1972. - 1120 p.
12. Strunk W. The Elements of Style. - London: Macmillan Publishing, 2003. - 78 p.
13. White M. Presenting Punctuation. In: Proceedings of the Fifth European Workshop on Natural Language Generation. - Leiden: the Netherlands. 1995. - Р. 107-125.
14. Willis H. Structure, Style and Usage. Rhetoric and Reasoning. - New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1993. - 445 p.
Алена Штулайтерова, доктор филологических наук, заведующий отделом английских и американских исследований, факультет искусств, университета Матея Бел, г. Банска-Бистрица, Словакия, e-mail: alena.stulajterova@umb.sk
Alena Stulajterova,
Matej Bel University, Banska-Bystrica, Slovakia
EXCLAMATION MARK - STYLISTIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNAL IN LITERARY STYLE
The paper outlines the potential ofa selected punctuation markfrom the stylistic and semantic points ofview. Concretely, the capacity of the exclamation mark is analyzed, especially when used to complete the appearance of psychologically significant expressions along with its extralinguistic functions. The author aims at demonstrating that the exclamation mark
needs and deserves more attention of linguists, as they generally do not present its full value and significance. Author's objective is to prove that the exclamation mark is capable of modifying the semantics of uttered statements, particularly in emotive prose and drama where it is effectively used to convey the whole spectrum of feelings and emotions.
Key words: punctuation, punctuation mark, exclamation mark, diachronic point of view, synchronic point of view, literary style
References
1. Barnhard C. L. The World Book Dictionary. Volume one A-K, Chicago: World Book, Inc., 1992, 1166 p.
2. Burton A. Practical Punctuation and Spelling, Oxford: Heineman, 2005, 138 p.
3. Crystal D. The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, 489 p.
4. Crystal D., Davy D. Investigating English Style, London: Longman, 1986, 264 p.
5. Dale R. Exploring the Role of Punctuation in the Signalling of Discourse Structure. In: Ideas from Linguistics, Berlin: Technical University of Berlin, 1991, p. 110-120.
6. Jarvie G. Chambers Punctuation Guide, Edinburgh: Chambers, 2002, 104 p.
7. Galperin I. R. Stylistics, Moscow: Higher School Publishing House, 1977, 330 p.
8. Metcalfe J. E., Astle C. Correct English. Berkshire: Clarion, 2005, 320 p.
9. Mistrik J. Stylistika. [Stylistics], Bratislava: SPN, 1989, 582 p.
10. Perrin R. The Beacon Handbook, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2010, 708 p.
11. Quirk R. et al. A Grammar of Contemporary English, London: Longman, 1972, 1120 p.
12. Strunk W. The Elements of Style, London: Macmillan Publishing, 2003, 78 p.
13. White M. Presenting Punctuation. In: Proceedings of the Fifth European Workshop on Natural Language Generation, Leiden: the Netherlands. 1995, p. 107-125.
14. Willis H. Structure, Style and Usage. Rhetoric and Reasoning, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1993, 445 p.
Alena Stulajterova, doctor ofphilological sciences, head of department of English and American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Matej Bel University, Banska-Bystrica, Slovakia, e-mail: alena.stulajterova@umb.sk
Для цитирования: ШтулайтероваАлена. Восклицательный знак - стилистический и психологический сигнал в стиле художественной литературы // Актуальные проблемы филологии и педагогической лингвистики. 2017. № 2. С. 218-224 (In Eng.).
For citation: Stulajterova Alena. (2017) Exclamation mark - stylistic and psychological signal in literary style. Aktual'nye problemy filologii i pedagogiceskoj lingvistiki, 2017, 2, рр. 218-224 (In Eng.).
