- •Contents
- •Preface
- •Part I. Print media Unit 1 mass media: general notion
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •It’s wrong to portray fathers as domestic incompetents – but women still
- •Unit 2 newspaper headlines and their linguistic peculiarities
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Unit 3 lexical features of newspaper articles
- •Names of some organisations, establishments, parties
- •Abbreviations
- •Acronyms
- •Neologisms
- •Colloquial words
- •Shortened words
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Former Mandela Fund Official Says Model Gave Him Diamonds
- •The International Herald Tribune, August 6, 2010
- •A. Too many clichés, at the end of the day
- •B. Social class affects white pupils’ exam results more than those of ethnic minorities – study
- •C. Blair’s job was done by 1997: to numb Labour, and to enshrine Thatcherism
- •In Downing Street, Blair never fulfilled his early promise and let Brown in.
- •Question time in Oldham Data profiling is helping Oldham police analyse the work of its community support officers
- •Airport and station get walk-in nhs centres
- •People's peers take back seat in the Lords
- •Not off to uni? What an excellent idea...
- •VIII Welsh Assembly launches £44m learning grants
- •4. Three men jailed for rape in Oxford after victim sees film on mobile.
- •Unit 4 grammatical and syntactical properties of newspaper articles
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Cronyism alert on plan for more people’s peers
- •Revealed: Queen’s dismay at Blair legacy
- •Victim / radiation / in £50m drugs / cancer / is denied
- •Unit 5 feature articles: essence, structure, lexical means, stylictic properties
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks Task 1. Read Article a and comment on its genre. What sphere of public life does it reflect? a. After 40 years, the terrorists turn to politics
- •In the East Belfast Mission hall, the uvf, uda and Red Hand Commando announced they had put weapons “beyond use”
- •С. A slice of Middle England Ruaridh Nicoll journeys in search of the perfect pork pie and finds himself seduced by the olde worlde charms of... Leicestershire
- •D. Gordon Brown: There is life after No 10
- •In his first major interview since losing the election, the former Prime Minister tells Christina Patterson why he’s thriving as a constituency mp – and happily living without the trappings of power
- •Unit 6 analytical genres of print media: editorial, op-ed, column, lte
- •I. Editorial
- •III. Сolumn
- •IV. Letters to the editor
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •How Not to Fight Colds
- •The New York Times, October 4, 2010
- •Clean and Open American Elections
- •It’s our class, not our colour, that screws us up
- •Task 12. Read the two ltEs below. What motive was behind writing those letters?
- •I. Giving an Edge to Children of Alumni
- •The New York Times, October 4, 2010
- •II. Childhood misery
- •Task 13. Read the two letters again, and observe the difference between them. What arguments does the author of first letter put forward to drive his message across?
- •Unit 7 print media: revision
- •Task 3. Read the article below and define its genre. What are the constituent parts of the text? House prices: Heading south
- •I was a terrible teenage drinker – I couldn't get hold of alcohol How do young people drink so much today? And how do they get served, asks Michael Deacon
- •Task 7. Read the article below and say what genre it is. Translate the italicised words and word combinations, analyse them. Twitter: Bad sports
- •Test 1. Print media
- •Variants 1-16.
- •Part II. Broadcast media Unit 8 learning to understand broadcast media texts
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Unit 9 learning to differentiate broadcast media news and analytical genres
- •The press conference and the statement are an integral part of the live reporting and are not accompanied by the news presenter’s comments.
- •Fragments of the press-conference, the statement, as well as the parliamentary debate could be quoted in the video brief news, the report and the commentary that are part of the news bulletin.
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Audio Track 6
- •Audio Track 7
- •Bonfire of the quangos? It’s more like a barbecue: Despite all the fanfare, just 29 will be completely abolished
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •A shot in the arm – поиск наркотика; стимул (перен.) a soft touch – обходительный человек; pie in the sky – журавль в небе, пустые посулы
- •He wants the Scottish government to give a shot in the arm to the tourist industry (Sky News)
- •A flop – unsuccessful film or play gazumping – cheating a potential buyer of a house
- •Nifty – very good or attractive (nifty fifties – «золотой возраст»)
- •Some examples of former slang words to booze – to drink alcohol
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Unit 12 stylistic and syntactical peculiarities of broadcast media discourse
- •Control Questions
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Hungarians battle to hold back toxic sludge spill from Danube
- •Vessel mishap
- •Test 2. Lexical and syntactical propertires of broadcast media discourse
- •Variants 1-16.
- •In class:
- •In class:
- •Unit 13 grammatical properties of broadcast media discourse
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Uk’s official economic growth estimates revised down
- •Austerity won’t trigger double-dip recession, economists say
- •Ireland’s economic outlook worsens
- •Ireland’s economic outlook worsened on Monday as the country’s central bank
- •Unit 14 learning to work with broadcast media texts
- •Sun turns its back on Labour after 12 years of support
- •General election 2010: did it really happen?
