How to determine text style and type of speech

The content of the article

• What is text
• The concept of a functional style of speech.
• What are the styles of speech
• Publicistic
• Colloquial
• Art
• Official business
• Examples of texts of different styles of speech
• Speech style sheet

The fastest way to transfer information from one person to another is the printed word. Depending on the tasks and the target audience, the set of expressive means of the Russian language can vary significantly. It is important for both the reader and the writer to know how to determine the style of the text, because this will give an understanding of what is written, and it will also allow to outline a number of possible tricks with which it is easy to convey thoughts to the reader.

What is text

It is customary to call a text any speech that is recorded on paper or in electronic form, while it can be artistic or journalistic, in the form of a document, letter, etc. In fact, the text contains at least two sentences, and they must be combined not only by meaning, but also by grammar. The description of events or objects, destinies or actions in the text is always predetermined by the main topic, message. Regardless of style, the theme of the written should be clearly defined.

As a rule, it is not so difficult to understand what will be discussed in the text, because the authors take the topic up, making it a title. For convenience, intermediate subtitles are also used, which give direction, explain to the reader what awaits him in one or another semantic part of the text. Interestingly, the same information can easily be served under a different “sauce” for diametrically opposite audiences or occasions. So, how to determine the text style correctly?

The concept of a functional style of speech.

In various areas of journalism, literature, there are varieties of language. The word “style” has many definitions used in the visual arts, architecture, design (in addition to literature). If we talk purely about the literary meaning, then this is a set of expressive (artistic and other) elements inherent in the writing of the text. Functional speech styles look like this:

1. Narration is a time-related account of events. The sequence in this type of text does not always correspond to the chronology, but is always associated with it. The narrative view requires the use of the words: “while”, “after what”, “then”, etc. These words mark events, linking them to a specific section of the chronology..
2. Description – a statement of the qualities of the object of discussion. This type of text often uses adjectives that reflect the distinguishing features of the subject: “beautiful”, “large”, “wide”, “thin”, “light”, “fast”. The description can use adverbs to compare with other objects of the same category “longer”, “faster”, “less”, “deeper”.
3. Reasoning – this type of text contains three essential elements: statement, proof and conclusion. Initially, a certain thesis is indicated in the discussion, for example: “Does a UFO exist?” This is followed by evidence, a review of the veracity or inaccuracy of this statement, and on the basis of the evidence, the conclusion is made that the original statement.

What are the styles of speech

In the Russian language, four main language styles are distinguished, differing from each other in different sets of techniques and characteristics and having its own main features of the text:

• formal business;
• colloquial;
• art;
• publicistic.

In each case, the author must know how to correctly determine the style of the text, which functional styles of the modern Russian language to use in order to convey its essence to the final audience. For example, the question of what a text style is is easy to answer if you know that:

• For correspondence with business partners, superiors and subordinates, the official business genre is suitable.
• And for personal communication and correspondence, conversational is more suitable.
• The description of events, places, emotions and experiences is better with the help of the artistic style of presentation.
• The journalistic style of speech is designed to convey thoughts through the media – magazines, newspapers, the Internet. However, media texts cannot always be called journalism; in some cases, the colloquial or scientific genre is used.

Publicistic

The result of this writing style is an article, reportage, interview, or essay. The grammar and stylistics of the genre provide for ease of reading and perception by the widest masses of the target audience. The journalistic style almost always does not involve an appeal to the reader, because the presentation is from a third party. You will find examples of this style by reading any newspaper..

In a separate version, a scientific journalistic style is sometimes highlighted. In this case, the text uses reasoning on scientific topics. The author at the very beginning makes an assumption, and throughout the article, essay or note provides evidence of the veracity or inaccuracy of this thesis, and in the end he draws a conclusion based on the above arguments. Linguistic means of scientific style involve the use of precise definitions. Examples of journalistic style are common; confusing them with others is difficult.

Colloquial

The main use of the style is spoken language, and the expressiveness and intelligibility for the masses makes it popular in journalism. Such a text uses colloquial expressions and accepts a direct appeal to the reader, asking questions and provoking an emotional perception of what is written. The written conversational style is different from the oral one, as using text is more difficult to convey emotions expressed by facial expressions or gestures.

Art

If we are not talking about literary magazines, this genre is not used in periodicals. What is literary text? It involves extensive reasoning, descriptions, dialogs, analysis. The task of the artistic style is not the transfer of information, but the maximum immersion of the reader in the work, the excitement of emotions, fantasies, impact on feelings. This genre provides for the possibility of lengthy reasoning, subjectivity in assessing facts, events and phenomena. Text length for those using book-style speech is not limited.

Official business

The official style of speech is intended for business communication both within the team and in correspondence with third-party organizations. The official business is also used in verbal communication, when it comes to business relations. The task of this style of text is to transfer the maximum number of facts from one person to another without the use of evaluative adjectives. Standard phrases and repetitions are widely used, which in other styles are perceived as flaws or even mistakes.

The official business style provides for a dry listing of facts, figures, the establishment of causal relationships, a specific system that determines the construction of written proposals. Text of this type is different from all others, it necessarily contains two elements:

• Descriptive part – accomplished facts and possible consequences are described here..
• Action – here is indicated the requirement, request, proposal for the commission of certain acts.

Watch a video on speech styles.

Examples of texts of different styles of speech

Several models of using different genres to present the same situation using text:

• Publicistic. “This morning, woman Nyura, going out into the barn to milk her cow Zorka, was much surprised. She found an open door to the utility room, but the animal was not inside. “Who took Zorka and what should I do without her?”, Baba Nyura turned to local police officer Ivan Golovin with such questions. Investigation ongoing.
• Colloquial. “I will go, Stepanovna, into the barn, but there is no Dawn! I already called her, screamed, went to my neighbor Petrovich — maybe he saw something … But he gathered so much from last night that he still doesn’t leave the house. I went to the district police officer, he says: “Write a statement, we’ll figure it out.” Well, I wrote. “I went home through the cemetery, I look, and my dawn is grazing in the clearing!”
• Art. “The light morning haze was just beginning to dissipate, and the first sun’s rays touched the lush grass of the front garden. The roosters began to yell at their simple morning call signs, and the village of Gulkovo began to wake up. The long-oiled door creaked easily and Baba Nyura appeared on the threshold of a rickety wooden hut. She was looking for her cow. ”
• Formal business. “On June 17, 2014, at 9-30 a citizen of the Russian Federation, Anna Zakharovna Egorova, applied to the police department of the village of Gulkovo. On the merits of the questions asked, she explained that on 06/17/2014, at about 4-50, she discovered the loss of livestock (cows) on the territory of her own house farm. The animal was in a separate outbuilding. Egorova A.Z. stated that the cow could not leave by herself and demanded that an investigation be opened under Article 158 of the Criminal Code. The statement was recorded in the register of crimes and offenses. 06/17/2014 at 16-00 Egorova A.Z. “she again turned to the police department of the village of Gulkovo with a statement that the animal she wanted was found and that the applicant had no complaints to anyone.”

Speech style sheet

A great tool for those who do not know how to determine the style of the text. The proposed table contains the main style features. With its help, you will learn how to determine the style of the finished text, what are the speech styles in Russian, the stylistic affiliation of the document that needs to be created: