A Study on English Speech.doc

A Study on English SpeechNowadays, people pay much attention to the study of English, especially with the development of economy, the English study become more and more popular in China. And the English speaking in public has become a way to show individuals. Owing to these, I will divide into three main parts studying on public speaking. I. What is speech? And where is it come from? Simply speaking, speech is that some people use the language and gesture as the way to express their own opinions and propositions in public. Most of chief speakers are famous persons or someone who have special experiences. But now, many colleges and clubs also hold some speech competition to expand the influence of public speaking.With the development of the language in human beings society, humans started to use language to convey the emotions and feelings. Gradually, humans language system developed more and more completely. Phonic language as a major expression way replaced the letters. However, people connected the phonic language with the body language for delivering their stronger and deeper feelings. This process is the origin. II. How many parts of speech? Generally speaking, there are three main parts of public speaking: First, according to content, the speech includes political speech, inaugural speech, conference speech, assemble speech, military speech and so on. For example, the famous speech “I Have a Dream”, this is a classical assemble speech. Second according to the purpose, the speech include speech for entertainment, speech for scholar, and speech for lobby and imbue ones emotion and for lament. Like president Obamas competition speech full of lobbies and imbues. Third, according to the location of speech, it includes street speech, church speech, court speech, class speech, TV speech and itinerant speech. As for us, we are familiar with class and TV speech. We can many chances to touch these types speech. III. Speech is not only a simple clarification; it is also an art of language. If you want to make a successful speech, you must have good language basses and skills. On the one hand, we must focus the language choice. First, the speech should have oral characteristics. American poet T.S. Eliot once said, “If we spoke as we write, no one would listen; and if we wrote as we speak, no one would read” ( Allen, et al. 1986: 295 ) . Public speaking is an oral communication and therefore different from written communication to some extent. Oral language is intended basically for the ear while written language is intended for the eye. Second, we should make language personal and direct in order to make audience understand instantly. Compared with the written form, language in speech usually takes the audience less time to understand. That is words, phrases, and sentences should be used or arranged so as to be perceived immediately. If it is hard for the audience to follow a speech, they will naturally be bored and even give up listening. So, when you have to use a special term, for example, you need to repeat or explain it in case the audiences failed understand it immediately. Use more short, simple sentences rather than long, complex ones; use, as far as possible, concrete words instead of abstract ones. Generally speaking, varied, abnormal sentence structures can enhance impressive but meanwhile hinder understanding.On the other hands, we must pay attention to the language effective. Firstly, the speech has features of appropriateness. Appropriateness language is another decisive quality in effective speeches. To make language appropriate, you have to refer to the subject, occasion, audience, and yourself. In other word, you should use language that is appropriate to these items. For example, when taking on a political subject in a quite formal situation, you are naturally expected not to use informal, conversational language. And if you imitate too much of the language style of a well-known speaker, you will probably lose appropriateness, too. Secondly any speech needs transitions. Both writing and speech require coherence and unity, and this purpose can be realized partially by the use of various transitions or transitional devices. Transitions can assist you to classify the relationship between ideas, keep the ideas shifting smoothly from one to another, and unify the whole speech. They can connect either the divisions like the introduction, body and conclusion of the speech, or different points within each of these. Without transitions, speeches will lack cohesion and sound broken or fragmented. In this case, audience may feel the shift unnatural and the speaker may also feel difficult to continue. Finally, speaker should use suitable figures of speech. Similar to some other language, English is abundant in large variety of figure of speech. Figure of speech makes language more colorful, forceful, or explicit. Public speakers like writers, often need some language in a figurative rather than a literal and plain sense. There are many kinds of figure of speech in English, such as simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy and parallelism and so on. Each formed in a unique way. The above ones, which are explained or exemplified, are commonly used in public speaking.IV. Conclusion Today, more and more people enjoy as a speaker. Speech as a active art step into our life gradually, so as the college students we should learn some knowledge about speech and some skills of this. Because you could be use this way to show ourselves. Although we just have shallow understand to the speech, we have not abandon any chances to known the speech deeply. Therefore we could try our best to touch speech; we will build a fantastic life by speaking.RFFERENCE BOOKS 演讲英语，马壮寰编著，北京大学出版社出版，2005英语演讲艺术，祈寿华编著，上海外国语出版社出版，2005英语写作手册，丁往道，吴冰等编著，外语教学与研究出版社出版，2009Allen, R. R. et al. Speech in America Society, Charles E. Merrill Publishing Co., A Bell and Howell Company, Columbus, Ohio, 1986Preparation. New York: Holt. Rinehart and Winston, 1978. Soper, Paul L. Basic Public Speaking. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.Crazy English -Speaker, 23rd 11, 2008