PUNCTUATION AS A MEANS OF ORGANISING ENGLISH FICTION DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article considers the role of punctuation marks in delivering and perceiving the purport in fiction discourse. The core of the study is the interrelation between the punctuation arrangement of the text and its prosodic embodiment. Contemporary English fiction in both written and audio forms is exploited as the material for the investigation. The key goal of the study is to demonstrate the so-called ‘highlighting function’ of the semicolon (the stop of inner controversy) and to analyse its role in emphasising the text fragments of special prominence. Three major types of the function are discussed: bringing out particularization to follow, which appears to be vital for interpreting the purport; marking off the afterthought; bringing out the ‘effective’ conclusion - a concise and catchy phrase summing up the previous statement. The results show that in all the three contexts in which the semicolon signals the information significance, its typical prosody gets modified. Namely, the part of the sentence after the stop is largely produced in the higher section of the diapason as compared to the recommended parameter. Among other prosodic characteristics to be altered are timbre and tempo. Adding more expressivity not infrequently may enable the performer to highlight the clause to follow.