Осознанное чтение тексты и задания = Mindful Reading texts and tasks. Учебное пособие = Textbook-1

PART 1. FICTION VS NON-FICTION

Beyond the text: Cultural aspect

1.Pick out geographical names from Text 1.9A, what associations do they trigger? How does the author make use of stereotypical associations to achieve a comic effect?

2.Identify culture-loaded vocabulary in Text 1.9B, what do these words stand for?

Tasks

1.Which text carries out mostly the informative function?

2.Which text fulfills the aesthetic function?

3.Compare texts 1.9A and 1.9B in terms of their personality / impersonality.

4.What do writers of both texts do to engage readers?

5.Comments on the use of stylistic devices in Text 1.9A, which words and word combinations strike you as particularly well chosen?

Section 10: Apostrophe

Text 1.10A

twould be nice to be an apostrophe floating

above an s hovering

like a paper kite in between the its

eavesdropping, tiptoeing high above the thats

an inky comet spiralling

the highest tossed of hats

(by Roger McGoagh)

31

С. Ю. СТЕПАНОВА. ОСОЗНАННОЕ ЧТЕНИЕ: ТЕКСТЫ И ЗАДАНИЯ ● MINDFUL READING: TEXTS AND TASKS

Text 1.10B

Apostrophe society shuts down because ‘ignorance and laziness have won’

By Tim Baker | 01 December 2019

A society dedicated to preserving the correct use of the apostrophe has shut down because “ignorance has won”.

Retired journalist John Richards, 96, started the Apostrophe Protection Society in 2001 to make sure the“much-abused”punctuation mark was being used correctly.

But Mr Richards has now announced: “With regret I have to announce that, after some 18 years, I have decided to close the Apostrophe Protection Society.

“There are two reasons for this. One is that at 96 I am cutting back on my commitments and the second is that fewer organisations and individuals are now caring about the correct use of the apostrophe in the English Language.”

He added: “We, and our many supporters worldwide, have done our best but the ignorance and laziness present in modern times have won.”

Mr Richards started the society after seeing the “same mistakes over and over again” and hoped he would find half a dozen people who felt the same way.

“I didn’t find half a dozen people,” he said on his website. “Instead, within a month of my plaint appearing in a national

newspaper, I received over 500 letters of support, not only from all corners of the United Kingdom, but also from America, Australia, France, Sweden, Hong Kong and Canada.”

His website lists three simple rules for the correct use of the apostrophe.

The rules Mr Richards gave for apostrophes are: They are used to denote a missing letter or letters, they are used to denote possession and apostrophes are never ever used to denote plurals.

(https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/apostrophe-society-shuts-down-because- ignorance-has-won-a4301391.html)

32

PART 1. FICTION VS NON-FICTION

Beyond the text

Free verse poetry has no rhyme scheme and no fixed metrical pattern. But it has rich imagery, run-on sentences, powerful associations and the rhythm of the speaking voice.

Tasks

1.Which text performs the informative function?

2.What factual information did you receive?

3.What could be the effect of ‘one paragraph-one sentence’ composition of Text 1.10B?

4.How can you explain the abundant use of quotations in Text 1.10B?

5.What could be the function(s) of Text 1.10A?

6.Why do you think the author abandons punctuation in Text 1.10A?

7.What image in Text 1.10A appeals to you most and why?

8.Specify as many points of difference between fiction and nonfiction as you possibly can relying on Texts 1.10A and Text 1.10B. Think how visuals like Venn diagrams could help you.

33

PART 2. Functional stylistics: Non-fiction

Section 1: The Academic Style

Typology of Academic / Scientific Texts

1. Branches of science

Does your text belong to natural sciences? Social sciences? Formal (exact) sciences? “Hard” science or “soft” science? By the way, where would you place linguistics?

2.Genres / substyles

▪scientific style proper

▪popular science

▪reference materials

▪educational literature

▪technical advertising

▪scientific review

Functions and aims

▪to promote scientific ideas

▪to exchange scientific information

▪to explain facts and phenomena

▪to describe an experiment

▪to state and prove theoretical propositions

Style-forming features

▪logical

▪clear

▪precise

▪objective

▪impersonal

▪fact-based

▪unemotional

▪coherent

▪responsible

34

PART 2. FUNCTIONAL STYLISTICS: NON-FICTION

Beyond the text: Matching

Match the features of academic writing to their explanations

1)accurate

2)explicit

3)coherent

4)formal

5)informative

6)objective

7)responsible

a)The emphasis should be on information and arguments, not on you (the writer)

