Linguistics and the Study of Literature
- Arts
- 800 level
- 3 credit units
- 129 pages
- 11 units
This course introduces students to the basic principles and practice of textual analysis. As a field of applied linguistics, the main thrust of stylistics is to show the scientific link between authorial intentions in texts and their linguistic representations, all in a bid to assign semantic values to them. The course covers developments in theoretical and functional linguistics in the interpretation of textual impressions and expressions. It emphasizes the relationship between presentation and the motivation for use of such a text.
About this course
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Study hours
- 150 hours
- Maths
- None
- Content
- Theoretical, practical, case study
- Practical work
- Yes
- Assignments
- Tutor marked assessments
- Final examination
What you'll read
The real module and unit structure of ENG820, taken from the course material NOUN publishes.
One paragraph, so you can see how it reads
ENG820 · MODULE 2: NATURE AND FOCUS OF THE COURSE – STYLISTICS AND THE CONCEPT OF STYLE
STYLISTICS, simply defined as the linguistic study of style, is rarely undertaken for its own sake, simply as an exercise in describing what use is made of a language. We normally study style because we want to explain something, and in general, literary stylistics had, implicitly or explicitly the goal of the relation between language and artistic function.
What you should be able to do
- Differentiate between stylistics and other fields of functional linguistics.
- Objectively validate the appropriateness of the style of a text in the scheme of motivating context.
- Offer valid and verifiable explanation on the effectiveness of a language form in achieving overall cohesion of the discourse in its entirety.
- Apply linguistic methodologies to probe into the style of a given text.
- Identify foregrounded features in a text and validate their appropriateness.
What it prepares you for
- Literary Critic
- Editor
- Content Writer
- Linguist
- Communication Specialist
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Education
- Advertising
- Public Relations
Where it gets hard
The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.
- Module 4: Levels of Language in Stylistics
Unit 1: Phonology
Requires understanding of complex sound patterns and their relation to meaning, which can be challenging without a strong background in phonetics and phonology.
- Module 5: Linguistic Intercessions in Stylistics
Unit 3: Textual function
Understanding the interplay between experiential, interpersonal, and textual functions requires a deep understanding of systemic functional linguistics.
A suggested way through it
13 weeks, about 74 hours in total. Yours will differ.
- Week 1Module 1: Language, Literature and Literary Analysis
Unit 1: What language is · 2 hours
Read the definition of language and its functions.. Identify the spoken and written levels of language.. Understand how language mediates between expression and meaning..
Unit 2: Literature and its allied concepts · 2 hours
Explore the relationship between literature and society.. Understand the didactic purposes of literature.. Identify the ornamental resources that make literature special..
- Week 2Module 1: Language, Literature and Literary Analysis
Unit 3: Stylistics as the confluence of linguistics and literature · 3 hours
Understand how linguistics contributes to literary interpretation.. Explore the interdisciplinary nature of stylistics.. Differentiate between various branches of stylistics..
- Week 3Module 2: Nature and Focus of the Course – Stylistics and the Concept of Style
Unit 1: Introduction to stylistics · 3 hours
Define stylistics and its purpose.. Review Stanley Fish's position on stylistics.. Understand the goal of stylistic analysis..
Unit 2: The workings of stylistics – A review of Stanley Fish's (1981) position on stylistics · 3 hours
Review Stanley Fish's (1981) position on stylistics. Understand the workings of stylistics. Identify the criticisms of stylistics.
- Week 4Module 2: Nature and Focus of the Course – Stylistics and the Concept of Style
Unit 3: Trends in stylistics · 3 hours
Trace the evolution of stylistics.. Understand the influence of structuralism.. Identify the branches of stylistics..
Unit 4: The concept of style · 3 hours
Define style and its characteristics.. Explore different perspectives of approaching textual style.. Understand social and language categories in the exploration of style..
- Week 5Module 3: Foregrounding
Unit 1: What foregrounding is from the background · 4 hours
Define foregrounding and its purpose.. Understand the relationship between foregrounding and background.. Explore the elements of foregrounding..
Unit 2: Elements of foregrounding · 4 hours
Identify and analyze graphological deviation.. Identify and analyze phonological deviation.. Identify and analyze morphological deviation..
