STYLISTIC CONVERGENCE OF STYLISTIC DEVICES IN SHORT POETIC TEXTS (ON THE BASIS OF ENGLISH AND GERMAN-LANGUAGE ANTHEMS)

Abstract

The article examines the means and ways of the convergent use of stylistic devices, expressive means, and figures in English and German-language national anthems, which belong to short poetic texts with a unique expressive function. The article analyzes 20 English and German-language national anthems through stylistic analysis, focusing on phonostylistic, lexico-semantic, and syntactic devices. Various combinations of these devices in the selected texts are examined for their role in creating expressive effects. The scientific novelty lies in the examination of different types of stylistic convergence within the context of English and German-language national anthems. The anthems, associated with fostering patriotic sentiments, exert a suggestive psychological impact on their audiences. The study demonstrates that stylistic convergence – where multiple expressive means from one or various layers interact within a text or its segments – is a highly effective poetic strategy in anthems. Three types of convergence are identified in the analysis: hybrid, symbiotic, and pointe. Hybrid convergence features stylistically marked linguistic units that interact closely within a specific textual segment, either compactly dispersed or diffusely overlapping. The more prevalent symbiotic convergence entails the coexistence of distinct stylistic devices within a unified textual framework. This type involves the intricate use of stylistically marked units in various configurations, whether single-status (e.g., phonetic or lexical only) or multi-status (e.g., phonetic, lexical, and syntactic). Pointe convergence is a set of means stylistically focused on the central theme of an anthem, typically culminating in a powerful, patriotic statement about the nation’s identity and purpose.