II. Skills Development

2.1. You are going to listen to the samples of dramatic monologues. Delimit the messages into intonation groups and utterances.

2.2. Listen to the intonation groups identifying their accentuation relief. Single out the rhythmic groups. Identify the length of the intonation groups in terms of the rhythmic groups quantitative characteristics.

2.3. Try to concentrate on the rhythmic groups beating out the time while practising them. Remember to fasten the unstressed syllables (proclitics, enclitics).

2.4. Focus on the expressive means of intonation: which means do you think outnumber in drama performances? Emphatic tones? Irregular pre-heads? Pre-nuclear stress reduction? Nuclear tone shift or compound tunes?

2.5. Specify the rate and voice volume after you have listened to the samples. Are they constant or variable throughout the messages?

2.6. Identify the pausation. What’s the correlation between tempo and pausation?

2.7. Listen to the samples for study and analysis. Try and concentrate on the following pitch patterns:

Sample A

e.g.

… well why shouldn’t I be quiet

… and why 'shouldn’t I be shy

… and if you 'say I am pretty

… why shouldn’t I be

… 'mind you

… it’s taken a long time to convince them

… I know what I’m doing

… and that I mean what I say

… but it’s coming along very nicely now

… and even the accountant seems to accept me

… he’s been marvelous

… in your line

… things would’ve been different last night

… but on this

… I do mean

… what I say

… and it is

… my decision

Sample B

e.g.

… you know

… find this sort of situation

… quite frightening

… Terrifying in fact

… what is happening I wonder

… and the trouble is

… I’m not sure there is anyone left in the building now

… but I should think it’s not working

… can’t I suppose if there’s no power

… there is that little seat in the corner you know

… if you’d like to sit on it

… it’s nothing

… just my foot

… never replaced it

… though they service it of course

… afraid I haven’t got any sandwiches or anything

… I do have some on the way up of course

… and it is very expensive

… we’re supposed to be going to the theatre actually

2.8. Auditory Test

• Listen to the stretches from “Pygmalion” by Bernard Shaw. Delimit them marking the pauses.

• Focus on the number of fully stressed syllables in an intonation groups. Consider the number and specifics of the unstressed (weak) syllables in a rhythmic group (proclitics, enclitics).

• Try and carefully mark the intonation observing the degree of expressiveness.

• Try and consider the specifics of the combined tunes observing either coordinative (c) or subordinative (s) relation

relations	pre-posed (S ←)
	post-posed (S →)

• Comment on the rate and volume specifics using the set of symbols.

1 2 2 1

E.g. ''Why || ''this is the girl I ''jotted down last ''night. She’s no use.

  □ □  □  □ □ □  □ □ 

en pr pr en en en pr pr

s f f f

S ←

Try this:

1. Nonsense girl! What do you think a gentleman like Mr. Higgins cares what you came in?

2. Pickering: shall we ask this baggage to sit down or shall we throw her out of the window?

3. How can you be such a foolish ignorant girl as to think you could afford to pay Mr.Higgins?

4. I feel sure we have met before, Miss Doolittle. I remember your eyes.

5. The shallow depression in the west of these islands is likely to move slowly in an easterly direction.

6. There are no indications of any great change in the barometrical situation.

7. What is wrong with that, young man? I bet I got it right.

8. I’m sure I hope it won’t turn cold. There’s so much influenza about.

9. Yes, hold love you! Why should she die of influenza?

10. I saw her with my own eyes. Fairy blue with it, she was.

11. It runs right through our whole family regularly every spring.

12. They all thought she was dead; but my father he kept ladling gin down her throat …