11 Speaking
Intonation Scaffolding Activities
Expressing Mood Through Word Stress
Our mood shows up in our voices. One way we express our feelings is by lengthening words to emphasize them. In the chapter video, we heard a man’s concern about the field where he keeps his bees.
Listen for the longest words in these sentences:
“You can’t cut it. You’ll kill my bees.”
To express the man’s mood, we could write these sentences like this:
“You c-a-a-a-n’t cut it. You’ll k-i-i-i-ll my b-e-e-e-e-s.”
We make vowel sounds longer in the most meaningful words in every sentence we say. This is normal English intonation. How do English speakers lengthen stressed words? By breathing out more air on the vowels in those words.
Copy the woman in the photo. Put the palm of your hand in front of your mouth. With correct word stress, you should feel more air on your palm when you say “a-a-a,” “i-i-i,” and “e-e-e.” Read the man’s two sentences aloud.
Now listen to the man say those same sentences again. You will hear incorrect and then correct word stress.
Repeat the incorrectly stressed, equally stressed, and correct intonation with lengthened stressed words.
Can you feel the difference in the palm of your hand?
Speaking Scaffolding Activity
In this exercise, each speaker wants someone else to do something. The speakers lengthen one or more words in every sentence or question to emphasize what action to take.
Listen and read aloud. Choose the words that the speakers stress in the sentences below.
| 1. Get in line. |
| 2. You have to respect your elders. |
| 3. We need the truck moved. |
| 4. Can’t you keep the dogs on a leash? |
| 5. Why don’t you help yourself to a pop? |
| 6. Would you mind hanging on a second? |
| 7. How about we talk about your dogs for a moment? |
| 8. You could show him our confirmation number. |
| 9. It might be a good idea to just …listen to them. |
| 10. If I could just get you to sign off … |
Expressing Mood Through Word Choice
In this chapter, Claire, Gilles, Ivan, and Kerry all tell other people what to do. Their instructions do not sound the same.
- Direct instructions, depending on the speaker’s tone, can become demands.
- Requests seem like questions, but they are indirect instructions.
- You might not recognize suggestions as instructions. Sometimes they are so indirect that they seem like possibilities.
Listen and read along. Decide whether each instruction is a demand, a request, or a suggestion.
| Demand | Request | Suggestion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Could I get you to call a tow truck? | |||
| 2. | You need to call Mr. Broz | |||
| 3. | Why don’t you give me a call? | |||
| 4. | I’d run if I were you. | |||
| 5. | Can you calm down a minute? | |||
| 6. | Call off your dogs! | |||
| 7. | Would it be possible for you to make a donation? | |||
| 8. | You should go get Claire. | |||
| 9. | You might want to use it near the door. | |||
| 10. | Do you mind? I was here first. |
Listen again and repeat with correct word stress.
Speaking Tasks
Adjusting both what we say and how we say it is really important when we’re talking about conflicts or when we need to express negative ideas or feelings.
Not everyone wants to be told what to do, even in a polite tone. The way we give instructions, by suggesting, requesting, or demanding, shows a lot about our respect or disrespect for the people we are talking to. It may also show how close or distant we are to those people.
The pictures below show things that upset or bother some people in Maskwa County. These people are concerned that the folk music festival at Bear Bottom Campground will cause these kinds of conflicts in their community.
To prepare vocabulary for the next speaking activity, list all the nouns you can think of to describe each photo. Then list problems that can be caused by these things. For example, for the last photo, some nouns and possible problems are listed below:
Nouns: cars, trucks, SUVs, RVs, trailers
Possible problems: traffic jams, air pollution
Speaking 1: Making Demands
Speakers who make demands speak directly. When making a strong demand, the speaker doesn’t usually give much information or context to the listener(s). Direct speech is often short.
Ivan has never been to a folk music festival, but he expects the worst. He knows that Claire moved to the country from the city. He believes she doesn’t know about life in the country. Ivan has only spoken once or twice to Gilles. He doesn’t know anything about Gilles’ family, education, or status. Ivan has quite strong opinions. He is sure that he knows more about Maskwa County than “city folks.” Moreover, Ivan usually says whatever he is thinking.
Do the following speaking practice role play with someone else.
- One person speaks as Ivan.
- One person speaks as Gilles.
Setting:
While Gilles is turning off the microphone after the public meeting, Ivan walks up and starts a conversation.
Requirements for Ivan:
- Greet Gilles and remind him where you live and what you do in the community.
- Tell him your opinion of conflicts the festival might cause.
- Use verbs to demand that Gilles, Claire, or the reeve prevent or stop those problems. Modal verbs include “must” or “should.” Other possibilities are “need to,” “have to,” or “ought to.”
- Make six to eight demands.
- Close the conversation and walk away.
Requirements for Gilles:
- Respond to Ivan’s greeting.
- Answer his demands
- Respond when Ivan closes the conversation.
Production Task Rubric
You can use the rubric below to measure how “Ivan” does when he’s talking with “Gilles.”
| Speaking Task 1
You had a short, direct conversation. You expressed your mood and made demands of other people. |
Completely | Mostly | Somewhat | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You started the conversation. | ||||
| You expressed a strong opinion. | ||||
| You made six to eight demands to prevent conflicts. | ||||
| You stressed verbs such as “must,” “should,” or “have to” to sound demanding. | ||||
| You closed the conversation. |
Speaking 2: Making Requests and Suggestions
Speakers who request or suggest speak more indirectly than they would if they were demanding. These speakers usually give more information or context. Canadians tend to be more indirect when making requests that may be perceived as difficult or inconvenient. Extra expressions and information make suggestions or requests longer than demands. Indirect instructions take more time to give.
Imagine you just moved to Maskwa County. You don’t know your neighbours. You came to the public meeting to learn about the folk music festival. You are concerned about possible problems such as those in the photographs. You want to suggest things that could prevent conflict. Although you want to request that Claire, Gilles, or the reeve take action, you don’t want to alienate them. You want to work with them, not against them.
Do the following speaking practice role play with someone else.
- One person speaks as a newcomer to Maskwa County.
- One person speaks as Claire.
Setting:
While “Claire” is putting on her coat, the newcomer comes up to her and starts the conversation.
Requirements for the newcomer:
- Greet Claire and introduce yourself.
- Tell her how you feel about the festival and some of the problems that might occur.
- Use verbs and expressions to suggest that Claire, Gilles, or the reeve prevent those problems. Modal verbs include “could,” “might,” “may,” or “would.” Expressions include “How about …?” and “Why don’t you …?”
- Make six to eight suggestions and requests.
- Close the conversation and walk away.
Requirements for Claire:
- Respond to the newcomer’s greeting and introduction.
- Answer his or her suggestions and requests.
- Respond when the newcomer closes the conversation.
Production Task Rubric
You can use the rubric below to measure how “the newcomer” does when he or she is talking with “Claire.”
| Speaking Task 2
You had a conversation. You expressed your mood indirectly and made suggestions and requests of other people. |
Completely | Mostly | Somewhat | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You started the conversation. | ||||
| You expressed your opinion about possible problems. | ||||
| You made six to eight requests and suggestions to prevent conflicts. | ||||
| You stressed verbs such as “could” or “might” and expressions such as “How about …?” or “Why don’t you …?” to sound more indirect. | ||||
| You closed the conversation. |