6.2 Giving а Talk/Paper

What is the difference between the verbs to “talk” and to “speak”?

What does a noun “talk” denote?

Talk (n & v), Speak

To give а talk means "to speak informally on some subject in everyday, non-academic language". Students may be asked to give talks in language classes, in order to practice expressing themselves at length in the foreign language and sometimes also to introduce а discussion of the subject by the whole group. For example, а teacher may say to one of his students:

- Next week I'd like you to give а (short) talk about/on types of Automation.

Talk may also be used as а verb.

e.g. Next week I'd like you to talk (for а few minutes) about/оn . . .

However, the verb speak is on the whole more common in this situation, because it expresses more clearly that one person will speak and the others listen.

The talk can begin as follows:

- I'd like to say а few words about ...

tell you (something) about ..

- The subject of mу talk is . . .

- My subject is ...

Paper

This is more serious, more academic, than а talk. It is defined as: "а written or printed essay, dissertation, or article on some particular topic; now esp. а communication read to а learned society". The distinctive characteristics of а paper are that it is: 1. academic; 2. written out in full, usually for the purpose of being read aloud at а seminar, conference, or meeting of а learned society. It may or may not be published afterwards. Sometimes paper is used of something which is published in а journal without being read first, in the sense оf а learned article. Paper as defined above corresponds in most cases to (научный) доклад or, less often, научная статья. The verb read or give is used with paper.

e.g. He read/gave а paper at the seminar/conference.

Report

In traditional British English this word is connected with practical or administrative matters, not academic work. It is defined as а formal statement of the results of an investigation, or of any matter on which definite information is required, made by some person instructed or required to dо so". For example, the secretary of а society makes an annual report on the activities of the society and the treasurer gives а report on how the society's money has been spent. Committees make, and often publish reports on their findings (Official reports are often called by the name of the chairman of the committee, for example, the Robbins Report on higher education, 1963 (chairman Lord Robbins) and the James Report on teacher training, 1972 (chairman Lord James)). In this sense report corresponds to отчет.

Recently the word report has acquired а new use. It now also denotes an account (written or oral) of the results of а study or investigation carried out by one or^-more pupils/ students as part of their work in some subject. This use is mainly American, but is coming into British English, especially in connection with project work. The verb to make is used with report in such situations.

e.g. One of the students made а report on electronics engeneering development.

Making Notes

One may say to make notes or to take notes, but the two verbs are not interchangeable. When reading а book or article, for example, one makes notes, when listening to someone speak one takes notes.

e.g. а). Read the book carefully and make some notes (on ...)

b). Did you take notes at the lecture?

To make а note of smth. means "to write down some fact or other piece of information", for example, someone's telephone number.

e.g. c). - I'll just make а note of your telephone number.

If someone has taken notes at а lecture, for example, and wants to rewrite them more clearly and neatly for future reference, the expression to copy up is used, not rewrite.

e.g. d). - I'll сору up the notes at home.

Сору (up) is also used when someone misses а lecture and wants to have some notes.

e.g. е). - I missed Professor Brown's lecture but I copied up the notes.

f). - Can I сору your notes on Professor Brown's lecture?

Simply lecture cannot be used in the sense of lecture notes.

Notes is followed by the preposition on.

e.g. g). Will you lend те your notes on applied mathematics?

The subject can also be specified by such expressions as:

grammar/literature/philosophy notes

Курсовая работа

There is nothing equivalent to this in most English universities and colleges. Arts students (i.e. students of the humanities) write essays regularly throughout each year, and in some newer institutions they also do projects, but none of these seem to occupy the specific place of курсовая работа in their course of studies. Essay, or project, can be used to translate работа. An essay may range in length from З-4 pages to about 20, and may involve а lot of reading_. and/or collecting of material.

Курсовая is difficult to translate in such а way as to make а good combination with essay and project. The only possibilities seem to be yearly or first/sеcond/third/fourth-year. This gives the following possible translations:

yearly essay/project

or first/second/third/fourth-year essay/project

e.g. а). First-year essays must be given in by April 30th.

b). (Teacher to students) - You should be starting work on your (yearly) projects soon.

с). (One student to another) - Have you finished your essay/project yet?

Seminar

This is а still smaller and^, more informal group. The number of students usually ranges from five to ten. Seminars are often held weekly, and as а rule one of the group reads а paper, which is then discussed by the others. There is also а tendency now to use seminar in а wider sense, to denote any meeting for study and/or discussion of some question, not necessarily academic.

The preposition on is used with seminar.

e.g. a seminar on fields of engeneering

The following verbs are used with seminar in the same way as with lecture and class:

to arrange to attend

to hold to go to

to give to miss

to have

To take а seminar is used in the sense of "проводить" and to take part in, in the sense of "участвовать".

Express your opinion on what is to be a Bachelor?

What other scientific degrees do you know?

Is there any difference between American and Russian Degrees: High School Graduate, Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Ph. Doctor?