Intonational Peculiarities of Spontaneous Speech and an Interview

Intonation Peculiarities of the Drama (Reading 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, temporizers, overlapping that are frequent in plays.

Intonation as well as other aspects reflects the intermediate position of the drama between emotive prose and spontaneous speech.

I. The sense-groups are shorter than in the 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 monological 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 text).

Speaking about the style of spontaneous speech, some linguists think of the style which is typical of the English of everyday life, and which occurs both within a family group and in informal external relationships, namely, in the speech of intimate friends or well-acquainted people. In such cases it is the emotional reaction to a situational or verbal stimulus that matters, thereby the attitude- and emotion-signalling functions of intonation here comes to the fore. Nevertheless intellectual and volitional patterns also have a part to play. They call this style familiar or conversational. These linguists do not consider an interview to be one of the types of this style, they regard it as a type of publicistic style along with political speeches, radio and television commentaries, etc. However, they forget that interviews can be of different types. Some interviews, for instance, an interview with a member of the Parliament about the present-day political situation or an interview with an editor of a newspaper about press in general or about the policy of his own newspaper, are surely examples of publicistic style. But there exist other interviews, for instance, an interview with people about their family life, about their experiences, etc., such interviews are clearly examples of conversational style. In this course we shall consider such interviews as one of the types of spontaneous speech along with conversations that occur in everyday life, and short unprepared speeches.

As you see, we take into account that spontaneous speech may be monological and dialogical; and that some types of dialogical speech as, for instance, an interview, may consist of adialogical part and rather long monological pieces.

Spontaneous speech is characterized by a great number of elliptical sentences, incomplete sentences, repetitions, overlappings, etc. Intonation plays an important role in determining communicative types of sentences and semantic centres, in conveying attitudinal meanings.

Dialogical spontaneous speech is characterized by:

1 short sense-groups,

2 a great variety of tones (simple and complex),*

3 sliding and scandent scales,

4 the mid range,

5 the centralized stress,

6 the rhythm which is based on a regular repetition of terminal tones,

7 the changeable tempo,

8 a great variety of pauses (logical and hesitation).

* This style, unlike other styles, will allow the occurrence of the entire range of intonation patterns existing in English. This is due to the fact that there seen to be no social restrictions on the range of emotions and attitudes which might be displayed in a conversational situation.

Relatively unexcited conversational situations are characterized by low pre-heads, falling or stepping heads and simple low falling and rising tones. Monosyllabic response utterances display standardised, narrowed pitch patterns. Degrees of increasing inten­sity of excitement correlate with increased pitch height. As a re­sult widened pitch patterns are typical of more excited situations. In this connection one should note the high proportion of intona­tion patterns with the high falling nuclear tone. The flow of con­versation much depends on these patterns, as the High Fall implies, among other things, the effect of personal participation or invol­vement in the situation. It is extremely important for the parti­cipants in conversation to show an active interest in what is going on. Besides, we should mention the high frequency of compound tunes and heterogeneous heads. There is also the occasional com­pletely unexpected placement of nuclear tone.

In spontaneous informal conversation there is a marked tendency for intonation to form a basic set of recurrent patterns. The precise nature of these patterns varies to a certain extent de­pending on such situational factors as the relationship of the speakers to each other, the chosen subject-matter, the fluency of an individual, his emotional state and so on.

IV. Тексты для чтения

Oscar Wilde. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Jack: Charming day it has been, Miss Fairfax.

Gwendolen: Pray don't talk to me about the weather, Mr.Wor­thing. Whenever people talk to me about the weather, I always feel quite certain that they mean something else. And that makes me so nervous.

Jack: I do mean something else.

Gwendolen: I thought so. In fact, I am never wrong.

Jack: And I would like to be allowed to take advantage of Lady Bracknell's temporary absence...

Gwendolen: I would certainly advise you to do so. Mamma has a way of coming back suddenly into a room that I have often had to speak to her about.

