SET OF PUNCTUATION MEANS FOR EXPLICATING CHARACTERS’ EMOTIONS IN FICTIONAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

The article deals with the productive potential of a range of punctuation means for expressing characters’ emotions in the English fictional discourse.It is ascertained that among other things the unique author’s individual style becomes apparent in the graphic text-formatting which is represented via punctuation marks systematized within the category of punctuation. By means of punctuation marks, an expressive function is realized and a certain additional sense is introduced in the graphic composition of the text. In the context of explicating a variety of characters’ emotional states, graphic means are taking over the function of designating emotions. As a result of an analysis of the English science-fiction discourse, it can be certified that the most productive expressive means for depicting characters’ emotions are such punctuation means as exclamatory mark, interrogative mark, dash and ellipsis. Exclamatory mark is applied to frame graphically certain structural units (interjections, appeals, emphatic parenthetical constructions etc.), as well as to reproduce strong emotional feelings (burning desire, urge to certain actions, warning about danger). Emotive function of interrogative mark implies the expression of interrogatory intonation; expressive function is to convey emotional rollercoaster (agitation, haste, anger, exaltation).Disjunctive interrogative sentences provide emotional expression of the effect of re-interrogation, uncertainty, need for details etc. Making use of dash in fictional discourse enables to reconstruct such emotional states of characters as uncertainty, perplexity, irritation etc. An uncompleted opinion or unstable emotional state of personages in a written piece of work is realized by such a punctuation mark as ellipsis. In the same way as dash, ellipsis often bears the same stylistic load to reflect an emotional pause, reticence or the “stream of consciousness” effect. Brilliant combination of a variety of punctuation marks within the context of the work of art complements and strengthens each others’ force to thoroughly reconstruct the characters’ emotional state.