The style of official documents and its substyles. The peculiarities of the style

This FS is not homogeneous and is represented by the following substyles or variants:

1) the language of business documents,

2) the language of legal documents,

3) that of diplomacy,

4) that of military documents.

The main aim of this type of communication is to state the conditions binding two parties in an undertaking. These parties may be: the state and the citizen, or citizen and citizen; a society and its members (statute or ordinance); two or more enterprises or bodies (business correspondence or contracts); two or more governments (pacts, treaties); a person in authority and a subordinate (orders, regulations, instructions, authoritative directives); a board or presidium and an assembly or general meeting (procedures, acts), etc.

The aim of communication in this style of language is to reach agreement between two contracting parties. This most general function of the style of official documents predetermines its peculiarities. The most striking, though not the most essential feature, is a special system of clichés, terms and set expressions by which each substyle can easily be recognized, for example: I beg to inform you, the above-mentioned, hereinafter named, on behalf of, private advisory, Dear Sir, your obedient servants.

In fact, each of the subdivisions of this style has its own peculiar terms, phrases and expressions which differ from the corresponding terms, phrases and expressions of other variants of this style. In legal language, examples are: to deal with a case; summary procedure; a body of judges; as laid down in.

Besides the special nomenclature characteristic of each variety of the style, there is a feature common to all these varieties—the use of abbreviations, conventional symbols and contractions, for example: M. P. (Member of Parliament), H.M.S. (His Majesty's Steamship), $ (dollar), £ (pound), Ltd (Limited). There are so many of them that they make special appendixes in dictionaries interpreting them.

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