英语文体学 Chapter 8 The English of Public Speech.ppt

1、English Stylistics,Chapter 8 The English of Public Speech,Contents,8.1 Scope of Public Speech 8.2 A Sample Text for Analysis 8.3 General Features of Public Speech 8.4 Stylistic Features of Public Speech,8.1 Scope of Public Speech,Public speech covers a fairly large range. So far as the field is conc

2、erned, 1) there are speeches like the business manager explaining next years budget, the teacher lecturing in a classroom; 2) there are speeches on questions of fact, value and policy; 3) there are speeches on special occasions: speeches of introduction, of presentation etc.,So far as the functional

3、 tenor is concerned, there are informative speeches like 1); there are persuasive speeches like 2); and emotive speeches like 3). So far as the personal tenor is concerned, the 1) kind of speeches can be formal or less formal or informal; the 2) kind is mostly formal, and the 3) kind varies in degre

4、e of formality.,8.1 Scope of Public Speech,So far as the mode is concerned, there are impromptu speeches (speeches made on the spot), extemporaneous speeches (speeches with a set of brief notes or an outline to jog the memory), speeches from reciting, and speeches from a manuscript; but many of the

5、speeches are written to be spoken before an audience.,8.1 Scope of Public Speech,8.1 Scope of Public Speech,Of all aspects of public speaking, persuasion is the most complex and difficult. Its job is to change the audiences. Its goal may be to defend, to refute, to sell, or to inspire. So under the

6、heading of public speech, we shall mainly discuss persuasive speeches.,8.2 A Sample Text for Analysis,Winston Churchill on May 13, 1940 in the House of Commons,8.3 General Features of Public Speech,Most persuasive speeches are the speaking of what is written to be spoken to an audience, usually on a

7、 formal occasion. So they present features of formal written language while exhibiting characteristics of the spoken.,8.3 General Features of Public Speech,Public speeches are similar to daily conversation. The addresser has to tailor his/her message to the addressee and adapt to the addressees feed

8、back, and both public speeches and daily conversation make full use of prosodic and paralinguistic features for expression. Public speaking is also different from daily conversation It concentrates on one topic with highly structured format and more formal language, and makes a more effective way of

9、 delivery.,8.3 General Features of Public Speech,Public speaking shows the characteristics of the written mode Its highly logical organization of thoughts, closely-knit structure and formal language. It differs from the written mode The latter does not have to and cannot adapt to readers immediate f

10、eedback or rely on skillful vocal delivery.,8.4 Stylistic Features of Public Speech,8.4.1 Grammatical Features 8.4.2 Lexical Features 8.4.3 Phonological Features 8.4.4 Semantic Features,8.4.1 Grammatical Features,8.4.1.1 Variation in sentence length Its sentences vary much in length. The longest sen

11、tence can has 74 words and the shortest 4 words. Such sharp variation in length reflects the emotional state of mind of the speaker and his/her effort to evoke an active response from the audience.,8.4.1 Grammatical Features,8.4.1.2 Various sentence types As public speeches are intended to inform, t

12、o persuade, and to appeal, most sentences are statements; occasional questions are used. President Nixon on Feb 21 1972 made his historic visit to China What legacy shall we leave our children? Are they destined to die for the hatreds which have plagued the old world, or are they destined to live be

13、cause we had the vision to build a new world?,8.4.1.2 Various sentence types Commands can be many, often introduce by let, as is shown in Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream”. Go back to Mississippi. Go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to

14、the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.,8.4.1.2 Various sentence types Vocatives of a general type such as “my fellow citizens”, “my friends”, are used to add a touch of intimacy to the add

15、resser-addressee relationship.,8.4.1.3 More complex-looking group structures Nominal groups can be complex-looking with postmodification to be accurate and easy to process of phrase, relative clause (relative pronoun not omitted) (p.126) Verbal groups lack of contractions, passive structures,8.4.2 L

