Publicistikas valodas vieta funkcionālo paveidu un stilu sistēmā
The Place of Mass Media Language within the System of Functional Sub-Types and Styles

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the problems of classification of functional sub-types or sub-languages and functional styles of the Latvian language. The traditional view that the terms sub-type and style should be used as synonyms is misleading, because there exist several sub-types in which the combination of different stylistic devices has become a kind of norm. The most characteristic examples are the language of fiction and the language of the mass media. Sub-languages should not be identified with styles: sub-language or functional sub-type is a language used in a given sphere, whereas style is a set of specific linguistic features. Exploring the system of sub-types, styles and speech genres (registers) of a national language, we come to the conclusion that sub-type is the most general concept, style is a specificity of sub-type, and speech genre is a specificity of style. However, both subtypes and speech genres may combine elements of different styles. It is quite obvious that the language of the mass media is a functional sub-type of Modern Latvian. However, the existence of publicist or mass media style leaves much food for critical thought.

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