Abstract: | This article deals with the description understood as a genre of the spoken
word. Attention is drawn to the difficulties encountered in research on speech
genres due to their broad differentiation (functional, thematic, campositional).
A preliminary analysis is made of these linguistically differing types of realisation
of the standard descriprion genre: evidence given witnesses in the court room,
conversation in quasi-interview style and colloquial telephone conversations.
Attention is drawn to the common characteristics of all types of description
and also the differences, arising principally from the differing functions (intentions)
of the text. Types of utterances analysed ini this article exhibit specific structural
and stylistic characteristics. In court evidence of witnesses may be observed the
desire to achieve completeness in the description, here may be found taxonomic
attempts, inclusion of details, enumeration. In the calloquial utterances, on the
other hand, is a clear trend which may be termed an ascape from description,
seen in these texts as making use of alternative forms by means of proper names,
comparative constructions containing indicative pronouns in the role in absential. |