Using informal language in prose fiction (in the example of the novels by Ch. Aitmatov)

Бюллетень науки и практики / Bulletin of Science and Practice

UDC 81                                            

Informal language style is the subject matter of all linguistic levels. It is studied on the phonological, morphological, lexical, syntactic levels and by other disciplines like stylistics, sociolinguistics, literary studies and even psychology. Informal language can be used in spoken and written forms. It’s really difficult to draw a clear-cut border line that informal language is used only in speech.

In the literary works of art authors don’t always state facts, narrate events and describe nature and other things, they also show the real conversation between characters or someone’s thoughts and feelings explicitly in the text. In such cases the authors use informal language taking into consideration age and mood of characters, settings and location where this or that dialogue or monologue is taking place.

In the study descriptive method (to describe distinctive features of informal language) was used.

The nature of informal language was studied by M. Joos (1967), D. Crystal and D. Davy (1969), M. A. K. Halliday and R. Hasan (1976), Engkent (1986), G. S. Burkart (1998), P. Trudgill (2000), G. Leech and J.Svartvik (2002), O. Dontcheva-Navratilova (2005), V.I. Sobinnikova (1962), K. Kozhevnikov (1971), T.G. Vinokur (1993), E. A. Zemskaya (1996), O. A. Lapteva (1996). These issues were studied within stylistics and a lot of Kyrgyz scholars like Syrtbai Musaev(2001), Toktosun Ashyrbaev, Turusbek Marazykov and Jumakadyr Duisheev (2015) devoted their work to this topic. Professional lexis was studied by Ibraim Abduvaliev (2007) while dialectal words were discussed by Sherali Japarov and Tolgonai Sydykova (2010). The distinctive features of formal and informal language have been shown in these linguists’ works.

As Leech and Svartvik put it, “informal language (also called colloquial) is the language of ordinary conversation” [1]. It’s widely known that a message may be expressed in speaking and writing. But they have different functions. Following Jakobson (1990) and his classification of language functions, Dontcheva-Navratilova (2005) assigns phatic, emotive, and conative functions to speaking. Brown and Yule explain this phatic function simply as the maintenance of social relationships. Emotive function is concerned with the emotions we invest into communication. Lastly, the conative function is concerned with changing and influencing of the participants in the communication [2].

In the works by Dontcheva-Navratilova [3] and Leech et al. [1] the following distinctive features typical of informal language that are informality, prosody, inexplicitness, normal nonfluency, repetitiveness, simple structure, monitoring and interaction features and informal vocabulary were highlighted. While speaking rhythm, intonation, facial expressions and gestures may help the interlocutors understand the content of speaking. As speech is not prepared beforehand it can be non fluent, and hesitation, repetition and clarification may be possible. To involve the addressee in conversation is important as well and it is marked as monitoring and interaction features. Monitoring features include discourse markers and they are often used in spoken language. These can be adverbials such as so and well, and comment clauses such as I think, you know, I mean, you see, kind of, sort of, and like [1]. Mostly simple structures, ellipsis and tag questions may be used in speech. Another important aspect of informal spoken language is the vocabulary, where non-specialized vocabulary is in preference.

The word-stock of a language can be represented as a system in which three main layers such as the literary layer (super-neutral words), the neutral layer and the colloquial layer (sub-neutral words) are grouped. Common literary layer includes terms, bookish and poetic words, archaisms, barbarisms and foreign words and neologisms. The neutral layer consists of vast majority of words used in all spheres of human activity and serve as the primary source of synonyms and polysemantic words. They are used in both literary and colloquial language. In the colloquial layer (sub-neutral words) the following groups are distinguished [4]:

• 1.    Words used in informal speech only - the colloquial words

• 2.    Jargon words and slang, as well as individual creations (nonce-words)

• 3.    Vulgar words.

Common colloquial vocabulary is part of Standard English word-stock. It borders both on neutral vocabulary and on special colloquial vocabulary.

Colloquial words can’t be used in official forms of speech. Phonetic variants of neutral words fella instead of fellow, diminutive form of neutral words daddy, Becky, and most interjections belong to colloquial words.