- •The coalition government: Sweetening the pill
- •Test 3. Morphological properties of broadcast media discourse
- •Variants 1-16.
- •In class:
- •Unit 15 regional accents of british broadcast media (scottish, welsh, irish)
- •Control Questions
- •Practical Tasks
- •Unit 16 broadcast media: revision
- •Murder rate at lowest for 20 years
- •Rogue Trader at Société Générale Gets Jail Term
- •The Guardian, October 5, 2010 Task 9. Find special terms in the second half of the material (they are not marked). Read the piece again, find clichés and idioms in it.
- •Task 38. Read the article below and say what crime is reflected in it. What are its underlying reasons?
- •Sham marriages on “unprecedented scale”
- •Final test on mass media discourse
- •Variants 1-16.
- •In class:
- •In class:
- •References
- •Учимся понимать и интерпретировать медийные тексты на английском языке
Some examples of former slang words to booze – to drink alcohol
to ball up – to fail an exam
a cowboy – someone careless or dishonest in business (a cowboy builder)
a fag – a cigarette
to ditch – to discard; to leave somebody in trouble
glitterati – influential people of art and show biz
a yob – a rude or troublesome young man / tear-away
T.Blair has launched a new war on yob culture. The Prime Minister announced a new scheme called ‘community pay back’ which will force young criminals who wreck neirbouhoods to repair the damage (ITN).
Still dying for a fag? (Channel 5)
Intensifiers (listed below) can be found either in prepared or spontaneous television and radio discourse.
absolutely (It’s absolutely appalling) altogether all too much any
anyway around at all a bit completely fairly indeed pretty
quite really that (It’s not that easy) single (Every single day of the week)
well (Well into the night) whatsoever
It was pretty noisy and pretty sleepless night so far (Sky News).
People in this country are absolutely appalled (Sky News).
– Does this surprise you at all? (ITN).
All the mentioned above lexical units may also function in screen graphics as an integral part of some television genres (e.g. report, video brief, commentary).
Control Questions
List the major lexical features of broadcast media discourse.
2. What are the two large groups of lexical units used in broadcast media discourse? Characterise each group in detail, say what purpose each of them serves.
3. What is a cliché? Can you name five clichés from the list?
4. Can you characterise expressive means of broadcast media discourse?
5. What is a deformed proverb? Provide a few examples on the matter.
Practical Tasks
Task 1. Watch Video 23. Its headlines contain colloquial words. They are:
- a noun (a slang word);
- a phrasal verb;
- a noun formed from a phrasal verb;
- a noun (an abbreviation);
- a verb;
- an adjective.
Identify the words indicated above in each headline (either in TV discourse or in screen graphics). Use online dictionaries if necessary to look up the meaning of the words in question.
Task 2. Watch Video 24. Transcribe the news you hear. Identify the following exical units in the video: a colloquial word, an idiom, clichés).
Task 3. Watch Video 25 lead. Say what holiday is in the media focus? Fill in the gaps to identify the realia the Video contains.
Despite the freezing temperatures, thousands of people, of course, will descend on …1… this evening for the annual …2… celebrations. But it seems even one of the most famous of the …3… can’t avoid the effects of the economic downturn – some tickets have been left unsold.
Find Russian equivalents of the realia you have identified.
Task 4. Watch Video 25 to the end and get it’s idea. What genre is the piece?
Task 5. Watch Video 25 again. Close the gaps in the sentences below with lexical units typical of television discourse.
1. …1… …2… comes to …3… for …4…
2. Final preparations …1… today for the capital’s world renowned …2-3… celebrations.
3. There’s been a very late … for tickets this year, and some of the more expensive ones remain unsold.
4. …1-2… , a sign of the …3-4…
5. But organizers say the …1… has had …2-4…
6. It’s the weather that is …1… – with temperatures expected to drop ...
Task 6. Watch Video 25 interviews and fill in the gaps below. Comment on the words you have just restored. What category of lexical units typical of TV discourse do they relate to?
Event Co-ordinator …… :
“We have seven stages, we have four different arenas. …1… arenas are all ticketed …2-5… . And in the street party, the…6-7… the …8… of it, …9-10… we have four …11-12… . …13… and …14… of bands. Some …15… …16-17… this year. And …18-20… turn the whole thing into an enormous …21-22…”
Interviewee’s post: Realia No 1…… , Realia No 2…… ,
Interviewee’s name: Realia No 3 ……:
“The …1… is not …2… …3-4… against the …5… …6… of people i.e. from …7-8… have decided to come to …9… to celebrate …10-12… and that is …13-14… welcome. It’s a …15… news for us.”
Task 7. Did you pay attention to the way the journalist pronounces some words? What accent is it? Which interview is spoken with the same accent?
Task 8. Match up the numbers in the box with information points in the clip.
