Anastasia Baryska
Kamianets -Podilskyi National Ivan Ohiienko University
Scientific Supervisor: PhD, Associate Professor O.V. Halaibida
STYLISTIC IMPACT OF NOMINATIVE SENTENCES IN
DAVID HERBERT LAWRENCE’S SHORT STORIES
Abstract
This article describes stylistic impact of the nominative sentences in D.H. Lawrence`s short stories and also defines their semantic types and functions in the stories.
Key words: nominative sentence, stylistic, semantic type, emotional effect, expressiveness.
The English novelist, poet, and essayist David Herbert Lawrence (1885-1930) is known for his novels Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley’s Lover. But his short stories are also very specific for linguistic research from the point of view of expressiveness and emotional impact on the reader.
Significant role in the stylistic perfection of D. H. Lawrence’s works belongs to syntax. Syntactical structure of short stories by D. H. Lawrence deserves special research in order to determine the distinctive features of his individual style.
- H. Lawrence’s short stories evoke great interest for linguists as they represent a variety of semantic-syntactical structures of sentences which are of great expressive value. Among them there are unextended evaluative sentences and nominative sentences which are often used in emotive prose in descriptions of nature, interior, appearance, etc. to produce an effect of a detailed but laconic picture foregrounding its main components, and as the background of dialogue, mentioning the emotions, attitudes, moods of the characters.
The use of nominative sentences and nominative style in general, became very popular in the 19th century. At that time, using such sentences was considered to be a feature of a sophisticated style of writing. By using such sentences the authors drew the readers’ attention and achieved a desired emotional impact.
Nominative sentence is a sentence which gives information about the existence of the subject or phenomenon. The main part in the sentence is expressed by the word with the nominative function and in the nominative case.
Z.H Kotsiuba divides nominative sentences into such semantic types: descriptive (existential), indicative and emotional [3, c.57].
Existential nominative sentences inform the reader about the existence of an object, state of this object/subject.
The main function of the indicative sentences is to draw attention of the reader to some phenomena or subject.
Emotional sentences name the feelings and emotions of the characters.
Nominative sentences are often used in emotive prose in descriptions of nature, interior, appearance, etc. to produce an effect of a detailed but laconic picture, foregrounding its main components, and as the background of dialogues, mentioning the emotions, attitudes, moods of the characters:
It was the shimmer of the pure impressionists, Monet and his followers, the word seen in terms of pure light, light broken and unbroken. How lovely![1, p. 191]; And then! Oh, then, the lovely glowing intimacy of the evening, between mother and son [2 p.236]; No question of dribbling out [1, p.24];“She was always grown up; she never really grew up. Always strangely wise, and always childish.”[1, p. 29]; November of the year 1916. Frustration and a painful volcanic pressure of impatience [1, c.21].
These sentences possess a very strong emphatic impact. Abrupt changes from short sentences to long ones and then back again create a very strong effect of tension and suspense for they serve to arrange a nervous, uneven, ragged rhythm of the utterance.
The important part in Lawrence`s short stories is taken by emotional nominative sentences. They create emotional tension. These sentences depict the hero’s worrying, feelings and psychological state. If the author wants to express emotions, he uses exclamatory sentences. This type of sentences expresses strong feelings of the characters:
“No headlights!” “Frustration, always frustration!” [1, c. 25];
“Strange! – doomful!”[ 1, c. 25]; “Her battle! Her hope!”[1, c. 26]. She would never love any man. Never! [1, c. 69] These sentences express such emotions as sorrow, joy, surprise, wonder, despare.
Nominative sentences convey the information shortly and passionately:
“On then, under the many sharp, small stars of the desert” [1, c.25]; “No question of dribbling out” [1, c. 24]
There are many discriptive nominative sentences in Lawrence`s short stories, which have nominative and descriptive function. A sequence of nominative sentences makes dynamic description of events. The author also uses such sentences to depict the place, location and time of action, or the participants of events. Very often these sentences are used in descriptions:
“Shadowy scrub of pale grey sage, knee-high, waist-high, on the flat of the table land: and on the slopes of the mountains that rose still further, starting off the flat table, scrub of gnarled pine and cedar, still hardly more than bushes but like that Japanese dwarf – trees, full of age, torture and power. Strange country – weird – frightening, too [1, c.25].
But both he and Valerie shuddered. A scholastic career! The scholastic world! The American scholastic world! Shudder upon shudder! [1, c.197]
Such amplified enumeration creates distinct rhythm and expressiveness. There are a lot of descriptive sentences in Lawrence`s short stories. They give to his stories an expressive coloring, form artistic descriptions, provide dynamics and laconism.
Nominative sentences are a distinctive feature of Lawrence`s individual style. They are often used for nature description and expressing emotional state and feelings of the characters. They have different semantics and perform different stylistic functions, make his style expressive and laconic.
References:
- Lawrence David Herbert. The Princess and other Stories. Moscow: ”TSITADEL”, 2002. – 239 c.
- Lawrence David Herbert. Odour of Chrysanthemums and Other Stories. М.: Прогресс, 1977. 295 с.
- Коцюба З. Г. Семантична структура номінативних речень англійської та української мов. Мовознавство. 2002. No 2-3. С. 56 – 62.