Lexical stylistic means of rendering emotions in modern American rock song lyrics
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DANILOVA, Anna. Lexical stylistic means of rendering emotions in modern American rock song lyrics. In: Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii de Stat din Moldova: . Științe socioumanistice, 21 august 2013, Chișinău. Chișinău, Republica Moldova: CEP al Universității de Stat din Moldova, 2013, Vol.1, SSU, pp. 181-183.
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Analele Ştiinţifice ale Universităţii de Stat din Moldova
Vol.1, SSU, 2013
Conferința "Analele ştiinţifice ale USM. Științe socioumanistice"
Chișinău, Moldova, 21 august 2013

Lexical stylistic means of rendering emotions in modern American rock song lyrics


Pag. 181-183

Danilova Anna
 
Moldova State University
 
Disponibil în IBN: 11 mai 2020


Rezumat

Stylistic devices prove to be one of the central standpoints of the language study and analysis meant to develop and change the meaning of a written work. Thus, the researcher is expected to point out the peculiarities of certain transformations which affect the message, interpretation and structure of literary texts, poetry and rock lyrics in particular, with the purpose of emphasizing the meaning of an idea, thought or point of view within a phrase, sentence or verse. Hence the topic of lexical stylistic features rendering emphasis coming into the focus of the given research. The choice is motivated by the great amount of different variations of language emphasis which impart new uncommon features to the composition and the outcome of contemporary rock song lyrics. The main goal of the present thesis is to identify and indicate the basic properties of speech figures as well as stylistic elements and techniques used in modern American rock song lyrics, with special attention drawn to the study of lexical stylistic devices of rendering emotions; which bring clarity to the readers or listeners‟ perception of the lyrical content of a rock song.  The objectives of the paper therefore are as follows: ― to define the peculiarities of rock genre and its basic subtypes; ― to determine the influence of lexical stylistic devices on the emotive connotation of American rock song lyrics; ― to present the lexical stylistic traits of imagery and symbolism conveyed by such lexical stylistic devices as metaphor, personification and hyperbole in rock songs. Thus, the practical value of the thesis will be a better understanding of the lyrical content of a song and of the evolution of the concept of lexical stylistic devices as part of rock lyrics and thus as a significant element of a specific musical genre, in addition to their peculiar usage prompted by modern songwriters. The designation “rock years” refers to a half century of musical history that begins in the mid-1950s with the emergence of rock ‟n‟ roll as a group of musical styles in the United States. Beginning in the 1960s, mainly in the UK, rock music differentiated into marketing categories such as country rock, folk rock, art rock, glam rock, southern rock, jazz rock, latin rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, a process that continues to this day [3].  Rock is a mixture of various musical styles, different in their approach yet quite similar that exchange their components and divisions in order to shape a new, innovative angle of music exploration. The necessity for having certain separations and styles is explicated by the desire of maneuvering the target audience; also the style of American rock music bears terminological reference to the property endemic to the language used. The three basic subtypes of rock music that create the general overview of the genre are: hard, glam and alternative rock, each defined by its structural and linguistic uniqueness [1]. Hard rock is a type of rock music played loudly; it has a strong beat, uses drums and electric instruments, such as guitars. A typical representative of the subgenre would be Linkin Park [5]. Glam rock is a musical movement that has begun in Britain in the early 1970s and positioned itself as a backlash against the rock mainstream of the late 1960s; on the periphery of society and rock culture, glam rockers were, as critic Robert Palmer put it, “rebelling against the rebellion” with performers such as Marilyn Manson [6] . Alternative rock usually has a bright tempo, clean rhythm and lean sound with lyrics that cover both positive and negative emotions. A classical example is the Nirvana band [1]. In essence, rock genre is an anti-type of music meant to break rules and destroy stereotypes with the controversial forms it has the capacity to acquire. Its external aspect pictured through the medium of numerous appalling outfits as well as the internal sight of its lyrics lead to the creation and formation of strong and memorable images and symbols conveyed by means of such lexical stylistic devices as metaphor, personification and hyperbole [4]. Imagery is a complex mechanism that can incorporate numerous lexical stylistic devices (fresh metaphors and hyperboles) to a large extent yet have its own distinctive voice and influence upon the listener. The images in modern rock song lyrics are mostly connected and allude to love, death and passion. Besides being combined with other lexical stylistic devices such as metaphors, for instance, these images convey particular emotions by means of colors (red standing for blood and death; pink for passion and love).  Symbolism is the usage of peculiar elements to emphasize a completely different or contrary side of the nature of an idea, action or event; a representation of specific feelings and emotions, by means of an appropriate use of words [2]. Most frequently encountered symbols in lyrics are those related to religion (bible, snake), money (cars, jewels), literature (L. Carroll‟s „ Alice in Wonderland”) and war (firearms, swastika). Hyperbole, as well as personification and antropomorphism, is one of the most useful lexical devices that can be applied when dealing with emotive switches in American rock song lyrics. It is a notable and easily decoded language twist which can embellish the meaning and message of any lyrical display, drawing listeners‟ attention toward specific pieces of most importance with the purpose of showing the intensity of a particular, mostly negative emotion such as confusion, anger or annoyance. This figure of speech works quite effectively as characterization of gloomy states of mind.  Metaphors, both trite and genuine, are commonly used by modern rock songwriters (Marilyn Manson – a representative of glam rock), in order to create paradox and present dualistic emotive connotations, in other words, contradictory thoughts or messages; positive and negative emotions such as love and hate, thus conveying the idea that with happiness comes pain. As rock itself tends to borrow numerous elements and characteristics, it also evaluates the previous poetic language experiences in a way that reinforces its positions as the time passes. Thus, now rock music is rather a significant source of inspiration; a role model of a successful development for other fields of entertainment and creativity. To add, lexical stylistic devices prove to be a significant part of modern rock lyrics used in order to make the songs more dynamic yet capable of conveying such feelings and emotions as passion, love, disappointment, death and loss yet reflect and transmit author‟s beliefs and values as well as his perception of the world as a whole.