4 Stylistic Features of Public Speech

.4 Stylistic Features of Public Speech

8. 4. 1 Grammatical Features

8.4.1 . 1 Variation in sentence length

We

know

that

casual

speech

tends

to

use

short

sentences.

But

a

glance

at

Churchill's

speech

reveals that its sentences vary much in length.

In the sample text, there are in all 20 sentences, the longest of which has 74 words and the shortest

4

words.

Such

sharp

variation

in

length

reflects

the

emotional

state

of

mind

of

the

speaker

and

his/her effort to evoke an active response from the audience. The average length is 24 words per

sentence, which is much longer than that (8 words per sentence) of casual conversation. Sentences

in public speaking, are mostly of the S P (O) (C) (A) structure (which is similar to conversation),

with occasional A S P O C (A) form. Though there can be several clauses in a longer sentence,

they

mainly

come

after

the

main

clause,

which

presents

no

great

difficulty

for

the

audience

to

comprehend. There are no sentences that are incomplete or elliptical. These characteristics show

the double traits of public speaking: it is formal as is required of written language, and it is yet not

difficult to understand at the time of its delivery as is required of the spoken mode.

8.4. 1 .2 Various sentence types

As

public

speeches

are

intended

to

inform,

to

persuade,

and

to

appeal,

most

sentences

are

statements; occasional questions are used. At the welcoming banquet held in honor of President

Nixon on Feb 21, 1972, when he made his historic visit to China , Nixon said in his speech:

What

legacy

shall

we

leave

our

children?

Are

they

destined

to

die

for

the

hatreds

which

have

plagued the old world, or are they destined to live because we had the vision to build a new world?

Such questions are used to give the audience food for thought and to impress them, which do not

usually

expect

an

answer

on

the

part

of

the

audience,

though

feedback

by

way

of

applause

or

laughter etc is welcomed. Commands can be many, often introduced by let, as is shown in Martin

Luther King Jr's 'I Have a Dream' speech August 28, 1963:

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go

back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow

this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

V

ocatives of a general type such as 'my fellow citizens', 'my friends', are used to add a touch of

intimacy to the addresser-addressee relationship.

8.4.1 .3 More complex-looking group structures

Nominal

groups

in

this

variety

can

sometimes

be

complex-looking,

but

more

with

post- modification than with pre-modification. This is necessary for more and accurate information,

and

at

the

same

time

is

not

likely

to

pose

much

difficulty

on

the

audience's

receiving

process.

Since the referent has already been stated, it is simple for a hearer with no text before him/her to

attach modifiers to it. 'Of phrase' is often used as post-modification, and so is the relative clause

and some other structures. This is in keeping with the formal nature of public speech. It adds to the

solemnity of the oration. For instance, in the sample text, we have:

the powers conferred upon him by the Resolution of the House

an administration of this scale and complexity

the preliminary stage of one of the greatest battles in history

any

of

my

friends

and

colleagues,

or

former

colleagues,

who

are

affected

by

the

political

reconstruction

any lack of ceremony with which it has been necessary to act

and many others. The relative pronoun is not supposed to be omitted as in casual conversation,

owing to the formal nature of oration:

a candor and a decision which the present situation of our nation impels

What

is

noteworthy

in

terms

of

verbal

groups

is

the

total

lack

of

contractions

in

the

most

persuasive speeches, which is, as formerly pointed out, a striking marker that distinguishes formal

from

informal

varieties of English (see 5.6.2 ). Passive

structure goes hand in hand with active

structure such as should be summoned, will be proposed, will be notified, must be remembered,

have to be prepared' may be pardoned, will not be suffered to fail in the sample text. This adds to

the complexity of the verbal phrase and formal flavor to the speech.

8.4.2 Lexical Features

8.4.2 .1 Using accurate and dear words

Compared with daily conversation, public speech is careful about its choice of words. It tends to

use words accurate and clear in meaning. The sample text shows that public speech has much use

of

abstract

words

or

even

big

words

which

is

made

necessary

by

the

'content'

of

the

speech--abstraction is needed in talking about concepts, qualities or attributes and is in keeping

with the solemnity of a speech. Hence we find proceedings, adjournment, provision, resolution,

administration, scale, complexity, approval, confidence, undertaking, allowance, tyranny, terror ,

etc. These words, however, account for but lo% of the total words used, the rest are all common

everyday words. Actually in order to be accurate and dear in meaning, successful speakers tend to

choose concrete, 'familiar words over abstract, unfamiliar ones. Even when abstract or unfamiliar

words,

such

as

technical

terms,

are

unavoidable,

the

speaker

is

supposed

to

keep

them

to

a

minimum and clearly define those that his/her audience may not understand. There are generally

no words vague in meaning.