Jargonisms are low-level colloquial terms that are used by specific groups of individuals, either socially (jargonisms proper) or professionally (professional jargonisms or professionalisms). They tend to expand synonymy within particular lexico-semantic groups and span a limited semantic field, function, and area of application. Function: to replace those words which already exist in the language in order to make their speech incoherent to outsiders.

Slang is a unique language of low and vulgar kind that frequently describes an object in a fresh and emotive way. It is very colloquial and has emotive, expressive, evaluative and stylistic connotations of: money (jack, tin, brass, vof, dough, slippery stuff, loot, lolls, gravy, bucks, etc). Function: to characterize the personage, to create a certain atmosphere (that of scandal, violence or intolerance or humor) in the literary text.

Nonce words are defined as chance words, occasional words, words created for the given occasion by analogy with the existing words by means of affixation, conversion and composition.

Vulgar words (swear words): Stylistically lowest group of words which are considered offensive for polite usage. - abusive words, e.g. son of a bitch; - hackneyed vulgar words: devil, bloody. Function: to express strong emotions, mainly annoyance, anger, vexation etc.

Stylistic functions of non-literary vocabulary:

• 1.    To create true-to-life, authentic atmosphere;

• 2.    To create the atmosphere of informality, intimacy;

• 3.    To create a sense of immediate communication with the reader;

• 4.    To create a satirical or ironical effect [4].

Results and Discussion

Informal language can be used in monologues and dialogues of characters and author’s description as well. Let’s look at some examples picked up from the novels “Farewell Gyulsary!” and “Jamila” by Ch. Aitmatov:

Албарсты акмак!- деп тилдеп отурду азыр Танабай жол боюнда, от кашында, ѳлгѳн аттын башында [5].

"What a fool you are!" he scolded his daughter-in-law as he sat by the campfire now [6].

Here insulted father-in-law is scolding his daughter-in-law for being rude. This expression wasn’t used during their conflict but later in his explicit monologue.

Let’s look at a dialogue between characters in the novel:

Тетиги тоголокпу? Бели кыска майда экен.

Кенже туулган. Ал эчтеке эмес. Баралына келгенде кѳрѳсүң.

Бу тайдын эмнеси артык экен?

Жорголугу.

Жорго болсо болор.

Мындай жорго сейрек чыгат. Илгери мындай жорго эр жигиттин кунуна турчу. Ат болоту жорго тай деген ушу.

Кана, кѳрѳлүчү! – деди Танабай атын теминип [5].

"You mean the one that's as round as a ball? He looks too small, and his back is too short."

"He's a winter foal. He'll be all right. Give him time." "What's so special about him?"

"He's a natural born pacer." "So what?" "I haven't seen many like him. In the old days he'd be worth a fortune. Men killed each other at the races for a horse like that."

"Let's see what he can do," Tanabai said [6, 8].

In this dialogue as it was earlier mentioned a real conversation between two people in a polite and familiar way. Short questions, ellipsis and interjection were used in this dialogue.

In the following example we see that informal language can be used in author’s description as well. Бечара кемпир which literally means poor old woman belongs to sub-neutral layer and a dialectal word илеки is a special headdress of older women. Literally clumps of straw were compared with headdress of a poor old woman:

Бастырманын тѳбѳсүндѳ бечара кемпирдин илекисиндей болуп, кыйшык жыйылган бир чѳмѳлѳ чѳп турат [5].

There was a lopsided pile of rotted hay and scattered clumps of straw on the roof [6].

Informal language performs special function in fiction. Some neutral or negative words used in the dialogues of people in the literary text express something positive like kindness, caress, and admiration:

Сүрөт тартууга кичинемден эле колум эптүү эле, окуу китептериндеги сүрөттөрдү карай отуруп окшоштура тартканымда, балдар: «Ой, ит оой, куду эле өзүндөй, карачы!» - дешип мактай турган. Мугалимдер да мектептеги дубал газетаны мага кооздотушчу [7].

I had always liked to draw. I would copy the illustrations in my textbooks, and the boys all said they were “perfect copies”. The teachers praised my drawings for our wall newspaper [8].

