The Functional Role of Colloquial Syntax Elements in Tatyana Tolstaya’s Novel <i>Kys</i>’

Abstract

The article deals with a contextual analysis of one chapter in the novel Kys by Tatyana Tolstaya, a contemporary Russian writer. The linguistic peculiarity of this work is shown together with the importance and role of certain elements of colloquial syntax (such as incomplete sentences, syntactic parallelism, rhetorical questions, repeats, etc.). Specific ways and techniques of transforming syntactic units from a neutral plane of an utterance to an expressively emotional one are revealed on concrete examples. Arguments are provided that the functions of the colloquial syntax elements in the novel are to create a comical effect, to strengthen the emotionality of both the characters and the text in general, to organize the speech rhythm, as well as to reveal both the protagonists inner world and an aesthetic atmosphere of this unusual work.