1993 4 7 4 – 3
Task 9. Sum up the report in three sentences. Put them down.
Task 10. Watch Video 26.1 and Video 26.2. What genre are they?
Watch the videos closely and transcribe them. Identify all colloquial lexical units in the scripts you have got. What subcategory do these colloquialisms fall into? Translate the lexical units into Russian and make up sentences with them.
Task 11. Watch Video 27. What genre is the piece. What lexical unit can you identify in it? What does it mean? What is its Russian equivalent?
Task 12. Watch Video 28. What realia is in the media focus? In what context? Is there anything in the clip you have not been aware of?
Task 13. Watch Video 28 to find English equivalents of the following Russian word combinations.
1) мультикультурное образование; 2) светское празднество; 3) в то время как; 4) с нетерпением ждать что-либо; 5) ценности (система взглядов); 6) ходить в церковь; 7) быть в основе чего-либо; 8) нечто подразумевающееся; 9) языческий праздник; 10) символ плодородия; 11) Королевская почтовая служба; 12) дохристианский.
Task 14. Close the gaps in the sentences from Video 28 script with various lexical units. Comment on their use by the journalist.
1. …1… today is essentially a …2-3… there are millions of people of other faiths who’ll celebrate Christmas as a …4-5…
2. This class is …1-2… of …3… , …4… , …5… and …6…
3. Such diversity is …1… to …2…and …3… other …4….
4. And …1-2… few of the pupils will celebrate Christmas as a religious festival, all are …3-6…
5. The …1… of Christmas being a Christian festival, still …2… …3-4… of what today stands for.
6. Most of the symbols we associate with Christmas like …1… , …2-3…, of course, …3-4…, don’t …5… have …6… religious connection. But …7… centuries they have become part of …8… tradition, …9-10… your faith.
7. “A lot of the things that we associate with Christmas don’t have specifically religious …1… , …2…”
8. “Things like …1… which was originally a …2-4…. Women were …5…to carry …6… around for …7-8…, and, …9-10… kissing …11-13… still has that kind of …14… with …15… ”
9. The …1-2… has printed both …3… and …4… stamps to …5… its customers a …6…
Task 15. What denominations are mentioned in Video 28?
What do the numbers below stand for, according to the video clip?
31 32 33 2 bln
Task 16. What is your attitude to the holiday in focus?
Do they celebrate it differently in your country and in the UK?
Task 17. Sum up Video 28 contents of in three sentences. Put them down.
Task 18. Watch Video 29. What genre is it? What is the general idea of the clip?
Transcribe the clip and make lexical analysis of its script. You may need to know expressions Christmas rows and counseling service to get a better idea of the piece.
Task 19. Can you identify a proverb and an idiom in Video 29? What are their Russian equivalents?
How long does Christmas festive season last in the UK, according to the video clip? To what effect?
Task 20. Revise the following phrasal verbs, clichés and idioms. Translate them either into English or Russian.
1) слоняться без дела; 2) решить проблему; 3) нажиться; 4) to team up; 5) to beef up; 6) дойти до сути; 7) to go softly-softly; 8) to snap up; 9) быть доступным каждому желающему; 10) to get nitty-gritty; 11) a shot in the arm; 12) обходительный человек; 13) пустые посулы; 14) запускать, приводить в действие (взрывное устройство, механизм и т.п.); 15) to spell out; 16) сделать отметку (поставить «галочку»); 17) подытоживать, складывать; 18) продолжать; 19) унести жизни; 20) всерьез; 21) стать объектом внимания; 22) высказывать озабоченность (по поводу чего-либо); 23) to be too little too late; 24) представлять угрозу; 25) in the run up to: 26) по пятам, следом; 27) to make one’s way; 28) запаздывать; 29) продолжать; 30) to pop up; 31) to kick off; 32) предотвратить болезнь; 33) вмешиваться в дело; 34) браться за какое-либо дело; 35) to put up (prices); 36) заканчиваться, завершаться; 37) to shy away; 38) to set up; 39) to screw up; 40) to prop up; 41) брать на поруки; 42) to bow out; 43) приходиться (на долю промышленности приходится…); 44) шататься без дела.
Task 21. Revise the following colloquial words. Translate them into English or Russian.
1) ageism; 2) flop; 3) шампанское; 4) a jab; 5) glitch; 6) сердитый; 7) парашютист; 8) flicks; 9) jittery; 10) scary; 11) weird; 12) обмениваться; 13) модный; 14) to revamp; 15) posh; 16) капельница; 17) frantic; 18) неудавшийся; 19) to down (something); 20) резкое увеличение; 21) наглый; 22) a fag; 23) booze; 24) The Met; 25) upbeat; 26) a spook; 27) известные люди шоу-бизнеса; 28) a cowboy; 29) a fag; 30) safe heaven.
Task 22. Put the lexical units in Tasks 20-21 into the context. Get prepared to write a lexical quiz.