16、exical Features,8.4.2.1 Using accurate and clear word In order to be accurate and clear in meaning, successful speakers tend to choose concrete, familiar words Even when abstract or unfamiliar words, such as technical terms, are unavoidable, the speaker is supposed to keep them to a minimum and clea

17、rly define them. There are generally no words vague in meaning.,8.4.2 Lexical Features,8.4.2.1 Using accurate and clear word One of the most interesting features of “I Have a Dream” speech is Kings use of language to make the abstract principles of Liberty and Equality clear and compelling. Througho

18、ut the speech, King relies on familiar and concrete words. E.g. P.127,8.4.2.2 Adaptation of wording to particular audience The speaker inclines his/her language toward the less formal, less rigid ways of speaking, making reference to him/herself, introducing humor, asking for direct response, or usi

19、ng some colloquial items or idioms, even some dialect words. a Black speaker a woman speaker US President Bush in his campaign at Texas,8.4.2 Lexical Features,8.4.2.3 Less use of phrasal verbs This is sharply contrasted with casual speech in which phrasal verbs can be found everywhere,8.4.2 Lexical

20、Features,8.4.3 Phonological Features,In a sense, the success of an address depends largely on how the speaker controls his/her voice. The aspects of voice to control are volume, pitch, speed, pause, rhythm and articulation,8.4.3 Phonological Features,8.4.3.1 Appropriate volume and pitch variation A

21、speaker will adjust his/her volume to the setting and the size of the audience. Also a speaker will not speak in an absolute monotone with no variation whatever in pitch. But he/she must also guard against falling into repetitious pitch patterns.,8.4.3 Phonological Features,8.4.3.2 Varying tempo and

22、 rightly timed pause There is no uniform speed for effective speech making. A fast speed is used when the speaker is warmed up to a topic while a slow tempo is needed when the speaker begins to talk of a new idea. A fast tempo can create a feeling of joy, fear, anger or surprise while a slow rate is

23、 better for creating feelings of sadness or disgust. Pause in public speech is useful. It can signal the end of a thought unit, give an idea time to sink in, and lend dramatic impact to a statement. The crucial factor is timing pause for a right length of time,8.4.3 Phonological Features,8.4.3.3 Rhy

24、thmic effect Speakers often seek to exploit the rhythm of language by their choice and arrangement of words. By catching up their audience in an arresting string of sounds, they can enhance the impact of their words - and therefore their ideas. E.g. Winston Churchill (p.129),8.4.3 Phonological Featu

25、res,8.4.3.4 Distinct articulation Public speech is directed toward an audience sometimes very large, so the speaker has to guard against sloppy articulation and enunciate each word clearly and accurately. Assimilations like “lemme” (let me) “gonna” (going to), “didja” (did you), “otta” (ought to) sh

26、ould not occur in such a variety, while elision like “Im”, “well” etc can sometimes occur.,8.4.3 Phonological Features,8.4.3.5 Full use of non-verbal communication The speaker is supposed to dress appropriately to the occasion and appear in a calm and confident postures, so as to evoke favorable fir

27、st impression. Gestures should appear natural and spontaneous, help to clarify or reinforce ideas and be suited to the audience and occasion. Eyes are “the window of the soul”, so we look to them to help gauge the truthfulness, intelligence, attitudes, and feelings of a speaker.,8.4.4.1 Effective wa

28、ys of organization Persuasive speeches often fall into problem-solution order: first the speaker shows the extent and seriousness of the problem, then he/she explains his/her solution and shows its practicality. But most persuasive speeches have five steps: 1) attention 2) need 3) satisfaction 4) vi

29、sualization 5) action,8.4.4 Semantic Features,Most striking connectives in public speaking 1) the use of pairs of transitional phrases stating both the idea the speaker is leaving and the one he/she is coming up to: In addition to helping people in need, working as a hospital volunteer also provides

30、 you with valuable job experience. Now that we leave explored the ancient origins of astrology, let us turn to its modern popularity. So much for the present, what about the future?,8.4.4 Semantic Features,Most striking connectives in public speaking 2) The use of internal previews and summaries The former lets the audience know what the speaker