121
Train the reading of the Scientific Style
Well >NOW
≀
I’d like to
turn
'
now to AS
`
SESSMENT, | and I
→
hope you won’t
ˏ
MIND
≀
if I
→
use
this OPPOR
ˎ
TUNITY
≀
to
try to give
'
some INDI
ˏ
CATION
≀
of
≀
ə
m
|| a
→
more `MODERN,
|
more
ˎ
RECENT
≀
AP
ˎ
PROACH
≀
ˎ
TO the as
sessment
ˎ
PROBLEM
≀
than per
↘
haps
'
I my
'
self was
'
brought
≀
'
brought
`
UP on. | And I
ˎ
WANT
≀
→
very
ˎ
ARBITRARILY if I
ˏ
MAY
≀
to DI
ˎ
VIDE this
≀
into
ˎ
THREE
ˏ
HEADINGS and to
>
ask |
ɜ
׃
|
'
three
≀
'
three
ˎ
QUESTIONS:
≀
as
→
sessment
˅
WHY, | as
→
sessment
WHAT, | and as
→
sessment
ˎ
HOW.
≀
So
→
this really
ˏ
MEANS
≀
I
want to
'
talk a
'
bout ↑first
of all the
`
PURPOSES of AS
ˏ
SESSMENT
≀
`
WHY we are as
sessing
≀
at
˅
ALL, |
ɜ׃
m
|
ˎ
SECONDLY
≀
the
→
kind of
ˎ
FUNCTIONS
≀
and
→
processes that are
`
BEING AS
ˏ
SESSED, | and
thirdly I want to
'
talk
about TECH
ˎ
NIQUES.
|
And I shall
≀
I shall
have to
'
go
'
through THIS
≀
`
FAIRLY
ˏ
RAPIDLY,
≀
and I
ˎ
HOPE
≀
that
→
if it’s
`
TOO
ˎ
RAPID
≀
you’ll
pick me up in
'
question time
`
AFTERWARDS.
||
Unit 13. Intonational Peculiarities of Newspaper Style
The primary function of the newspaper style is to impart information. Brief news items and
articles are most typical forms of this style. Full compound
and complex sentences are
characteristic of this style.
Newspaper texts usually fall into clear-cut paragraphs. Intonation as well as other means
serve to inform the listener. Newspaper texts are read in a categoric and reserved manner.
I.
The division into sense-groups is determined by the contents of the text, its syntactical
structure and to a certain extent, the announcer’s manner of reading. The division into shorter
sense-groups makes the text weighty and emphatic. The division into longer sense-groups gives
the text a somewhat calmer and flowing quality.
II.
The newspaper texts are characterized by the following tonetic units:
1)
Falling tones /rather abrupt/;
2)
Descending /Stepping and Sliding/ Scales. Ascending Scales are mostly
used in parenthetic constructions;
3)
A Mid Pitch Range;
III.
Both centralized and decentralized stresses are used in reading newspaper texts.
IV.
The tempo is usually moderate and constant with the exception of parenthetic and
absolute constructions, which are as a rule, characterized by a quicker tempo.
V.
Pauses are mostly logical and obligatory after paragraphs.
E.g.
World-Wide
The
'
draft
'
U.N.
'
proposal
'
gives
'
weapons ins
ˏ
pectors
≀
more au
ˏ
thority and
'
threatens
'
Baghdad with “`serious
ˏ
consequences” if it
'
fails to co'operate on 'arms
in
ˎ
spections.
122
'
France also
'
said
it was disa
'
ppointed with the
'
U.
'
S. reso
ˎ
lution.
'
Chief
'
U.
'
N.
'
weapons ins
ˏ
pector
'
Hans
'
Blix
'
said
'
Iraq could a
'
void `war
≀
if
'
Baghdad per
'
suades the
'
world that it
'
doesn’t have
'
weapons of
'
mass de
ˎ
struction.
The Wall Street Journal Europe.
