Section A Mini-lecture

Section A Mini-lecture

Paralinguistic features of languages

Good morning, everyone. Today we'll continue our discussion on describing language. Last week we examined such features of language as grammar, vocabulary, the sounds of language, etc. In this lecture, we'll look at another important aspect of language. Perhaps some of you may wonder what is this important aspect of language. Let me tell you.It refers to features of communication that takes place without the use of grammar and vocabulary.They are called ‘paralinguistic features of language'.These features fall into two broad categories:those that involve voice and those that involve the body.

Now, the first category, is what we call vocal paralinguistic features.Vocal features are actually tones of voice. While they are, perhaps, not central to meaning in communication in the same way as grammar or vocabulary, they may, nevertheless, convey attitude or intention in some way. Let me give you some examples. The first iswhispering, which indicatesthe needs for secrecy. The second isbreathiness. This is to showdeep emotion. The third ishuskiness, which is to showunimportants. The fourth isnasality. This is to indicate anxiety. The last isextra lip-rounding, which expressesgreater intimacy, expecially with babies, for example. So we can see that there are a number of ways of altering our tone of voice. And when we do this consciously, we do it to create different effects in communication.

Now, let's come tothe second category, physical paralinguistic features, which involves the body. In addition to convey meanings with tone of voice, we can also express our intentions through the ways in which we use our bodies. You may ask: what are the ways, then? Let me sight some brief examples. The expression on our face, the gestures we make and even proximity or way we sit, are some of the ways we send powerful messages. About how we feel, or what we mean. Let me explain some of these in more detail. First,facial expression. Facial expression is a powerful conveyer of meaning. We all knowsmilingis an almost universal signal ofpleasure or welcome. But there are other facial expressions that may not be so common. For instance,raising eye-brows- suggest that you aresurprised or interested in something. Other facial actions, such asbiting your lip, which indicates that you aredeep in thinking, or areuncertainabout something;compressing the lips, which show that you aremaking decisions; and a visibleclenching of the teeth, to show that you areangry, are all powerful conveyers of meaning, too. The second in this category is gesture. You see, we usegestureto indicate a wide range of meanings. Though I have to emphasize that the actual gestures we use may be specific to particular cultures. That is to say different cultures have their own favorite gestures in conveying meaning. Here, a few examples may show you how powerful gestures can be. In British English behavior,shrugging shouldersmay indicate an attitude of ‘I don't care', or ‘I don't know'.Crossing your armsmay indicaterelaxation. But it can also powerfully show you arebored.Wavingcan meanwelcome and farewell. Whilescratching your headmay indicate that you areat a loss. In other cultures,placing your hand upon your heartis to indicate that you aretelling the truth.Pointing your finger at your nosemeansit's a secret. That's why we say thatgestures are culture bound. The third isproximity, posture and echoing. Proximityrefers tothe physical distance between speakers.This can indicate a number of things and can also be used to consciously send messages about intent.Closeness, for example, indicatesintimacy or threatto many speakers. But distance may showformality, orlack of interest. Once again, I'd like to say,proximity is also both a matter of personal style, and is often culture bound. So, what may seem normal to a speaker from one culture may appear unnecessarily close or distant to a speaker from another. And standing close to someone may be quite appropriate in some situations such as an informal party, but completely out of place in other situations, such as a meeting with a superior. Next, posture.Posture means the way in which someone holds his or her body,especially the back, shoulders and head, when standing, walking or sitting. A few examples.Hunched shoulders and a hanging headgive a powerful indication of whether the person ishappy or not.A lowered headwhen speaking to a superior,with or without eye contact can convey the appropriate relationshipin some cultures. On the other hand,direct level eye contact, changes the nature of interaction, and can been seen as eitheropen or challenging. Last, echoing. Now, what is echoing? Let me start with an example. Some of you may have noticed this phenomenon in your experience. When two people are keen to agree each other, they would likely, though unconsciously adopt the same posture, as if an imitation of each other. They sit or stand in the same manor. When used in this way,echoing appears to complement the verbal communication. Of course, when such imitation is carried out consciously, it often indicates that someone is marking at another speaker.

Ok, in today's lecture,we looked at some paralinguistic features, such as tone of voice, gesture and posture. These features, together with linguistic features of language, like grammar, or vocabulary, are all part of the way we communicate with each other in face to face encounters. In our next lecture, we'll watch some video material, and see how people actually use paralinguistic means in communication to express their intention or desire or mood.

笔记：

I. Vocal Paralinguistic Features

1. whispering- the needs for secrecy

2. breathiness- deep emotion

3. huskiness- unimportants

4. nasality- anxiety

5. extra lip-rounding- greater intimacy

II. physical paralinguistic features

1. facial expression- powerful conveyer of meaning.