In this example literally what a dog you are! just perfect copies you have! Here we witness that a dog has a positive meaning. It was used to show how other students admire his drawings.

Informal words, interjections, vulgar words and nonce words are used when the speaker is dissatisfied with something and grumbles both in dialogues and monologues:

• -    Сен жанагыны оюңа албай эле кой, кичине бала,-деп койду. - Ушул Осмонго окшогондор да кишиби? Дөбөттөр да ал бир... [7].

"Don't think about him, kichine bala, don't pay any attention to him! He isn't worth it." [8].

In this example дөбөттөр with literal meaning male dogs was used by Jamila talking to her brother-in-law not to pay attention to brutal behaviour of a man.

Nonce words were also used frequently by the author and it should be marked that it is characteristic to everyday speech of people:

Жайдар жолоткон жок:-Ошо чатыры чамыран калсын, а кѳрѳ курмушу үйдѳ отурганым артык [5].

Jaidar wouldn't even hear of it."I'd rather live in a tattered old felt tent than in a canvas one," she said [6].

When Jaidar was offered to use a tent instead of old traditional yurt, she was dissatisfied with a tattered old felt of a yurt and expressed her dissatisfaction using nonce word чамыран which can’t be found in any dictionary.

Informal language is used in the dialogues to humiliate each-other or when they are angry, they scold each-other:

• -    Ташта, ташта дейм, иттин баласы!

• -    Ташта! – деп, башкалар да кыйкырышты [7].

“Let go of it, you son-of-a-bitch!” the receiving agent bellowed.

“Let go!” everyone shouted [8, 20]

Here when Daniyar doesn’t want to obey other people, another man uses foul language like иттин баласы! you son-of-a-bitch!

Informal language is used for jokes:

• -    Ай, неме, ыштаныңды өйдө тарт, шыпырылып калбасын! - деди, кыткылыктап тамашалаган Жамийла [7].

"Pull your pants up, or you'll lose them on the way!" Jamila shouted [8].

In the Kyrgyz language ыштан with the meaning pants belongs to colloquial layer and such words are used in the jokes between characters in fiction.

Words borrowed from the Russian language are used to describe the usual dialogue of Kyrgyz people:

Бейзобразие! Кайда барсан ушул! Караныз, бул эмне деген маскарачылык! – деп онурандады Чорого. Анан Танабайга бурулду [5].

"It's outrageous! It's the same everywhere! Look at what's going on!" he bellowed, addressing his words to Choro. Then he turned to Tanabai [6].

In this dialogue an expression in the Russian language with phonetic alteration was used to show irritation.

Words of informal register are used when in the speaker’s speech there is sarcasm:

Мунун кандай, жолдош? – деп ал ѳлгѳн козулар тарапка башын жансады. – Ѳзүң коммунист чабан болсон, козуларын ѳлүп жатат.

Козулар менин коммунист экенимди билбейт окшобойбу – деп Танабай какшык узатты [5].

"What's the matter, Comrade?" and he pointed towards the heap where Tanabai had deposited the dead lambs. "How come you're a Communist and your lambs are dying?"

"They probably don't know I'm a Communist," Tanabai retorted and suddenly it was as if a main spring had broken inside him. There was emptiness in his soul, he felt indifferent, bitter [6].

The situation when a communist shepherd was given a flock of unhealthy sheep and lambs were dying the administration came to see what was happening. He is wondering how it’s possible that a communist’s lambs are dying. Tanabai also replies sarcastically that sheep might not know that a shepherd is a communist.

From the examples given above it can be concluded that colloquialisms, dialectal words, informal borrowings, vulgar words and nonce words used in the speech of characters and author’s descriptions carry stylistic function. Depending on certain contexts they may have both positive and negative meanings. They are used as a joke, sarcasm, to humiliate, scold and curse others even to show admiration, kindness and love. By means of informal language the author managed to create authentic atmosphere of informality and intimacy, made sense of immediate communication with readers and had satirical and ironic effect making his speech emotive and expressive.