英语文体学Chapter7TheEnglishofConversation.pptVIP

English Stylistics Chapter 7 The English of Conversation Contents 7.1 Necessity of Studying Speech 7.3 Object of Study 7.5 A Sample Text of Casual Conversation 7.6 General Features 7.7 Stylistic Features in Terms of Levels of Language 7.9 Other Kinds of Conversation 7.1 Necessity of Studying Speech Saussure emphasized speech over writing Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication People talk and they communicate their thoughts and feelings by means of oral sounds. Speech is the most basic form of language activity Indian languages, etc 7.2 Necessity of Studying Conversation Language is essentially a social activity A teacher, for instance, will talk with his wife at home, with his colleagues at school, with his students in the classroom, with shop assistants when shopping, with friends on the phone, etc. He is likely to engage in monologue as well Clearly, conversing is the most basic of spoken varieties. 7.3 Object of Study In terms of field, conversation covers a wide range. In terms of mode, conversation can be spontaneous or non-spontaneous In terms of personal tenor, conversations can be very informal/intimate or more formal; in terms of functional tenor, conversations can be informative or phatic We just take casual conversation as our subject of study. 7.5 A Sample Text of Casual Conversation Here is a sample text of a dialogue between two educated women in their thirties. A: You got a ↗cold? B: ↘No, just a bit ↘sniffy, cos I’m –I’m ↗cold and I’ll be all right once I’ve warmed ↘up. Do I ↘look as though I’ve got a ↗cold? A: No I thought you ↘sounded as if you were. 5 B: ↘M - - A: Pull your ↘chair close if you ↗want. Is it - - B: ↘Yes, I’ll be all right in a ↗minute. It’s just that I am… A: What have you ↘got? 10 7.5 A Sample Text of Casual Conversation B: ↘Stupid. I had er about five thousand ↘books - - to take back to Senate ↘House ↗yesterday, -