Comprehensive Guide to Style Analysis, Stylistic Devices, and Speech Analysis

Levels of Style (Stilebenen)

  • Language Categories and Registers:

    • Formal English: formelles Englisch

    • Informal English: informelles Englisch

    • Colloquial English: umgangssprachliches Englisch

    • Everyday English: Alltagsenglisch

    • Formal Register: A language variety used in a specific social situation (Register, Stilebene).

    • Jargon: Words or expressions used by a particular profession (Jargon, Fachsprache).

  • Describing Writing Styles:

    • Simple style: schlicht

    • Unaffected style: ungekünstelt

    • Terse style: kurz und bündig

    • Concise style: prägnant

    • Varied style: abwechselungsreich

    • Academic style: akademisch

    • Elevated style: gehoben

    • Elaborate style: ausgefeilt

    • Sophisticated style: anspruchsvoll, geistreich

    • Pretentious style: hochtrabend

    • Flowery style: blumig

    • Stilted style: gestelzt

  • Describing Language Usage:

    • Witty language: geistreich

    • Wordy language: wortreich

    • Verbose language: wortreich

    • Full of computer jargon: voller Computer-Jargon / Fachsprache

  • Author's Tone (Der Ton des Autors):

    • Critical: kritisch

    • Condescending: herablassend

    • Detached: distanziert

    • Humorous: humorvoll

    • Ironic: ironisch

    • Matter-of-fact: sachlich

    • Melancholy: melancholisch

    • Playful: scherzhaft

    • Sarcastic: sarkastisch

    • Serious: ernst

    • Solemn: feierlich

  • Types of Vocabulary and Expressions Used:

    • Specialist terms: Spezialausdrücke

    • Swear words: Kraftausdrücke

    • Slang expressions: Slangausdrücke

    • Vulgar expressions: ordinäre Ausdrücke

    • Old-fashioned language: altmodisch

    • Archaic language: veraltet, altmodisch

    • Obsolete language: veraltet, überholt

    • Phraseology: An author uses or makes use of these terms.

Stylistic Devices (Stilmittel)

  • General Terminology for Rhetorical Means:

    • Stylistic devices: Stilmittel

    • Stylistic means: Stilmittel

    • Figures of speech: Stilmittel

    • Rhetorical devices: rhetorische Mittel

    • Standard verbs used: uses, employs, makes use of.

  • Imagery, Comparisons, and Substitutions:

    • Images (Bilder): Expressed as metaphors or similes.

    • Cluster of Images (zusammenhängende Gruppe von Bildern): A group of related images used together.

    • Metaphor (Metapher): An implicit comparison.

    • Example: "Time is a jet plane"

    • Simile (Vergleiche / Explicit Comparison): An explicit comparison using "like" or "as".

    • Example: "Time is like a jet plane"

    • Note on Images: In both metaphor and simile examples above, the underlying image ("jet plane") is identical.

    • Metonymy (Metonymie): A figure of speech that replaces the name of one thing with the name of something closely associated with it.

    • Example: Using "the bottle" to refer to alcoholic drink.

    • Pun (Wortspiel): A play on words.

  • Figurative, Rhetorical, and Symbolic Expressions:

    • Personification (Personifizierungen): Giving human traits to non-human entities.

    • Understatement (Untertreibungen): Presenting something as smaller or less important than it actually is.

    • Hyperbole (Übertreibung als Stilmittel): Exaggeration used as a stylistic device.

    • Irony (Ironie): Saying one thing while meaning the opposite.

    • Rhetorical Question (rhetorische Frage): Asking a question for effect without expecting an answer.

    • Self-Contradiction: When an author contradicts himself (widerspricht sich selber).

    • Euphemism (Euphemismus, beschönigende Formulierung): A mild or indirect phrase substituted for a blunt or unpleasant one.

    • Example: "To pass away" is a euphemism for "to die".

    • Symbol (Symbol): A concrete object or action standing for an abstract idea.

    • Preposition Usage:

      • Use a symbol of something (e.g., a symbol of peace).

      • Use a metaphor for something (e.g., a metaphor for life).

      • In mathematics, the preposition for is used with the word symbol (e.g., + is the symbol for addition+\text{ is the symbol for addition}).

  • Repetition, Contrast, and Word Choice Devices:

    • Alliteration (Alliteration): A special type of repetition involving initial consonant sounds.

    • Example: "Sensation submerges sympathy"

    • Assonance (Assonanz): A special type of repetition involving vowel sounds.

    • Example: "When shall we three meet again?"

    • Anaphora (Anapher): Repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of successive clauses.

    • Parallelism (Parallelismus): The repetition of a sentence structure.

