AJ9202 Stylistics

Faculty of Education
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Olga Dontcheva-Navrátilová, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Prerequisites
Advanced level of English
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course focuses on enhancing the linguistic competence of the students as language users and future teachers of English in the field of stylistics. The course introduces basic stylistic terminology and drawing on the functional approach to the study of style focuses on the stylistic markers of English functional styles. The main objective of the course is to help students identify and understand rhetorical strategies and linguistic features used in the administrative style (form and formal letters), legal English, public speaking, advertising, newspaper writing, scientific prose style, the language of conversation and stylized dialogue. The students analyze and create texts representing different styles and genres and discuss their distinctive features.
Throughout the semester students are encouraged to link theory in the classroom to practice at schools via practical tasks.
Learning outcomes
The students should will be able to - identify individual functional styles and their distinctive features, - understand and analyse the differences between different situational varieties of English, - explain how the linguistic means used express the communicative intention of the speaker/writer, - understand the differences between the context-dependent norms of communication in English and Czech, - create a text representing a specific functional style or genre, - - apply the knowledge of stylistics for didactic purposes, e.g. for the development of teaching materials.
Syllabus
  • 1. Functional styles in English. Linguistic description of a text. Cohesion and coherence.
  • 2. The language of conversation.
  • 3. Stylized dialogue. Speech and thought presentation in fiction.
  • 4. Scientific prose style. Humanities vs. exact sciences. Reviews.
  • 5. Academic vs. popular science texts. Written instructions.
  • 6. The language of administrative texts. Forms.Formal letters.
  • 7. Legal English.
  • 8. Public speaking.
  • 9.Newspaper headlines.
  • 10. Newsreports and editorials. Broadsheets and tabloids.
  • 11.Advertisements and announcements.
  • 12. Teaching practice observation - stylistic variation in coursebooks and classroom practice.
Literature
    required literature
  • VERDONK, Peter. Stylistics. first published. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, xiii, 124. ISBN 9780194372404. info
  • Knittlová, Dagmar. Funkční styly v angličtině a češtině, Olomouc
    recommended literature
  • SHORT, Mick. Exploring the language of poems, plays and prose. London: Longman, 1996, xiii, 399. ISBN 0582291305. info
  • LEECH, Geoffrey N. and Mick SHORT. Style in fiction : a linguistic introduction to English fictional prose. London: Longman, 1981, xiii, 402. ISBN 0582291038. info
  • LEECH, Geoffrey N. A linguistic guide to English poetry. Harlow: Longman, 1969, xv, 237. ISBN 0582550130. info
  • URBANOVÁ, Ludmila. Stylistika anglického jazyka (English Stylistics). English Stylistics. Brno: Barrister and Principal; Filozofická fakulta MU, 2008, 104 pp. Barrister & Principal. ISBN 978-80-87029-29-9. info
  • CRYSTAL, David and Derek DAVY. Investigating English style. 1st pub. London: Longman, 1969, xii, 264. ISBN 0582522129. info
  • URBANOVÁ, Ludmila and Andrew OAKLAND. Úvod do anglické stylistiky. 1. vyd. Brno: Barrister & Principal, 2002, 145 s. ISBN 80-86598-33-0. info
Teaching methods
Lectures and class discussions, written assignments, reading assignments, self-study.
Teaching practice: Observation.
Assessment methods
Written assignments (pass mark 70%)
Homework assignments
Compulsory attendance (80%)
Compulsory reading
Teaching practice tasks: 1)Identification and description of textbook and classroom activities reflecting stylistic variation 2)Design of 1 activity illustrating variation in formality and 1 activity illustrating different national varieties of English
Oral exam
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every other week.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: kombinované studium: výuka v blocích.
Teacher's information
http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=1549
For the handouts for the seminar course see mood-link-a http://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=1549

Students are supposed to bring with them the handouts included in the respective topic of the Moodle course. For online semester: Please note that students are requested to secure good internet connection in order to participate in online lessons and they must attend these meetings with both the sound and camera on. Students who have an individual study plan should fulfil all tasks assigned in the Moodle course supporting this subject, submit a written assignment (essay on a topic related to the course) and discuss other possible additional tasks with the teacher.

The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2025/AJ9202