高级英语第二册第三课背景知识

Elements of a good conversationalist?
Bane of Conversation




--- focus on one particular topic ---always interrupt others or argue stubbornly ---dominate the topic and the conversation ---impose on others to accept your ideas or opinions ---talkative, self-centered ---don’t like to be a good listener
Advanced English
Book Two
Unit 3 Pub Talk and the King’s English
Background Knowledge
Global Reading
4.Structure
Part I: Para. 1-3
of
tபைடு நூலகம்e
text
Part III: Para. 18-21
Written text

Personal experiences are crucial because they determine both what a person thinks and how he or she thinks about the world.( academic thesis)
Type2:

Conversation for some other purposes
Politicians, preachers, salesmen, lobbyists, etc. practice this type.
Tips for General Conversation
General conversation should conform to the following principles: The topic must be of general interest. Each person must do his share AND NO MORE. There should be no periods of silence. No topic should be dragged out. The tone should be kept good-natured. No one should be offended by anything said.
Formality of Written English

Very formal
Academic texts Business letters Quality newspapers (broadsheet s) Popular press Personal letters
Very informal
Original Broad-minded Charitable( ready to help) Unselfish Considerate Flexible Poised( controlled and relaxed) Enthusiastic
The Characteristics of Spoken English
Conversation is of two basic types:
Type 1: Conversation for its own sake( general conversation) aims: Companionship The exchange of ideas Entertainment
• The voiced fillers er and erm, for example, are useful delaying devices, so that we are able to continue holding the floor while we think of what next to say
paralinguistic features reduced to punctuation, handwriting or typeface
largely pre-meditated no immediate opportunity to monitor reader feedback and effect repair
• 1. Hesitation pauses (or filled pauses) 填补词 语
Filled pauses are those which are plugged by stopgap noises such as "er""erm“
• 2. False starts
These can take the form either of a needless repetition of a word, eg "I erI", or of a reformulation of what has been said eg. "you get taught you're taught to drive" the result is an ungrammatical sequence of words.
Part II: Para. 4-17
Main idea: What is and what makes a good conversation. Para.4-11: The topic “the king‟s English” was discussed unwares during a pub talk.
General characteristics of these two manifestations of human language
spoken immensely ancient the primary form of language modifies rapidly written comparatively recent the secondary form modifies more slowly
Writing style




The writer deliberately wrote this piece in a conversational style to suit his theme---bar conversation has its own charm. Organization is loose---title, abrupt transition, digression Highly informal language---abundance of simple idiomatic expressions cheek by jowl with copious literary and historical allusions The tone of the author is generally light-hearted and relaxed rather than very serious and forceful or satirical.
• fillers - or tag constructions
such as: you know, well, oh, you see, I mean mm, shall I say, I think isn't it -- an invitation to the listeners to confirm the speaker's observation
In dialogue about half your time should be spent listening unless it is clear that the other person wishes you to talk more. The advantages of listening are: You conceal your own weakness. You learn the other person's attitude. You give the other person enjoyment. You store up emphasis for the statement you eventually make. In times of trouble a sympathetic ear is more valuable to most people than anything that can be said to them.

Why are our personal experiences so crucial? I can give you two important reasons. First, our experiences determine what we think. Second, they determine how we come to think about the world. ( lecture)
The ideal conversationalist is:
Well-informed Sympathetic Interested in life Attentive
Always in good humor Doesn't preach Doesn't take himself too seriously Not argumentative Never contradict or flatly disagree with the other person Never too forceful or emphatic in stating your opinions
• 3. Syntactic anomalies （不规则）
Often we fail to keep control of the syntax of what we are saying, and produce anomalous constructions which, if they are not entirely ungrammatical, would nevertheless be regarded as awkward and unacceptable in written composition eg. "We've got... you've got to take".
How to become a good conversationalist? While one fault will make a person a bad conversationalist, one virtue will not make him a good one. He must possess many qualities, some of them having to do with character, some with intellect, and some with training.
Personal emails
Legal and political documents
Formality of Spoken English
Very formal Very informal
Public speech
Classroom lecture
Talk between lovers
Spoken text
carries people„s interactive carries knowledge and emotional life information dies without trace dies but leaves traces
paralinguistic features include pitch, volume, intonation, speed and bodily gesture largely spontaneous opportunity for repair and paraphrase
Main idea: The writer
resumed to the topic of how to make a good conversation.
Para.12-17: Study or reflections done about the king‟s or queen‟s English.