Section eight. High pre-head

May Day

Practise reading the text several times.

B) listen carefully to the narration of the text Observe the peculiarities in Intonation-group division, pitch, stress and tempo. Note the use of temporizers. Reproduce the model narration of the text.

16. Read the text "May Day" silently to make sure you understand each sentence. Split up each sentence into intonation groups if necessary. Mark the stresses and tones. Underline the communicative centre and the nuclear word of each intonation group. It is not expected that each student will intone the text in the same way. The teacher will help you to correct your variant

Retell the text in your own words:

For over 100 years now May Day has been recognized in some countries of the world as the workers' day. It is the day on which workers in these countries master their strength, and demonstrate their determination to struggle to achieve the demands which happen to be particularly pressing and urgent.

Last year's May Day in Britain broke new ground in two ways.

It was the largest-ever demonstration to be held on May 1 itself in addition to the traditional demonstrations on May Sunday.

But it was more than a demonstration. It assumed the character of a national strike, involving hundreds of thousands of workers who downed tools in London and a number of other major cities.

It was the culmination of an unprecedented campaign directed against the Government's intentions to put the clock back a century and more on trade-union rights.

It was a high point in the continuous struggle of the trade unions for the unfettered right to use the strike weapon in furthering the interests of their membership.

It was a historic May Day not only in the role it played in achieving the immediate demand of retaining the sovereignty and independence of the unions.

Above all, the flexing of their muscles and the victory achieved the following July, gave the workers of Britain a new sense of confidence and a deeper understanding that one hour of action is worth more than a thousand hours of argument and pleas for justice.

Stress-and-tone marks in the text: the High Pre-Head | ~ j.

The High Pre-Head never contains any stressed syllables. Before the High Fall it is said on the same pitch as the beginning of the fall. Before any other nuclear tone or any head the pitch of the High Pre-Head is higher than the beginning of the following stressed syllable.

As compared to the Low Pre-Head the High Pre-Head is used to add vivacity, liveliness or excitement to the attitudes expressed in the sentence.

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