Draft report expected to cause anger as German officials try to tone it down
It i
'
dentifies the
'
need for
'
greater compe
'
tition between
ˏ
uni
ˏ
versities,
≀
where
'
tenured
'
staff
'
lack in
'
centives for
'
good
ˎ
teaching. And it
ˏ
notes
≀
that
'
German
'
students
'
treat uni
'
versity as a
'
free re
ˏ
source,
'
leading to pro
'
longed
ˎ
studies.
In a
'
special
'
section on
'
aid to the
ˏ
east,
≀
the
'
draft a
'
ttacks a misallo
'
cation
of
˅
resources, with
'
too
'
much
'
money being de
'
voted to
'
capital-intensive
'
projects
and
'
not e
'
nough
'
going to
'
labour-intensive
ˎ
schemes.
Unem
'
ployment
'
figures
'
published yesterday
'
showed the
'
jobless
'
rate in the
'
east
ˏ
rose
'
slightly to 17.3 per cent
ˎ
last month.
'
Many
'
German eco
'
nomists
'
argue
that the
'
real
ˏ
rate is
'
up to
'
twice as
ˏ
high,
≀
a
'
llowing for
'
special
'
job-creation and
'
training
ˎ
schemes.
Financial Times.
Read the following texts taken from the newspapers and try to intone them.
Golden hoard from a royal home
An 800-year-old Wiltshire manor house, once in the possession of Elizabeth I and
the place where the “Westbury Hoard” of gold nobles – which predated pounds – was
found during building works in 1877.
The house has a wealth of beamed rooms and other original features. On the kitchen
wall is a facsimile of the conveyance of the property to Elizabeth I by Lord Mountjoy in
1574. Although there is no evidence the Queen visited the house it remained in her private
possession until her death in 1603.
.
Canada reduces benchmark rate
The
Canadian economy expanded by 4.7 per cent in 2000, but showed clear signs of
slowing in the fourth quarter. Gross domestic product grew just 2.6 per cent on an
annualised basis in the final quarter last year, amid lower business investment and a
123
cooling in consumer spending. However, the Bank of Canada remained optimistic that
economic activity in Canada would rebound in the second half of 2001. The bank said the
rate cut, recent tax cuts and rising disposable incomes would help underpin domestic
demand.
Financial Times.
Unit 14. Intonational Peculiarities of the Drama
The stylization of colloquial language is one of the features of the language of plays.
The playwright seeks to approximate a natural form of dialogue, a form as close to natural
living dialogue as the literary norms will allow. It results in abbreviations, temporizes,
overlappings that are frequent in plays.
Intonation as well as other aspects reflect the intermediate
position of the drama
between emotive prose and spontaneous speech.
I.
The sense - groups are shorter than in descriptive prose. They normally
contain from one to three stressed /notional/ words.
II.
1. A greater variety of tones characterizes this style. Besides simple tones,
complex tones are frequent in final as well as in non-final sense-groups;
2. Sliding and Scandent Scales are most useful;
3. Compound tunes are in wide use too;
4. The pitch range is wider than the range in reading descriptive texts /up to 3
octaves /;
III.
As to the accentual structure, the monologue parts of plays are characterized by both
centralized and decentralized stresses. In dialogues, especially in a dialogue-catch up, the
centralized stress is prevailing.
IV.
The tempo is mostly changeable and usually varies within the limits of the moderate
tempo.
V.
Logical pauses are most characteristic as the performers are supposed to know the
text well. Hesitation pauses are rare (if they are not presupposed by the text).
E.g.
Augustus
: ( hastily putting aside his paper and replacing his feet on the floor)
Hel
ˊ
lo. Who are
ˎ
you?
The clerk:
The
ˎ
staff (a slight impediment in his speech adds to the impression of
incompetence given by his age and appearance)
Augustus
:
ˋ
You the
ˋ
staff. What do you
ˎ
mean?
The clerk:
What I
ˋ
say. There
ˋ
aren’t anybody
ˏ
else.
Augustus
:
'
Where are the
ˎ
others?
The clerk:
At the
ˎ
front.
Augustus
: ˇQuite
right.
'
Most
ˏ
proper.
'
Why
'
aren’t
ˋ
you at the
front?
The clerk:
Over
ˎ
age.
'
Fifty
ˎ
seven.