Jack [nervously]: Miss Fairfax, ever since I met you I have admired you more than any girl I have ever met since... I met you.

Gwendolen: Yes, I am quite well aware of the fact. And I often wish that in public, at any rate, you had been more demonstrative. For me you have always had an irresistible fascination. Even before I met you I was far from indifferent to you. We live, as I hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of ideals. The fact is constantly mentioned in the more expensive monthly magazines, and has reached the provincial pulpits, I am told; and my ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest. There is something in that name that inspires absolute con­fidence. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you.

Jack: You really love me, Gwendolen?

Gwendolen: Passionately!

Jack: Darling! You don't know how happy you've made me.

Gwendolen: My own Ernest!

Jack: But you don't really mean to say that you couldn't love me if my name wasn't Ernest?

Gwendolen: But your name is Ernest.

Jack: Yes, I know it is. But supposing it was something else? Do you mean to say you couldn't love me then?

Gwendolen [glibly]: Ah! That is clearly a metaphysical speculation, and like most metaphysical speculations has very little reference at all to the actual facts of real life, as we know them.

Jack: Personally, darling, to speak quite candidly, I don't much care about the name of Ernest.... I don't think the name suits me at all.

Gwendolen: It suits you perfectly. It is a divine name. It has a music of its own. It produces vibrations.

Jack: Well, really, Gwendolen, I must say that I think there are lots of other much nicer names. I think Jack, for instance, a charm­ing name.

Gwendolen: Jack?... No, there is very little music in the name Jack, if any at all, indeed. It does not thrill. It produces absolutely no vibrations.... I have known several Jacks, and they all, without exception, were more than usually plain. Besides, Jack is a notorious domesticity for John. And I pity any woman who is married to a man called John. She would probably never be allowed to know the entrancing pleasure of a single moment's solitude. The only really safe name is Ernest.

George Bernard Shaw. PYGMALION

HIGGINS [ brusquely, recognizing her (Eliza) with unconcealed disappointment, and at once, babylike, making an intolerable grievance of it ] Why, this is the girl I jotted down last night. She's no use: I’ve got all the records I want of the Lisson Grove lingo; and I'm not going to waste another cylinder on it. [ To the girl ] Be off with you: I don’t want you.

THE FLOWER GIRL Dont you be so saucy. You aint heard what I come for yet. [ To Mrs Pearce, who is waiting at the door for further instructions ] Did you tell him I come in a taxi?

MRS PEARCE Nonsense, girl! what do you think a gentleman like Mr Higgins cares what you came in?

THE FLOWER GIRL Oh, we are proud! He aint above giving lessons, not him: I heard him say so. Well, I aint come here to ask for any compliment; and if my money's not good enough I can go elsewhere.

HIGGINS Good enough for what?

THE FLOWER GIRL Good enough for ye-oo. Now you know, dont you? I'm come to have lessons, I am. And to pay for em too: make no mistake.

HIGGINS Well!!! [ Recovering his breath with a gasp ] What do you expect me to say to you?

THE FLOWER GIRL Well, if you was a gentleman, you might ask me to sit down, I think. Dont I tell you I'm bringing you business?

HIGGINS. Pickering: shall we ask this baggage to sit down, or shall we throw her out of the window?

THE FLOWER GIRL [ running away in terror to the piano, where she turns at bay ] Ah-ah-oh-ow-ow-ow-oo! [ Wounded and whimpering ] I wont be called a baggage when Ive offered to pay like any lady.

Motionless, the two men stare at her from the other side of the room, amazed.

PICKERING [ gently ] What is it you want, my girl?

THE FLOWER GIRL I want to be a lady in a flower shop stead of selling at the corner of Tottenham Court Road. But they wont take me unless I can talk more genteel. He said he could teach me. Well, here I am ready to pay him- not asking any favour- and he treats me as if I was dirt.