b)Make sure you know the meanings of all words, particularly terms, and use them with precision

c)Your writing should form a unified whole

d)Avoid personal tone as well as colloquial words and expressions

e)You answer for the evidence and for a complete understanding of the sources you use

f)The aim of your writing is to provide information, not entertainment

g)Make sure to show everything clearly, leaving no room for doubt or confusion

Linguistic features

▪ neutral / formal / academic vocabulary

•terminology

•no imagery

•“we” forms

•passive voice

•complete / complex / compound sentences

•use of connectors

•use of footnotes / quotations

•precise facts and figures

35

С. Ю. СТЕПАНОВА. ОСОЗНАННОЕ ЧТЕНИЕ: ТЕКСТЫ И ЗАДАНИЯ ● MINDFUL READING: TEXTS AND TASKS

Food for thought

Why are the following words and structures out of place in academic writing? Find better ways to express your ideas: a lot of, can’t, good, go up, bad, go down

Text 2.1

Some features of Netspeak

One of the most obvious – but not thereby less significant – features is the lexicon that belongs exclusively to the Internet, and which is encountered when someone enters any of its situations. This lexicon does not include the terminology associated with computer science, programming, electronics, and other relevant subjects. Terms such as cable, disk, bit, binary, and computer form part of the jargon of science and technology which extends well beyond the Net. By contrast, a large number of words and phrases have emerged which are needed to talk about Internet-restricted situations, operations, activities, and personnel, making this one of the most creative lexical domains in contemporary English, involving all major lexical processes.*

Many terms are associated with the software which enables people to use the Internet, and which routinely appear on screen. Some have a permanent presence (albeit in hidden menus), in the form of the labels used to designate screen areas and functions, and to specify user options and commands: file, edit, view, insert, paste, format, tools, window, help, search, refresh, address, history, stop, contact, home, send, save, select, options. Some terms appear only at intervals on a screen, depending on circumstances – usually, when things are going wrong, in the form of error messages (there seem to be no positive messages to tell us that everything is going right): forbidden, illegal operation, error, not found, 404 error [‘a page or site is no longer in service’]. Several terms are associated with the use of computer hardware: freeze, lock, down, hang, crash, bomb, client (the machine, not the user). And terms have emerged for the population of Internet users themselves: netizens, netters, netties, netheads, cybersurfers, nerds, bozos, newbies, surfers,

36

PART 2. FUNCTIONAL STYLISTICS: NON-FICTION

digiterati, wizards, lusers [‘users who are losers’], wannabees [‘aspiring hackers who can’t hack’]. Most of these words are everyday terms which have been given a fresh sense in an Internet context.

* On types of word-formation, see Bauer (1983).

(taken from Language and the Internet by David Crystal)

Example of Text Analysis: Step by Step

I.Name the text and specify its status (fiction / non-fiction, its style, its field and its genre)

Non-fiction, style: academic / scientific, field: humanities (linguistics), genre: monograph

II.Identify the subject-matter of the text

The text is devoted to the description of the lexical features of the so-called Netspeak, or computer discourse.

III.Specify the main functions of the text

The text performs / carries out the informative / intellectual function, the function of the message. The author provides scientific information about the specifics of the language of the Internet.

IV. Identify the type of the text and its form

The text is explanatory since the main aim of the author is to characterize the features of Netspeak and explain its basic principles. The material is presented in the form of a monologue.

V.Characterize the addressee of the text

The text is aimed mainly at the specialists – linguists – which explains the use of special terminology. It can be also of interest to anybody concerned with the issue, thus it can be treated as a sample of popular scientific text.

VI. Describe the style-forming features of the text

The text is characterized by objectiveness, precision, clarity, logical coherence, lack of expressiveness. It produces an impression of being impersonal and unemotional.

VII. Characterize the linguistic features of the text, its lexical and syntactical peculiarities

The text is rich in terms related to the sphere of linguistics and computer science, which is a consequence of the presented subject

37

С. Ю. СТЕПАНОВА. ОСОЗНАННОЕ ЧТЕНИЕ: ТЕКСТЫ И ЗАДАНИЯ ● MINDFUL READING: TEXTS AND TASKS

matter (lexicon, terminology, jargon of science, computer hardware).

