Application Of Stylistics To The Understanding Of Spoken English

English stylistics is a science of studying the different styles in English. People communicate and convey information through language. Language interaction is performed in certain circumstance, to certain people, and with certain purpose. It requires people to use different varieties of language, that is the different styles of language. Stylistics makes detailed study of language on different levels.The understanding of spoken English has always been a problem in English study. Spoken English is one of the styles of the English language, among which there are still many varieties owing to the change of parameters in language use. As English learners, students in China are used to listen to conversations or talks read by the English speakers. This is quite different from real-life speeches, so the learners are often confused when they listen to natural and authentic speeches. Studying the linguistic features of spoken English will certainly help to understand the spoken discourses. Therefore, in this paper, I discusse the application of stylistics to the understanding of spoken English.This thesis consists of seven parts, including introduction and conclusion. The introduction points out the value of stylistics in listening comprehension, and states why I choose this topic as my subject of study.Chapter One briefly discusses the definition and content of style and stylistics, points out the range of stylistics applied in this paper, and presents the function of stylistics in listening comprehension.Chapter Two analyses the differences between spoken and written language, classifies speech into formal and informal varieties, and probes into the nature and difficulties in listening comprehension.Chapter Three discusses the influence of style on listening comprehension from the phonological level. Sound has the closest and most direct relation with spoken language. The realization of phonemes,stress and intonation will affect the meaning of the utterances. Some pafalinguistic features will reflect the emotion and attitude of the speaker.Chapter Four is the discussion from the syntactical level. Many words and idioms have obvious stylistic coloring and thus influence the literal meaning conveyed by words themselves. The function of grammatical features in listening is not so apparent, but the problem lies in the fact that we are not familiar with the type of sentences used in everyday informal speeches.Chapter Five is from the angle of discourse. The texture of the discourse and the distribution of information will help us understand the discourse as coherent and meaningful. Our own knowledge and experience will enable us to anticipate the progress and meaning of a piece of discourse.In the conclusion, I will summarize this paper and address its limitations.