1 LESSON GUIDE 4 LESSON 4: SPEECH TECHNIQUES April 27, 2004 \u2013 SpeechPower (Cubao) English Conversation Fluency (ECF 3) 6:00-8:00 PM
Learning to Speak Correctly, Properly and Sensibly: The Different Speech Techniques
SO: AS:
I want to speak correctly, properly and sensibly! I Am A Good Speaker I am a good speaker! I can make my voice go up and down in the right places \u2013 in phrases, sentences and paragraphs. If I am feeling extreme joy or grief or just calling somebody I assume a very high pitch voice. In cases of solemnity, reverence and extreme awe, I can assume a very low pitch. If I feel that I have to speak in a normal way, I assume an unimpassioned speaking way. If I am questioned and may answer in a YES or NO, my voice went up. In cases of long answers in queries, my voice goes down.
Being a good speaker, I always put emphasis where it is needed \u2013 in words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives and interrogatives are usually stressed. While articles, prepositions, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, conjunctions, relative pronouns and helping verbs are normally unstressed. Accents too are an important part of speech. A good speaker puts stress and gives meaning to the accent mark (`) on a syllable or word in a sentence. I raise my voice and pause a little to get it right. In speaking, I give meaning to every phrase. I convey a thought. I pause when it is required and blend two words or syllables as if they were one. Most importantly, I think before I speak so as to make sure that I speak sensibly, never to intentionally hurt but to speak what is right and true and what comes from the heart to be of service and to protect the rights of others.
2
I am a good speaker and I am all of these, and so it is! LA1:
Practicing Good Speech with Dialogues
Exercise 1: Form groups of two\u2019s (A,B). Practice this dialogue with your partner. (With partner and then with group)
A \u2013 Hi. My name\u2019s ________. I\u2019m enrolled in this course. B \u2013 I\u2019m glad to meet you. My name\u2019s _________. I\u2019m in t Is this your first time at Speechpower? A \u2013 Yes, I\u2019ve just come to know this center. Do you work in one of the commercial banks around? B \u2013 No. I\u2019m an/a __________________ in _____________. What about you? A \u2013 I WORK at the ____________________________________. Exercise 2: Pick-your-Situation Activity In a bowl, pick a slip of paper bearing the situation that you should act out with a partner. Use these situations in writing your dialogues. Then practice with your partner. Be ready for an oral presentation with your partner in front. LA 2:
The Speech Techniques
Exercise1:
Introduce the five speech techniques by the affirmation I Am A Good Speaker (use OHP)
Read Aloud (individual, as class) What do you think are the five speech techniques? Refer to the affirmation. Inflection or intonation Emphasis \u2022Accentuation \u2022Blending \u2022Phrasing \u2022 \u2022
In your own words, can you explain each speech techniques? LA 3:
Inflection or Intonation
Exercise 1: Focus on Inflection or Intonation
3 Inflection or intonation is the movement of the voice up or down along the line of sound. The focus is more on the \u201cpitch\u201d of your voice. Pitch is one of the elements of voice along with volume/loudness, rate/duration and quality/timbre. Pitch refers to the elevation/depression of the voice or simply the highness or lowness of a sound. Very much the same with intonation. This is where you\u2019re ability to intone comes from, if you practice varying pitch in your speech. When you speak, don\u2019t be monotonous. Take a step and glide. STEP \u2013 an abrupt change GLIDE \u2013 gradual change Different pitch levels: a. Very high pitch \u2013 extreme of joy and grief, and in calling b. High pitch \u2013 exultation, joy, etc. (gives the impression of immaturity, nervousness or lack of poise) c. Middle (Normal) pitch \u2013 unimpassioned speaking d. Low pitch \u2013 solemnity, awe, etc. (shows calmness, decisiveness, control, etc) e. Very low pitch \u2013 solemnity, reverence, dread, extreme awe Kinds of inflection are: a. The rising intonation ( NO.
) for questions answerable by a YES or a
Examples: Are you in love? Can she see us from here? \u2022Will you call me later? (Give questions answerable by YES or NO and intone.) \u2022 \u2022
b. The falling intonation ( ) for questions that can\u2019t be answered by yes or no. Start your questions with: Who Whom
What Which
Where Why
When How
How are you getting along with your new friends? \u2022Which of these courses are you interested in? (Give questions that can\u2019t be answered by YES or NO and intone.) \u2022
LA 4:
Inflection and Intonation Practices
4 Exercise 1: Questions answerable by YES or NO (Refer to ECF3 module p. 24) Exercise 2: With the proper intonation, ask questions beginning with: • • • • • •
Will . . . . . . . . . . . . . .? Am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .? Was . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Were . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Has . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Have . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?
Exercise 3: Questions that can’t be answered by YES or NO (Refer to ECF3 module p.24-25) Exercise 4: With the proper intonation, ask questions beginning with: • • • •
Which . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Who . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Whom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? Whose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ?
Exercise 5: Intonation Contours (Practice the dialogue in ECF3 module p. 25) Exercise 6: Repetition Exercise (Practice dialogue in ECF3 module pp. 25-26) Exercise 7: Supply your own answer after the instructor has given out the question. (ECF3 module p. 26) LA 5:
Emphasis
Exercise 1: Focus on EMPHASIS Emphasis is giving prominence to certain words (word-emphasis) or group of words (sentence-emphasis) in a sentence. Example:
“I’ll see you tomorrow”
Which words should be stressed in the following sentences? • • •
I am glad to meet you We are all interested in enlarging our vocabulary. Great progress is made daily.