One of the most interesting features of ‘I Have a Dream' speech is King's use of language to make

the abstract principles of liberty and equality clear and compelling. Throughout the speech, King

relies on familiar and concrete words. Here is a part of the great speech:

We

cannot

turn

back.

There

are

those

who

ask

the

devotees

of

civil

rights,

'When

will

you

be

satisfied?' We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors

of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with fatigue of travel,

cannot gain lodging in the motels of highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied

as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing

for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and will not be satisfied until justice rolls down

like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

We can see that Martin Luther King Jr avoided using dull, dreary, abstract or unfamiliar words like

segregated

housing,

disfranchisement,

and

alienation

,

and

thus

made

his

speech

stirring

and

touching.

8.4. 2 . 2 Adaptation of wording to particular audience

In order to adapt the message to the particular audience being addressed, there seems nowadays to

be

a

tendency

for

the

speaker

to

incline

his/her

language

toward

the

relatively

less

formal,

less

rigid

ways

of

speaking,

making

reference

to

him-/herself,

introducing

humor,

asking

for

direct

response from the audience, or using some colloquial items or idioms, even some dialect words, to

appear 'closer' to his/her audience. A black speaker in the US may exaggerate the Black English

features in his speech so as to stress his membership in his ethnic group. A woman speaker may

choose to exhibit features associated with women's speech so as to appear particularly feminine in

women's

circles.

Interestingly,

even

US

President

George

Bush

in

his

campaign

at

Texas

–

his

home base--in 1992, adopted some local way of pronunciation (using '-in' for '-ing', for instance)

and

expression

so,

as

to

appear

more

'Texan',

more

he- man,

--and

win

more

votes.

But

on

the

whole, public speech is formal in wording. There are generally no slangy words and expressions

and not many colloquial items and idioms.

8.4. 2 .3 Less use of phrasal verbs

In

the

sample

text,

we

have

many

one-word

verbs

of

strong

formal

coloring

such

as

consider,

summon, confer, propose, notify,, declare, affect, entitle, claim, and only one use of the phrasal

verb stand for . This is sharply contrasted with casual speech in which phrasal verbs can be found

everywhere.

8.4. 3 Phonological Features

In a sense, the success of an address depends largely on how the speaker controls his/her voice. If

the speaker speaks too softly to be heard, constantly stumbles over words, spits out his/her ideas at

machine-gun speed, or plods along as if reading a grocery list, then his/her speeches will fail. So

speakers have to work to control their voices. The aspects of voice to control are volume, pitch,

speed, pause, rhythm and articulation.

8.4.3 .1 Appropriate volume and pitch variation

At

one

time

a

powerful

voice

was

all- essential

for

an

orator.

Today,

with

electric

amplifier,

the

most

feeble

of

speakers

can

be

heard

in

any

setting.

Still

a

speaker

will

adjust

his/her

volume

(loudness of voice) to the setting and the size of the audience. Also a speaker will not speak in an

absolute monotone with no variation whatever in pitch. But he/she must also guard against falling

into repetitious pitch patterns.

8.4.3 .2 Varying tempo and rightly timed pause

There is no uniform speed for effective speech making. One study said that

Franklin Roosevelt

spoke at roughly 11o words per minute, John Kennedy at 19o, while Martin Luther King opened

his speech at a pace of 92 words per minute and finished it at 145. Generally, a fast speed is used

when the speaker is warmed up to a topic while a slow tempo is needed when the speaker begins

to talk of a new idea. A fast tempo can create feelings of joy, fear, anger or surprise while a slow

rate is better for creating feelings of sadness or disgust.

Pause in public speech is useful. It can signal the end of a thought unit, give an idea time to sink in,

and lend dramatic impact to a statement. The crucial factor is timing pause for a right length of

time.

In

a

sense,

a

rightly

timed

pause

can

be

more

effective

than

a

right

word.

But

pauses

in

public speech are not vocalized as in daily conversation.

8.4.3 .3 Rhythmic effect

Speakers often seek to exploit the rhythm of language by their choice and arrangement of words.

By catching up their audience in an arresting string of sounds, they can enhance the impact of their

words -- and therefore their ideas. Winston Churchill was a master at this. Here is a passage from

one of his famous speeches during World War II, with its graphic units set out in the manner of

poetry.

We shall not flag or fail.

We shall go on to the end.

Even though large tracts of Europe

and many old and famous states

May fall into the grip of the Gestapo