A Functional Stylistic Analysis of Conversations in Pride and Prejudice

任s寧　王全瑞

一、 Introduction

A good portrayal of characters in a novel is one of the most prominent tasks for a novelist. This paper selects typical dialogues in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice for case study. The author argues that a functional stylistic analysis can be adopted as an effective instrument for the critical evaluation of conversations in novels.

二、Theoretical Framework

The textual meaning is the organization of the？content elements in a larger structure. It gives a concrete analysis of theme and rheme， the techniques of arranging some information （given-new information）， and the connection of sentences （cohesion and coherence）. The following figure could clearly show the relationship among the metafunctions in accordance with context of situation.

Context of situation

Field Ideational function

Tenor Interpersonal function

Mode Textual function

（一） Definition？of Interpersonal Function

“In the act of speaking， the speaker adopts for himself a particular speech role， and in so doing assigns to the listener a complementary role which he wishes him to adopt in his turn.”（Halliday， 1994： 68）

（二）Realization of Interpersonal Function

Halliday points out：“the interpersonal meanings are expressed by the intonation contour； by the ‘Mood block， which may be repeated as a tag at the end； and by expressions of modality which may recur throughout the clause.” To put it more specifically， the interpersonal function can be mainly realized through the systems of Mood and Modality. And each of them has its theoretical system？（Halliday， 1994：190）.

1. Mood

In English， mood consists of two parts： the Subject and the Finite operator. The rest of the clause is called the Residue. Mood types are traditionally divided into the exclamative， declarative， interrogative and imperative form of the clause. Here is an example of analysis of mood and residue.

residue mood

Comeinto my office will you

Complementadjunct finite subject

2.Modality

Modality is another important element of the interpersonal function. As we know， in actual communication， the message in the interaction may not always be positive or negative. Semantically there are some intermediate stages—viewpoints between “yes” and “no”， we have “maybe” or “sometimes” or “supposedly”—which are expressed by modality.

三、A Functional Stylistic Analysis of Conversations in Pride and Prejudice

Generally speaking， there are mainly two stages in the relational change between Elizabeth and Dancy. Initially Elizabeth has deep prejudice and disgust towards Dancy. After some explanation and association， it converts into admiration and love.

（一） Stage 1---Prejudice and Disgust

In stage 1， Dancys arrogant speech and behavior arouse Elizabeths prejudice against him.

1. D： “Do you feel a great inclination…”

E： “‘Oh！ said she， I heard you before； but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me， I know， to say ‘yes， that you may have the pleasure of despising my taste； but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes， I have therefore made up my mind to tell you， that I do not want to dance a reel at all---and now despise me if you dare.” （Austen， 2007： 38）

2. D： “Mr？Wickham is blessed with such happy manners as many ensure his making friends---whether he may be equally capable of retaining them， is less certain.”

E： “He has been so unlucky as to lose your friendship，” replied Elizabeth with emphasis， “and in a manner which he is likely to suffer from all his life.” （Austen， 2007： 69）

3.E： “I might as well enquire，” replied she， “why with so evident a design of offending and insulting me， you chose to tell me that you liked me against your will， against your reason， and even against your character？ Was not this some excuse for incivility， if I was uncivil？ But I have other provocations. You know I have. Had not my own feelings decided against you， had they been indifferent， or had they even favorable， I have every reason in the world to think ill of you. No motive can excuse the unjust and ungenerous part you acted there. You dare not， you cannot deny that you have been the principal…”（Austen， 2007： 142）

Different language patterns respond to different mood types of the clause. The following table is about the mood types used by Elizabeth and Dancy in their conversations in the first stage. The distribution of these mood types indicates their inharmonious relationship in the beginning.

Mood types

Characters declarative interrogative exclamative imperative

Elizabeth 8 2 1 1

Dancy 3 1 1 0

The function of declarative clause is to express the idea or opinion of the speaker. The table shows that the declarative sentences produced by Elizabeth far outweigh Dancys. This fact helps to show the relationship in this stage is estranged and full of misunderstanding and prejudice. The dialogue extracted from the novel illustrates that Elizabeth uses a higher value modality （could， dare， etc.） than Dancy （may）. It could best reflects Elizabeths prejudice towards Dancy and her determination to refuse his engagement.

（二）Stage 2——Admiration and Love

In the second stage， Dancy makes some explanation and apologizes to Elizabeth for something he did wrongly. Elizabeth feels ashamed of her blind， partial behavior towards Dancy. Consequently， she begins to admire and accept Dancy.

E： “How despicably have I acted！” she cried.---“I， who have prided myself on my discernment！——I， who have valued myself on my abilities！ Who have often disdained the generous candour of my sister...” （Austen， 2007： 188）

E： “Mr Dancy， I am very selfish creature；？I can no longer help thanking you for your unexampled kindness to my poor sister. Ever since I have known it...” （Austen， 2007： 271）

The above material contains five exclaimative clause， which is developed to show Elizabeths regret of being rude to Dancy and her thanks to Dancy for helping her family avoid losing face after Lydias elopement. As far as modality is concerned， Elizabeth chooses “can” to describe her modest attitude and to demonstrate her sincere gratitude to Dancy.

四、Conclusion

In Jane Austens novel， there really exist many excellent characters. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a functional stylistic analysis of conversations in Pride and Prejudice. The author tries to explore the interpersonal function of SFL into the analysis of language in novels. One of the major purposes of linguistic interaction is to establish and maintain a desirable interpersonal relationship. Highly individualized dialogic language is determined by various elements. The interpersonal function in novels could be excellently realized by mood and modality. To sum up， functional stylistic analysis towards conversations is testified to be quite practical and useful.

【責編 張景賢】