--e.g.1 smiling: pleasure or welcome

--e.g.2 raising eye-brows: surprised or interested in something

--e.g.3 biting your lip:deep in thinking/ uncertain about something

--e.g.4 compressing the lips: making decisions

--e.g.5 clenching of the teeth: angry

2. gesture- culture bound

--e.g.1 shrugging shoulders: 'I don't care', or 'I don't know'

--e.g.2 crossing your arms: relaxation/ bored

--e.g.3 waving: welcome and farewell

--e.g.4 scratching your head: at a loss

--e.g.5 placing your hand upon your heart: telling the truth

--e.g.6 pointing your finger at your nose: it's a secret

3. proximity, posture and echoing

1). proximity: personal style & culture bound

--e.g.1 closeness: intimacy, threat

--e.g.2 distance: fomality, lack of interest

2). posture: the way in which someone holds his or her body

--e.g.1 Hunched shoulders and a hanging head: happy or not

--e.g.2 A lowered head, eye contact: the appropriate relationship

--e.g.3 direct level eye contact: open or challenging

3). echoing: to complement the verbal communication

Section B Interview

Section B Interview

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.

Now listen to the interview.

1. According to Dr Johnson, diversity means

A. merging of different cultural identities.

B. more emphasis on homogeneity.

C. embracing of more ethnic differences.

D. acceptance of more branches of Christianity.

2. According to the interview, which of the following statements in CORRECT?

A. Some places are more diverse than others.

B. Towns are less diverse than large cities.

C. Diversity can be seen everywhere.

D. American is a truly diverse country.

3. According to Dr Johnson, which place will witness a radical change in its racial makeup by 2025?

A. Maine

B. Selinsgrove

C. Philadelphia

D. California

4. During the interview Dr Johnson indicates that

A. greater racial diversity exists among younger populations.

B. both older and younger populations are racially diverse.

C. age diversity could lead to pension problems.

D. older populations are more racially diverse.

5. According to the interview, religious diversity

A. was most evident between 1990 and 2000.

B. exists among Muslim immigrants.

C. is restricted to certain places in the US.

D. is spreading to more parts of the country.

Section B Interview 答案及原文

1. C 2. A 3. D 4. A 5. C

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.

Now listen to the interview.

W: The word "diversity" has become a cliché in the United States today. It seems to me that nowadays Americans cannot turn on the television or read a newspaper without seeing the word pop up somewhere as a description of American demographic. Then what is this diversity in the U.S.? Today we are very pleased to have Dr. James Johnson here on our talk show. Welcome, Dr. Johnson.

M: Thanks.

W: Dr. Johnson, we know you have done an extensive research on diversity.So what is...how do you define diversity in the American context?

M: Well, at one time, the U.S. was called "a melting pot", you know, which means that people of many different religions, cultures and races could shad their traditional cultural identities and blend into one homogeneous nation. W: Am I right in saying that a melting pot will emphasize the idea of all in one or being the same? M: Yes, you may say so. Umm, of course, when the phrase "melting pot" was popular, there was also the idea of being different. But being different then simply meant Catholic as opposed to Protestant, or Irish as opposed to Swedish or Italian.

W: Has the idea of being different changed over the years?

M: Yes, of course. You see today we use the word "diversity" to refer to more visible ethnic differences, Asian American, African American and Latino, for instance. And religious diversity refers to a variety of world religions, not merely different branches of Christianity.

W: And now is America as a whole truly diverse?

M: Well, I think, in all this talk of diversity, there is a critical point that may be missed. That is, diversity is not occurring everywhere in the U.S., or at least not to a degree that would alter the demography of every region in the country.

W: Oh, really?

M: I can give you an example. Recently, a New York Times' article describes the town of Selinsgrove in Pennsylvania. You see, in the last ten years, things have barely changed in that town. The population has dropped by one from 5,384 to 5,383, and the town remains virtually 100% white. The article thus concludes that many portions of the country remain like Selinsgrove virtually unchanged on this march towards diversity.

W: So regions vary in terms of the degree and types of diversity.

M: That's correct. Let's see, there are 3 types of diversity in the U.S. and they differ from region to region.

W: Could you elaborate on that?

M: OK. The first is the racial diversity. States with the most racially diverse populations stand and start contrast to those with the least racially diverse populations.Umm, let's look at two states, California and Maine. From 1990 to 2000, California's Caucasian population, mainly non-Hispanic whites declined from 57% to 48%. By 2025 as it is predicted, that figure will drop to just 34%, which indicates a future change in a racial composition of California. On the contrary, Maine's Caucasian population was 98% of its total population to around the 1990s. And by 2025, Maine's population will still be 97% Caucasian, which means virtually no change in Maine's racial diversity over the next 20 or so years.

W: This shows that racial diversity is not occurring everywhere. Then what about other types of diversity?