    • Antithesis (Antithese, Gegensatz): A two-part contrast.

    • Tautology (Tautologie): Saying the same thing twice using different words.

    • Example: "Feelings and emotions"

    • Pleonasm (Pleonasmus): The use of unnecessary additional words.

    • Example: "at this moment in time"

    • Paradox (Paradox): A statement that seems to contradict itself, but which may contain a truth.

    • Example: William Wordsworth's line "The Child is father of the Man".

    • Oxymoron: A compressed paradox.

    • Examples: bittersweet, living death, black gold.

Analysing Speeches (Reden untersuchen)

  • Delivery and Reception of Speeches:

    • Roles Delivering Speeches: Foreign Secretary (BrE - Außenminister), chairman, The Queen, President, Prime Minister.

    • Actions for Delivering Speeches: made a speech, delivered a speech, gave an address (hielt; Ansprache).

    • Channels: on the radio, on TV, was broadcast by the BBC (übertragen von), was televised (im Fernsehen übertragen).

    • Audiences and Venues: Addressing a meeting, addressing a rally (Kundgebung), or addressing the audience directly (Zuhörer).

    • Reception and Impact:

    • Reception: was received well (positiv aufgenommen), met with strong criticism, met with mixed reactions (stieß auf gemischte Reaktionen).

    • Interruptions: was interrupted by heckling / hecklers (von Zwischenrufen unterbrochen / Zwischenrufer).

    • Impact: Presentation was impressive (eindrucksvoll), had a strong impact (starke Wirkung), or had an enormous impact (enorme Wirkung).

  • Structure and Rhetorical Actions in Speeches:

    • Structure: A speech consists of or comprises the introduction (Einleitung), the body (Hauptteil), and the conclusion (Schluss, Ende).

    • Communication Strategy:

    • Conveys message clearly or in simple terms (in schlichten Worten).

    • Puts it briefly (drückt sich kurz aus), simply (einfach), or succinctly (knapp, bündig).

    • States intention to run for election (bringt zum Ausdruck).

    • Expounds his gist of thought (legt Gedankengang dar).

    • Presents evidence for accusations (legt Beweismaterial vor).

    • Appeals to the audience's emotions (appelliert an).

    • Recommends (empfiehlt), demands (fordert), or advocates (plädiert für) a tax reduction.

    • Emphasizes main ideas (unterstreicht).

    • States that a plan leaves a lot to be desired (lässt zu wünschen übrig).

    • Persuasive, Polemical, and Critical Tactics:

    • Insinuates (deutet an, unterstellt), implies (legt nahe), or suggests (legt nahe) that an opponent or President is a liar.

    • Takes a sideswipe at an opponent (teilt einen Seitenhieb aus).

    • Voices objections to government plans (äußert Vorbehalte gegen).

    • Criticizes sharply (kritisiert scharf).

    • Distorts the truth (verzerrt, verdreht).

    • Launches into a polemic against the opposition (setzt zu einer Polemik an).

    • Questions an opponent's competence (stellt in Frage).

    • Warns listeners not to believe opponents (fordert auf).

    • Asks the audience several rhetorical questions (rhetorische Fragen).

    • Exaggerates (übertreibt).

    • Drives his point home (macht klar).

    • Strives to make himself clear (bemüht sich zu).

    • Convinces listeners that he is right (überzeugen).

    • Persuades listeners to follow him (überreden).

    • Manipulates the audience (manipuliert).

    • Aiming Attacks: Criticism or attack is aimed at the government or the European Community (richtet sich gegen).

    • Concluding: Concludes by making an appeal to listeners or repeating his main point (schließt, indem er / wiederholen).

  • Terminology Note on Speakers:

    • Speaker: The general term for any person giving a speech.

    • Spokesman / Spokesperson: Specifically represents an official institution or company.

    • Example: "A police spokesman summed up the details of what had happened."

Analysis and Evaluation of Statements and Remarks

  • Favorable / Neutral Characterizations:

    • Straightforward: ernst gemeint

    • Ironic: ironisch

    • Plausible: einleuchtend

    • Convincing: überzeugend

    • Memorable: einprägsam

  • Critical / Problematic Characterizations:

    • Questionable: fragwürdig

    • Contradictory: widersprüchlich

    • Confusing: verwirrend

    • Highly controversial: umstritten

    • Exaggerated: übertrieben

    • Polemical: polemisch, unsachlich

    • Ambiguous: nicht eindeutig

    • Too convoluted: zu kompliziert

    • Elliptical: unvollständig

    • Incomplete: unvollständig

    • Lengthy: sehr lang

    • Puzzling: verwirrend