5 Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives and interrogatives are usually stressed. These words are content words, that is, they have a meaning of their own. Articles, prepositions, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, conjunctions, relative pronouns and helping verbs are normally unstressed because as function words, they little or no meaning other than the grammatical idea they express. Exercise 2: Underline the words that should be stressed and read the sentences accordingly. (ECF3 module p.27) LA 6:
Accentuation
Exercise 1: Focus on Accentuation Accentuation is putting a stress (as shown in an accent mark `) on a syllable or word in a sentence. Two things a speaker should remember when sounding the accented syllable: a. Raise your voice b. Pause a little Exercise 2: Words Accented on the First Syllable (Refer to ECF3 module p. 28) Exercise 3: Words Accented on the Second Syllable (ECF3 module p. 28) Exercise 4: Pronounce these pairs of words. Note the shift in stresses and the vowels in unstressed syllables. (Refer to ECF3 module pp. 28-29) Additional pairs: 1. master – mustard 2. crumble – crumple 3. fodder – father 4. divorce – divulge 5. exuberant – exorbitant 6. generous – genesis 7. fewer – furor 8. burger – burglar 9. sever – severe 10. lesson – listen 11. allude – elude 12. acrid – arid
6 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
memorize – mesmerize feature – future eager – eagle dabble – double autocrat – autograph mental – menthol impetus – impetuous benign – be kind
Exercise 5: A large group of words in English may be used either as nouns or verbs depending on which syllable is stressed. Those used as nouns are stressed on the first syllable; those used as verbs are stressed on the second syllable. (Refer to ECF3 module p.29) Exercise 6: Read the following sentences. Make sure you give the correct stress for the underlined words. (ECF3 module p.29) Exercise 7: Pronounce these words carefully. Note that words with similar pattern of stress are grouped together. Each group should be repeated rhythmically. (ECF3 module p. 30) Exercise 8: Do I hit the right syllable? 1. circuitous ________ 2. indefatigable _________ 3. concentrate __________ 4. characterize __________ 5. adolescence __________ 6. incriminating __________ 7. inevitable ____________ 8. dynamism ____________ 9. recognize ____________ 10. negotiate ___________ 11. forfeiture ____________ 12. condolence ____________ 13. Catholicism ___________ 14. lamentable ____________ 15. archives ____________ 16. reconcile _____________ 17. destined _____________ 18. distinguished ___________ 19. hazardous ____________ 20. determined ___________ LA 7:
Phrasing
7 Exercise 1: Focus on Phrasing Phrasing is the grouping together of words that conveys a thought. A thought group is a portion of a sentence set off from the rest by a pause, indicated here by a diagonal line. Phrasing is very important in conveying meaning. Read these lines. Observe the pauses. (Samples are at ECF3 module pp. 30-31) Exercise 2: Phrasing in relation to rate/duration Rate, as one element of voice, applies to the speed of your speech discerned through: the length of sounds (phrasing) and the length of pauses between phrases (juncture) Rate is influenced by the complexity of thought or feeling you present. Therefore, the rate of utterance depends largely upon the sentiment or emotion to be expressed. Very quick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moderate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Very slow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
violent passions animated descriptions simple descriptions tender feelings solemn thoughts
Exercise 3: Analyze the following selections: a. Should rate be fast or slow? Why? b. Mark the phrasing, grouping words that reveal one thought and read until length of phrase is timed with your breathing habit. c. Underline the phrases which are more important than the rest and therefore should be read slower. (Selection still to be typed, from Effective Speech and Oral Communication, pp. 17-18) LA 8:
Blending
Exercise 1: Focus on Blending Blending is pronouncing two or more syllables or words as if they were one. The first word usually ends in a consonant sound and the following word begins with a vowel sound, or vice versa. Practice blending the words that are tied together in the following sentences: (ECF3 module p. 31)
8 Exercise 2: Read the following passage. Note carefully the phrasing and the blending of words and phrases. (Refer to ECF3 module p. 32) Exercise 3: Choose from the selection. Read and mark the phrasing. Be ready for an oral presentation (individual) CAS: Read again and with conviction: I Am A Good Speaker END OF LESSON 4
9
I Am A Good Speaker
I am a good speaker! I can make my voice go up and down in the right places – in phrases, sentences and paragraphs. If I am feeling extreme joy or grief or just calling somebody I assume a very high pitch voice. In cases of solemnity, reverence and extreme awe, I can assume a very low pitch. If I feel that I have to speak in a normal way, I assume an unimpassioned speaking way. If I am questioned and may answer in a YES or NO, my voice went up. In cases of long answers in queries, my voice goes down. Being a good speaker, I always put emphasis where it is needed – in words, phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, demonstratives and interrogatives are usually stressed. While articles, prepositions, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives, conjunctions, relative pronouns and helping verbs are normally unstressed. Accents too are an important part of speech. A good speaker puts stress and gives meaning to the accent mark (`) on a syllable or word in a sentence. I raise my voice and pause a little to get it right. In speaking, I give meaning to every phrase. I convey a thought. I pause when it is required and blend two words or syllables as if they were one. Most importantly, I think before I speak so as to make sure that I speak sensibly, never to intentionally hurt but to speak what is right and true and what comes from the heart to be of service and to protect the rights of others. I am a good speaker and I am all of these, and so it is!
