고대러시아어 텍스트에서의 문체변이 (Stylistic Variations)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to revisit the existing interpretations on stylistic variations widely attested in Old Russian texts and the concept of style (or register) itself. For the former, genre and discourse topic were believed to be the main factors triggering code shift. For the latter, an objective approach based on quantification of linguistic elements in opposition from each style has prevailed. Although it is true, to some extent, that Church Slavonic and Old Russian dictate different thematic matters and literary genres, the stylistic variation or mixing of different languages in late seventeenth century is very extensive and dynamic, and the correlation between subject matter or genre on one hand and style on the other is much more opaque and complex. The binary division of Church Slavonic

and Russian is not sophisticated enough to be implemented to explore stylistic identity of texts in this period. The study attempts to provide a new perspective on the concept of style and stylistic variations based on the late seventeenth-century Life of Avvakum. In this text even without any obvious thematic changes or discourse genre, stylistic variations are very dynamic and subtle. The study attempts to approach this kind of stylistic shift from more subjectivity- or agency-oriented perspective. Thus, I argued that the code-switching may reflect the authors dynamic shifting in his Footingand Framing The author aims at different layers of audience, from close interlocutor to old believers or more broad and general readers. Further, he has different agendas in writing his Life: he wants to tell his stories of personal experience and at the same time he wants to present himself as a living Old Believer saint. The. stylistic variations in the Life also suggest that authors dynamic and subjective shifting in his footing and framing represents the new authorship, broader readership, and new literary situations. This study also attempts to show some linguistic elements can be exploited by the authors subjective stylistic agenda. The relatively marked distribution of some style markers suggest that linguistic elements may have distinctive Stylistic Loads' dictated by the author's stylistic strategy.