Informational style

The basic purpose of any informative speech is to provide the listener with information they do not yet know.

The speaker avoids giving any emotional or volitional evaluation to utterances as it might interfere with the listener’s correct interpretation of the message. So in most cases the speaker sounds dispassionate, businesslike and reserved.

This style is used in various official situations and is considered to be stylistically neutral.

Reading of educational information in class or in a TV documentary, reading administrative documents, reports at business meetings, are examples of informational style. Radio and television announcers when delivering weather forecasts or covering news also employ this language variety.

The characteristic feature of informational style is the use of (Low Pre-Head +) Falling Head + Low Fall (Low Rise) (+Tail).

Stepping and Level Heads may sometimes be used, instead of the Falling Head. Also several falls within an intonation group are typical for the reader.

In certain cases the Fall-Rise occurs, with the falling part of the tune indicating the main idea and the rising part marking some addition to the main idea.

E.g. NEWS READER: Two firemen| were over come by fumes| and several bystanders slightly injured| in a fire last night |at Paxton,| Kent.||

The blaze was caused| when flames from a Guy Fawkes night bonfire| organised in su pport of local charities| spread to nearby warehouses.||

Utterances are pronounced with normal or slow speed and regular rhythm.

In informational style intonation never contrasts with the lexical and grammatical meanings conveyed by words and constructions. Pauses are semantically predictable, that means that an intonation group here always consists of words joined together by sense. Intonation groups tend to be short, the length of pauses varies from medium to long.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14