The words are used in their logical / direct / primary meanings; neutral and bookish vocabulary prevails (significant, exclusively, thereby), which contributes to the formal tone of the text. Lack of emotionally coloured words guarantees the objectivity of the scientific material. Lengthy complex and compound sentences prevail; the elements of colloquial syntax (ellipsis, inversion) are excluded. Detached constructions (but not thereby less significant, albeit in hidden menus) clarify the meaning of the sentences. Lexical repetitions (many terms…some terms…several terms) provide cohesion of the text; the same function is performed by links (and, by contrast). The use of ‘timeless’ Present Simple and passive constructions helps to achieve the effect of impersonality and, therefore, ensures relevance of the research. References provide direct information about the work being quoted. The use of the morphological form ‘us’ makes readers feel involved and arouses our interest in the topic.

VIII. Characterize the figure of the author and identify peculiarities of his / her individual style

Since the text is devoid of emotive and evaluative components, the personality of the author is not strongly felt. Judging by the manner of presenting the material, its author must be a competent and professional scientist who is capable of communicating linguistic ideas in a clear-cut and logical way.

Hints and Tips

When analyzing a text try to answer the following questions: What is said in the text? How is it said? Why is it said like that? Who is addressing whom, and how does it shape the text?

Text 2.2

Acquisition and learning

A more significant distinction is made between acquisition and learning. The term acquisition is used to refer to the gradual development of ability in a language by using it naturally in

38

PART 2. FUNCTIONAL STYLISTICS: NON-FICTION

communicative situations with others who know the language. The term learning, however, applies to a more conscious process of accumulating knowledge of the features, such as vocabulary and grammar, of a language, typically in an institutional setting. (Mathematics, for example, is learned, not acquired.)

Activities associated with learning have traditionally been used in language teaching in schools and have a tendency, when successful, to result in more knowledge ‘about’ the language (as demonstrated in tests) than fluency in actually using the language (as demonstrated in social interaction). Activities associated with acquisition are those experienced by the young child and, by analogy, those who ‘pick up’ a second language from long periods spent in interaction, constantly using the language, with native speakers of the language. Those individuals whose L2 exposure is primarily a learning type of experience tend not to develop the same kind of general proficiency as those who have had more of an extended acquisition type of experience.

(taken from The Study of Language by George Yule)

Tasks: Step by Step

1.Identify the text: name the text and specify its status. Is it a complete text or a fragment? What is the genre of the text?

2.What is the subject-matter of the text? (= What is said in the text?)

3.What are the key functions of the text?

4.Who is the author of the text? Is he present in his writing? Why so?

5.Who(m) is the author addressing? Is the text aimed at the general public? Or are readers supposed to be knowledgeable to understand the text?

6.Specify the style-forming features of the text. Is the text produces an impression of being fact-based or opinion-based? Emotional or unemotional? Personal or impersonal? Prove your point.

7.Specify the linguistic features of the text (= How are the ideas expressed?)

39

С. Ю. СТЕПАНОВА. ОСОЗНАННОЕ ЧТЕНИЕ: ТЕКСТЫ И ЗАДАНИЯ ● MINDFUL READING: TEXTS AND TASKS

Text 2.3

How to Use a Semicolon

It may seem like the semicolon is struggling with an identity crisis. It looks like a comma crossed with a period. Maybe that’s why we toss these punctuation marks around like grammatical confetti.

We’re confused about how to use them properly. In fact, it’s the semicolon’s half-half status that makes it useful. It’s stronger than a comma, and less final than a period. It fills the spaces in between, and for that reason it has some specific and important tasks. For one, it can clarify ideas in a sentence that’s already festooned with commas. “Semicolons: At first, they may seem frightening, then, they become enlightening, finally, you’ll find yourself falling for these delightful punctuation marks.” Even though the commas separate different parts of the sentence, it’s easy to lose track of what belongs where. But then the semicolon edges in to the rescue. In list-like sentences, it can exert more force than commas do, cutting sentences into compartments and grouping items that belong together.

The semicolon breaks things up, but it also builds connections. Another of its tasks is to link together independent clauses. These are sentences that can stand on their own, but when connected by semicolons, look and sound better because they’re related in some way. “Semicolons were once a great mystery to me. I had no idea where to put them.” Technically, there’s nothing wrong with that. These two sentences can stand alone. But imagine they appeared in a long list of other sentences, all of the same length, each separated by periods. Things would get monotonous very fast. In that situation, semicolons bring fluidity and variation to writing by connecting related clauses.

But as beneficial as they are, semicolons don’t belong just anywhere. There are two main reasons that govern their use. Firstly, unless they’re being used in lists, semicolons should only connect clauses that are related in some way. You wouldn’t use one here, for instance: “Semicolons were once a great mystery to me; I’d really like a sandwich.” Periods work best here because these are totally different ideas. A semicolon’s job is to reunite two independent clauses that will benefit from one another’s company because they refer to the

40