M: Right. The second type of diversity is age diversity. And there're some interesting age gaps developing between states. For example, there is a large gap between the average age of the 5 states with the youngest populations, and the 5 states with the oldest populations. This of course is well known. What is less discussed is the difference between the racial make up of the younger and older populations. Most of the populations having the greatest racial diversity are younger on average than the populations with critic Caucasian representation. It is also well known that Caucasians tend to be more affluent than other ethnic groups on average. In our pay-as-you-go social security system, workers are taxed to pay the benefit to retirees. So this could lead to a future, while world systematically redistributed from younger poor minorities, to older wealthier whites.

W: This is a very interesting point. Then what is the third type of diversity in the U.S.?

M: The third is religious diversity. Immigration from India, Pakistan and Mid-east brought radically increasing numbers of Hindus and Muslims to the US. And Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and other Asian immigrants increase the numbers of Buddhists.

W: Oh, I see.

M: But the point is that these religions didn't settle everywhere. They settled mainly in California and major in northeastern and mid-western cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Minneapolis. From 1990 to 2000, the number of Muslims in New York City grew from 600,000 to nearly one million. In the Los Angles area, there are now more than 300 Buddhists temples.

W: So we see that many parts of the U.S.are truly becoming more diverse, while at the same time, others are centrally remaining the same in terms of race, age and religion.

M: Yes, that is true.

W: Ok, Dr. Johnson, Thank you very much for coming on the show and talking to us.

M: My pleasure.

Section C News Broadcast

Section C News Broadcast

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your coloured answer sheet.

Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.

Now listen to the news.

6.What is the main idea of the news item?

A. Sony developed a computer chip for cell phones.

B. Japan will market its wallet phone abroad.

C. The wallet phone is one of the wireless innovations.

D. Reader devices are available at stores and stations.

Question 7 and 8 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

Now listen to the news.

7.Which of the following is mentioned as the government’s measure to control inflation?

A. Foreign investment.

B. Donor support.

C. Price control.

D. Bank prediction.

8.According to Kingdom Bank, what is the current inflation rate in Zimbabwe?

A. 20 million percent.

B. 2.2 million percent.

C. 11.2 million percent.

D. Over 11.2 million percent.

Question 9 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the question.

Now listen to the news.

9. Which of the following is CORRECT?

A. A big fire erupted on the Nile River.

B. Helicopters were used to evacuate people.

C. Five people were taken to hospital for burns.

D. A big fire took place on two floors.

10. The likely cause of the big fire is

A. electrical short-cut.

B. lack of fire-satefy measures.

C. terrorism.

D. not known.

Section C News Broadcast 答案及原文

6. B 7.C 8. D 9. D 10. A

In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.

Question 6 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to answer the question.

Now listen to the news.

"Japan will start an aggressive push to market abroad its mobile technology, especially the nation's popular wallet-phone. " A government official said Tuesday. Although Japan boasts some of [19:37.10]the most sophisticated cell-phones in the world, the nation has failed to make its handsets, wireless technology and mobile services hits outside of Japan. Among the wireless innovations Japan hopes to paddle is the wallet-phone. The technology relies on a tiny computer chip imbedded in each cell-phone which communicates with a reader-device at stores, train stations and vending machines for cashless payments. This tiny computer chip was developed by Japanese Electronics and Entertainment Company—Sony Corporation.

Questions 7 and 8 are based on the following news.

At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

Now listen to the news.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate has soared in the past three months and is now at 11.2 million percent, the highest in the world, according to the country's central statistical office. Official figures dated Monday show inflation has surged from the rate of 2.2 million percent recorded in May, despite the government's price controls. The country's finance minister confirmed the new figure in an interview but said the rising inflation rate was not confined in Zimbabwe alone. In February, the price of a loaf of bread in the country was less than 200,000 in Zimbabwe dollars. On Monday, that same loaf of bread cost 1.6 trillion Zimbabwe dollars. Analysts have said that this Zimbabwean government official inflation rate figures are conservative. Last week, one of Zimbabwe's leading banks, Kingdom Bank, said the country's inflation rate was now more than 20 million percent. The locally-owned bank predicted tougher times ahead for Zimbabwe in the absence of donor support in falling investment in an economy that has been in free fall for almost a decade.

Questions 9 and 10 are based on the following news.At the end of the news item, you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

Now listen to the news.

"A large fire erupted Tuesday in Egypt's parliament and five people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation," official said. There was no official word on the cause of the blaze which ravaged a 19th century palace where parliament's upper house located. Dozens of fire tracks were at the scene. While firefighters focused on one corner of the building, the blaze burned heavier on the second corner, spreading to the second floor. Two helicopters scooped water from the nearby Nile River in small buckets and dumped it onto the blaze. Evacuated employees said authorities told them they had ruled out terrorism and that an electrical short-circuit had likely sparked the fire. "Those hospitalized included parliament employees and firefighters," said Ahmad Salah, the fire operation supervisor. The extent of damage was not immediately known. Egypt requires some fire safety measures in buildings, including fire extinguishes. But in general, the rules are not straightly enforced.