MRS PEARCE How can you be such a foolish ignorant girl as to think you could afford to pay Mr Higgins?

THE FLOWER GIRL Why shouldnt I? I know what lessons cost as well as you do; and I'm ready to pay.

HIGGINS How much?

THE FLOWER GIRL [ coming back to him, triumphant ] Now youre talking! I thought youd come off it when you saw a chance of getting back a bit of what you chucked at me last night. [ Confidentially ] Youd had a drop in, hadnt you?

HIGGINS [ peremptorily ] Sit down.

THE FLOWER GIRL Oh, if youre going to make a compliment of it –

HIGGINS [ thundering at her ] Sit down.

MRS PEARCE [ severely ] Sit down, girl. Do as you’re told. [ She places the stray chair near the hearthrug between Higgins and Pickering, and stands behind it waiting for the girl to sit down. ]

THE FLOWER GIRL. Ah-ah-ah-ow-ow-oo! [ She stands, half rebellious, half bewildered. ]

PICKERING [ very courteous ] Wont you sit down?

THE FLOWER GIRL [ coyly ] Dont mind if I do. [ She sits down. Pickering returns to the hearthrug. ]

HIGGINS What’s your name?

THE FLOWER GIRL Liza Doolittle.

HIGGINS. How much do you propose to pay me for the lessons?

LIZA Oh, I know whats right. A lady friend of mine gets French lessons for eighteen pence an hour from a real French gentleman. Well, you wouldnt have the face to ask me the same for teaching me my own language as you would for French; so I wont give more than a shilling. Take it or leave it.

HIGGINS [ walking up and down the room, rattling his keys and his cash in his pockets ] You know, Pickering, if you consider a shilling, not as a simple shilling, but as a percentage of this girl's income, it works out as fully equivalent to sixty or seventy guineas from a millionaire.

PICKERING. How so?

HIGGINS Figure it out. A millionaire has about £150 a day. She earns about half-a-crown.

LIZA [ haughtily ] Who told you I only –

HIGGINS [ continuing ] She offers me two-fifths of her day's income for a lesson. Two-fifths of a millionaire's income for a day would be somewhere about £ 60. It's handsome. By George, it's enormous! It's the biggest offer I ever had.

LIZA [ rising, terrified ] Sixty pounds! What are you talking about? I never offered you sixty pounds. Where would I get –

HIGGINS Hold your tongue.

LIZA [ weeping ] But I aint got sixty pounds. Oh –

MRS PEARCE Don’t cry, you silly girl. Sit down. Nobody is going to touch your money.

HIGGINS Somebody is going to touch you, with a broomstick, if you don’t stop snivelling. Sit down.

LIZA [ obeying slowly ] Ah-ah-ah-ow-oo-o! One would think you was my father.

HIGGINS If I decide to teach you, I'll be worse than two fathers to you. Here! [ he offers her his silk handkerchief ]

LIZA What’s this for?

HIGGINS To wipe your eyes. To wipe any part of your face that feels moist. Remember: that’s your handkerchief; and that’s your sleeve. Don’t mistake the one for the other if you wish to become a lady in a shop.

Liza, utterly bewildered, stares helplessly at him.

MRS PEARCE It's no use talking to her like that, Mr Higgins: she doesn’t understand you. Besides, you’re quite wrong: she doesn’t do it that way at all [ she takes the handkerchief ].

LIZA [ snatching it ] Here! You give me that handkerchief. He give it to me, not to you.

PICKERING [ laughing ] He did. I think it must be regarded as her property, Mrs Pearce.

MRS PEARCE [ resigning herself ] Serve you right, Mr Higgins.

PICKERING Higgins: I'm interested. What about the ambassador's garden party? I'll say you’re the greatest teacher alive if you make that good. I'll bet you all the expenses of the experiment you can’t do it. And I'll pay for the lessons.

LIZA Oh, you are real good. Thank you, Captain.

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