Stylistics is the study of linguistic variation based on context. It analyzes written and spoken language with respect to style. Style refers to the specific variations in language used by different people and contexts, such as advertising, politics, religion, or time periods. Stylistics examines a text's grammar, vocabulary, semantics, sounds, and structures. It focuses on how style serves a functional purpose. Some examples of style include choice of words, deviation from norms, and adaptation based on audience or individual characteristics. A stylist's job is to examine graphological, syntactic, and lexical-semantic features of a text to draw conclusions about its style.

1. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 403 ADVANCED STYLE AND REGISTER IN ENGLISH 1
ASSIGNMENT I
By
Okello Wilberforce Esonga
21/02258
Submitted to:
Dr: Janet Achieng Onyango
Course
Advanced Style and Register in English (ENG 403)
KCA University
Program: Bachelor of Education (Arts)-DL
Program Code: KCABEDUORD
Date: 08/02/2023

2. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 403 ADVANCED STYLE AND REGISTER IN ENGLISH 2
Using examples discuss your understanding of 'Stylistics' from language perspective.
(10 Marks)
Stylistics is a subfield of applied linguistics that focuses on the analysis and interpretation
of written and spoken language with respect to their linguistic and tonal style. This is because
style refers to the specific variation of language used by various people in different contexts. The
study of linguistic variants based on the characteristics that set each language apart in its
particular setting is called stylistics. The language of advertising, politics, religion, specific
writers, etc., or the language of a given era, all have their own unique uses and contexts. It might
also be claimed that they all adhere to a certain "style" or "place."
More precisely, stylistics is concerned with a text's linguistic features, including its
grammar, lexis, semantics, phonological properties, and discursive devices. Sociolinguistics
explores these same questions, but finds that they vary with factors like socioeconomic status,
gender, age, etc., while stylistics focuses on the value of the function served by style.
Stylistics is primarily concerned with the analysis of textual style, as was previously
explained. There are numerous angles considered in this exploration of fashion. A few examples
are as follows:
•Style as Choice: In this context, "style" refers to the intentional choices that a speaker or
writer makes that give an individual's words or writing an identity all their own. The task then
falls on the stylistic analyst to pinpoint the presence of this particular style. It's possible, for
instance, to use "start" or "commence" or "go" or "proceed" at the paradigmatic level.
•Style as Deviation:
For a writer or speaker, a style is anything that deviates from the norm. Most obviously,
this occurs when a poet uses language in a way that isn't considered standard practice. Any
aspect of a language's description, including its phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and

3. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 403 ADVANCED STYLE AND REGISTER IN ENGLISH 3
semantics, is open to variation. As an example at the graphological level, we might notice
capitalization where it does not belong. There is no requirement for subject and verb number
agreement at the syntactic level. Also, the elements of a clause might not always appear in the
order that would be expected. Sometimes an adjuvant will be used before a main clause. Words
that don't normally go together can be combined on purpose at the lexico-semantic level, for
instance, risky safety; open secrets, etc.
•Style as Situation: A speaker or writer may change their style depending on the
audience or topic at hand. The context or the situation gives the text life. That difference could
be geographical, cultural, or merely functional. The use of some words is socially unacceptable
at all times, while others are inappropriate only in specific contexts. Profanity, such as "that
theory is fucking up," is inappropriate for a professor to use at a conference for academics.
•Style as the Individual: Characteristics of a speaker's or writer's style help to
distinguish that person from others. His idiolect develops into that. A speaker's or writer's unique
voice is often what first brings him to public attention. In the same way that it is possible to tell
the works of Soyinka and Achebe apart from one another based on their linguistic choices and
other stylistic choices, there are always distinguishing features that set individuals apart from one
another in literary style.
•Style as Time/ Era: Timelessness in fashion is at stake here. In this context, "in vogue"
and "out of vogue" refer to whether or not a particular style is currently popular. The stylist's job
is to draw attention to this. Considering the historical epochs of the English language, such as the
Old English, Middle English, and Contemporary English, makes this abundantly clear. There are
so many differences in syntax, vocabulary, spelling, etc. between modern English and Old
English that it will seem like we're looking at a completely different language when we examine

4. RUNNING HEAD:ENG 403 ADVANCED STYLE AND REGISTER IN ENGLISH 4
an Old English script. There are variations even within the so-called "Modern English."
Contemporary English is very different from Shakespearean English.
Stylistics is primarily concerned with the text. A stylist's job is to examine many different
aspects of a text in order to draw conclusions about it. Different aspects of style are examined,
including their graphology, syntax, lexis, and semantics. The following headings elaborate on
these points.
•Graphological Features: It has to do with how a text actually looks. Priority is given
here to bringing something to the forefront. This action highlights specific words by bringing
them to the forefront. This is easy to spot by looking for italicized, capitalized, bold, and
underlined text. Punctuation marks can be used for similar stylistic purposes. Examining and
describing these graphological aspects of a text falls under the purview of the stylistician.
•Syntactic Features: Various sentence structures and the impact they have on a text are
the topic at hand. Depending on the context, a text may feature exclusively simple sentences,
exclusively complex sentences, exclusively compound sentences, or a combination of these.
Ellipsis, parataxis, hypotaxis, and both right and left-branching sentences are all given equal
weight. An error in the syntax of a text, for instance, may represent an error in thought. The
novels of James Joyce are replete with this mode.
•Lexico- Semantic Features: Word choice is given special consideration in any stylistic
exercise. This is due to the fact that words can be used to convey a wide variety of meanings
depending on the context in which they are used, including connotative, denotative, associative,
collocative, affective, thematic, idiomatic, and stylistic meanings. The stylist maintains vigilance
over the multiple connotations that each word may carry.