alex19803011 Hello everyone, I have another more specific question regarding…Hello everyone,
I have another more specific question regarding what Derek Davy and David Crystal mean by “identification” in terms of their definition of the term “Situation” in their book “Investigating English Style” as “that sub-set of non-linguistic events which are clearly relevant to the identification of the linguistic feature(s).
In their book, they write:
“As a starting-point, we would say that the aim of stylistics
is to analyse language habits with the main purpose of identifying,
from the general mass of linguistic features common to English as used
on every conceivable occasion, those features which are restricted to
certain kinds of social context; to explain, where possible, why such
features have been used, as opposed to other alternatives; and to
classify these features into categories based upon a view of their func-
tion in the social context. By ‘features’ here, we mean any bit ofspeech or writing which a person can single out from the general flow
oflanguage and discuss – a particular word, part of a word, sequence
of words, or way of uttering a word. A feature, when it is restricted in
its occurrence to a limited number of social contexts, we shall call a
stylistically significant or stylistically distinctive feature – phrases which
will be explained in more detail in Chapter 3.
· To make any progress at all in this neglected field of study, we have
had to make one major assumption as a basis for investigation: we
have assumed that any linguistically untrained) adult has an ability to
identify, in a purely intuitive way, certain features ofhis language with
certain non-linguistic aspects ofhis experience. We shall refer to these
aspects of experience as the situation. (It is important to note that we are
here using the term situation to mean only that sub-set of non-linguistic
events which are clearly relevant to the identification of the linguistic
feature(s).3 It provides us with. a convenient label which covers all
categories of such event.~>; these categories, which are referred to for
the time being as situational variables, are defined in Chapter 3. It should
also be noted that in this narrow sense situation is not intended to in-
clude everything non-linguistic which exists at the time of using the linguistic
feature(s). Our term for this will be extra-linguistic context.) People may
not express their sense of identification very clearly, of course- for
example, they may talk vaguely about ‘thou’ having religious
‘associations’- but we have never come across anyone who. could not
consistently identify features to some degree, and accordingly we do
not feel it necessary to accumulate experimental evidence to justify
the assumption. What does need to be investigated systematically is
the precise nature and extent of this identification. Most people are
consciously aware of only some of the correlations between language
and extra-linguistic context: they vary in the degree of confidence
with which they posit that a linguistic feature is stylistically significant
(if asked to comment on a piece oflanguage, someone may be more
sure of feature X having a certain range of extra-linguistic associations
than feature Y), and people differ in their a~sessment of the obvious-
ness of a correlation between language and extra-linguistic context
(person A may note feature X as being associated with context P,
whereas person B may not, or may associate it with context Q, or with
no context at all, and so on). But there is sufficient agreement over this
question of identification to justify our setting up as a hypothesis that
any use of language displays certain linguistic features which allow it to be
identified with one or more extra-linguistic contexts.”
QUESTION: What does identification of linguistic features in terms of non-linguistic events mean?
Does it mean: Identification refers to the ability of individuals to recognize and associate linguistic features with non-linguistic events or aspects of experience. It involves making connections between the linguistic features used and the relevant non-linguistic events in order to understand the relationship between language and its social context.
To identify linguistic features means to perceive and recognize particular elements of speech or writing that stand out from the general flow of language. These features can include individual words, parts of words, word sequences, or specific manners of utterance. By identifying these features, individuals can analyze and understand how they are used in specific social contexts and their significance within those contexts.
The connection between linguistic features and non-linguistic events is made by associating specific language choices with relevant aspects of the social, cultural, or situational context in which they occur. This connection allows individuals to interpret the intended meaning, connotations, and associations conveyed through language in relation to the non-linguistic events or factors that shape its use.
In summary, identification involves the process of recognizing and connecting linguistic features with non-linguistic events or aspects of experience. It enables individuals to understand how language is influenced by its social context and helps in interpreting the meaning and function of language use in different situations.
Or what were they getting at?
Kind regards Alex Arts & HumanitiesEnglish
