Stylistic-Features-of-a-speech

1StylisticFeaturesofaspeechAbstractThispapergiveusabriefdescriptionofstylisticswiththeexampleofIHAVEADREAM.Onthebaseofthedefinitionofstylistics,thisthesisgivesadetailedanalysisofsometheofstylisticdevicesusedinthefamousspeechbythewell-knownAmericancivilrightsmovementleaderMartinLutherKing,AndthenprobesintothestylisticcharacteristicsofspeechasastylewithinParallelism,Repetition,Metaphors,similesandContrast.Keywords:speech,Stylistics,Stylisticdevices2Ⅰ.whatisaspeechPublicspeechisthetransmissionofamessageinEnglishfromonepersonwhoaddressestoanaudiencewhoisphysicallypresent.Publicspeechisnotanewtrend.Infact,peoplehavebeenspeakinginpublicsincehumanbeingsfirstdevelopedtheabilitytotalk.Publicspeechisaskillthateveryoneneedstolearn.AlmosteveryoneofuswillbeinvolvedinPublicspeechinsomeformatsomepointinourlivessothatweneedtobepreparedtodoagoodjobwhenthattimecomes.Ofcourse,evenifyouarenevercalledupontovocalizeyourownideasinfrontofothers,learninghowtoeffectivelyspeakinpublicwillincreaseyourconfidence,andmakeyoumorecomfortablewithotherpeople.Beinganeffectivepublicspeakercangiveyouthetoolstomakeyousuccessinyourbusiness,inyourcommunity,evenintheworld.Publicspeechisanimportantsocial-culturalphenomenon.Itcoversafairlylargerange.Sofarasthefieldisconcerned,therearespeecheslikethebusinessmanagerexplainingnextyear’budget,themilitaryofficerbriefingsubordinates,theteacherlecturinginaclassroom,theunionleaderinformingmembersaboutdetailsinthemewcontrast;therearespeechesonquestionsoffact,onquestionsofvalue,andonquestionsofpolicyandtherearealsospeechesonspecialoccasion:speechesofintroduction,ofpresentation,ofacceptanceandcommemorativespeeches,etc.Sofarasthefunctionaltenorisconcerned,speechescanbeformalorlessformalorinformal.Sofarasthemodeisconcerned,thereareimpromptuspeeches(speechesmadeonthespot),speecheswithasetofbriefmotesoranoutlinetojogthememory,speechesfromrecitingandspeechesfromamanuscript;butmanyofthespeechesarewrittentobespokenbeforeanaudience.OfallaspectsofPublicspeech,persuasionisthemostcomplexanddifficult.Itsjobistochangetheaudience’smindstogetthemtoagreeandperhapstoact.Itsgoalmaybetodefendanidea,torefuteanopponent,tosellaprogramme,ortoinspirepeopletoaction.Ⅱ.whatisStylisticsandStylisticAnalysis?Simplydefined,Stylisticsisadisciplinethatstudiesthewaysinwhichlanguageisused;Itisdisciplinethatstylesoflanguageinuse.3Thisdefinition,however,needselucidation.thestylisticswearediscussinghereismodernstylistics,adisciplinethatappliesconceptsandtechniquesofmodernlinguisticstothestudyofstylesoflanguageuse.Ithastwosubdivisions:generalStylisticsandliteraryStylistics,withthelatterconcentratingsolelyonuniquefeaturesofvarioustypesoflanguageuse.Stylisticanalysisisgenerallyconcernedwiththeuniquenessofatext;thatis,whatitisthatispeculiartotheusesoflanguageinaliterarytextfordeliveringthemessage.Thisnaturallyinvolvescomparisonsofthelanguageofthetextwiththatusedinconventionaltypesofdiscourse.StylisticiansmayalsowishtocharacterizethestyleofaliterarytextbySystematicallycomparingthelanguageusesinthattextwiththoseinanother.Hallidaypointsout,“Thetextmaybeseenas‘this’incontrastwith‘that’,withanotherpoemoranothernovel;stylisticsstudiesareessentiallycomparativeinnature…”(1971:341).Onthispoints,WiddowsonisofthesameopinionasHalliday.Hesays：“Allliteraryappreciationiscomparative,asindeedisarecognitionofstylesingeneral”(1975:84).Thus,wemayconcludethatstylisticanalysisisanactivitythatishighlycomparativeinnature.Asaninterdisciplinaryfieldofstudy,stylisticspromisestoofferusefulinsightsintoliterarycriticismandtheteachingofliteraturewithitsexplicitaimsandeffectivetechniques.Itisveryusefulintheanalysisofvariousstylesofwriting.Inthisthesis,theauthortriestoofferastylisticanalysisofthefamousspeechbyMartinLutherking,IHaveaDream.Ⅲ.StylisticAnalysisofIHAVEADREAM1.thecontentofIHAVEADREAMThisarticleisaboutthespeechbyMartinLutherKing,Jr..Forotheruses,seeIHaveaDream(disambiguation).IHaveaDreamisaseventeenminutepublicspeechbyMartinLutherKing,Jr.,inwhichhecalledforracialequalityandanendtodiscrimination.King'sdeliveryofthespeechonAugust28,1963,fromthestepsoftheLincolnMemorialduringtheMarchonWashingtonforJobsandFreedom,wasadefiningmomentoftheAmericanCivilRightsMovement.Deliveredtoover200,000civilrightssupporters,thespeechwasrankedthetopAmericanspeechofthe20thcenturybya1999pollofscholarsofpublicaddress.AccordingtoU.S.RepresentativeJohnLewis,who4alsospokethatdayasthePresidentoftheStudentNon-ViolentCoordinatingCommittee,Dr.Kinghadthepower,theability,andthecapacitytotransformthosestepsontheLincolnMemorialintoamonumentalareathatwillforeverberecognized.Byspeakingthewayhedid,heeducated,heinspired,heinformednotjustthepeoplethere,butpeoplethroughoutAmericaandunborngenerations.Attheendofthespeech,KingdepartedfromhispreparedtextforapartlyimprovisedperorationonthethemeofIhaveadream,possiblypromptedbyMahaliaJackson'scry,Tellthemaboutthedream,Martin!HehaddeliveredaspeechincorporatingsomeofthesamesectionsinDetroitinJune1963,whenhemarchedonWoodwardAvenuewithWalterReutherandtheReverendC.L.Franklin,and