Stylistics and its

Branches
By
Ahtisham Jameel
 Branches
• Linguistics
Stylistics • Discourse
• Literary stylistics stylistics
• Interpretive • Feminist stylistics
stylistics • Pragmatic
• Evaluative stylistics
stylistics • Cognitive stylistics
• Comparative • Historical stylistics
stylistics
1. Linguistics stylistics:

In this branch we study those

literary devices that are used by
the writer within any piece of
writing, like
• Metaphor,
• Simile,
• Imagery.
2. Literary stylistics

Literary stylistics deals with the

genres of literature like poetry,
drama, novel, short story etc.
Each genre of literature employs
a different form of style for the
expression of the text.
3. Evaluative stylistics

A text may describe the causes

and effects of something. The
analysts study the causes and
find out if the results described
have logical link with the cause or
not. This branch also describe the
relationship between the cause
and its effects.
4. Discourse stylistics

In discourse analysis, it is seen how people

use language to express their ideas. It is
the study of language in all branches of
life. We communicate our ideas to other
people through language. The form of style
of language we use in discourse (spoken
or written) with others is called discourse
stylistics.
5. Pragmatic stylistics:

It studies the style of speaking or

writing or writing in action relating to
the context. The focus of pragmatic
stylistics is on the context, rather than
syntax in a drama because the piece of
writing is often precise, relevant and
truthful. This branch deals with the
mental changes of the readers.
6. Cognitive stylistics

Cognitive stylistics is related to the

activity of brain when a person reads
something. During the act of reading, a
person may suffer from many mental
changes. Cognitive stylistics studies
the use of words, sentences and
construction of sentences which are
responsible for the mental change.
7. Historical stylistics

Historical stylistics is a branch of

stylistics which takes us beyond
traditional stylistics. It emphasizes
those strategies that are used to
analyze different genre. It deals with
text classification and the study of
textual patterns.
8, Comparative stylistics

It is concerned with the contrast study of

more than language.
For example we take an English sentence,
‘Today is Thursday. Now we compare this
sentence with the sentences, which convey
exactly the same message in Urdu.

English: Today is Thursday.

Urdu: ‫آج جمعرات ہے۔‬