- Week 6Module 4: Levels of Language in Stylistics
Unit 1: Phonology · 3 hours
Understand the role of phonology in stylistics.. Analyze sound effective devices in poetry.. Explore the relationship between phonic and graphic substance..
Unit 2: Graphology · 3 hours
Understand the role of graphology in stylistics.. Analyze typography and punctuation in written texts.. Explore the functional significance of graphemes..
- Week 7Module 4: Levels of Language in Stylistics
Unit 3: Morphology · 3 hours
Understand the role of morphology in stylistics.. Analyze word formation processes in poetry.. Explore the relationship between morphology and thematic foregrounding..
Unit 4: Lexis · 3 hours
Understand the role of lexis in stylistics.. Analyze lexico-grammatical constituents of a structure.. Explore the relationship between lexis and meaning..
- Week 8Module 4: Levels of Language in Stylistics
Unit 5: Syntax · 3 hours
Understand the role of syntax in stylistics.. Analyze syntactic patterns in poetry.. Explore the relationship between syntax and meaning..
Unit 6: Lexico-semantics · 3 hours
Understand the role of semantics in stylistics.. Analyze lexico-semantic features of language.. Explore the relationship between semantics and meaning..
- Week 9Module 4: Levels of Language in Stylistics
Unit 7: Pragmatics · 4 hours
Understand the role of pragmatics in stylistics.. Analyze the influence of context on meaning.. Explore the relationship between pragmatics and interpretation..
- Week 10Module 5: Linguistic Intercessions in Stylistics
Unit 1: Experiential or ideational function · 3 hours
Understand the experiential or ideational function of language.. Identify the components of experiential function.. Analyze material, relational, and projecting processes..
Unit 2: Interpersonal function · 3 hours
Understand the interpersonal function of language.. Explore the processes of exchanging information and services.. Analyze the mood block and its components..
- Week 11Module 5: Linguistic Intercessions in Stylistics
Unit 3: Textual function · 3 hours
Understand the textual function of language.. Analyze theme and rheme in a text.. Explore given and new information..
- Week 12Module 6: Context of Text Composition and Decomposition
Unit 1: The place of context in discourse · 4 hours
Understand the place of context in discourse.. Explore the components of context: field, tenor, and mode.. Analyze the types of context: physical, socio-cultural, psychological, and linguistic..
Unit 2: Text and contextualization · 4 hours
Define text and its characteristics.. Understand the concept of contextualization.. Analyze contextualization cues in discourse..
- Week 13Module 7: Cohesion in Stylistics
Unit 1: Introduction and definitions · 4 hours
Define cohesion and its importance in literary analysis.. Understand the relationship between cohesion and coherence.. Explore the ways of instilling cohesion in discourse..
Unit 2: Ways of instilling cohesion in discourse · 4 hours
Analyze substitution, ellipsis, reference, and conjunction.. Explore lexical cohesion: reiteration and collocation.. Understand the stages of stylistic analysis..
Preparing for the exam
- Create a glossary of key stylistic terms and concepts from Modules 1-3.
- Practice analyzing different text types (prose, poetry, drama) using the levels of language framework from Module 4.
- Develop a checklist for identifying cohesive devices in texts, focusing on examples from Module 7.
- Apply the stages of stylistic analysis (identification, validation, interpretation) to sample passages from Module 9.
- Review the linguistic metafunctions (experiential, interpersonal, textual) and their application in analyzing discourse from Module 5.
Questions students ask about this course
What is ENG820 about?
This course introduces students to the basic principles and practice of textual analysis. As a field of applied linguistics, the main thrust of stylistics is to show the scientific link between authorial intentions in texts and their linguistic representations, all in a bid to assign semantic values to them. The course covers developments in theoretical and functional linguistics in the interpretation of textual impressions and expressions. It emphasizes the relationship between presentation and the motivation for use of such a text.
How many units does ENG820 have?
ENG820, Linguistics and the Study of Literature, has 11 units across 11 modules, over 129 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.
How many credit units is ENG820?
ENG820 carries 3 credit units, at 800 level in Arts.
Is ENG820 hard?
ENG820 is rated intermediate level, with no mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, practical and case study work, and it has a practical component.
How long does ENG820 take to study?
About 150 hours of study, spread across its 11 units.
How is ENG820 assessed?
ENG820 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.
What can I do with ENG820?
Literary Critic, Editor, Content Writer, Linguist and Communication Specialist.