Idiostyle

Idiostyle (individual style) is the unique aggregate of linguistic and artistic means, devices and principles that distinguishes the oeuvre of an individual writer and makes it recognisable. Idiostyle is manifested in a characteristic selection of vocabulary, favourite images and tropes, peculiarities of syntax, rhythm, composition, tonality, in through-themes and motifs. It is the linguistic "face" of an artist, the expression of their world-view, temperament and aesthetic preferences. The study of idiostyle allows one to establish the distinctiveness of a creative manner and also serves as a basis for the attribution of texts. Thus deeply individual idiostyles are possessed by Taras Shevchenko, Pavlo Tychyna, Vasyl Stefanyk and Lina Kostenko. Idiostyle is a central concept of linguostylistics, poetics and the theory of authorship, uniting linguistic and literary approaches to the study of a literary text.