English 4+ - Modern Languages Course Book PDF

1/ What is language? 1.1 Introduction to language 1.1.1 Ludwig Wittgenstein on language Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. - Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher Before...

1/ What is language? 1.1 Introduction to language 1.1.1 Ludwig Wittgenstein on language Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent. - Ludwig Wittgenstein was an Austrian philosopher Before viewing: 1 Can you describe an object that doesn’t exist? Try it out. Tell your neighbour what you visualised. 2 Can you tell him/her about an object that doesn’t exist and that you can’t think of? Try it out. 3 Now read the quote again. Do you think Wittgenstein is right? While viewing: 1 What was Wittgenstein’s first book Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus about? About the question of how human beings manage to communicate ideas to one another. 2 What was the answer to that question? Language works by triggering pictures in us of how things are in the world. Words enable us to make pictures of facts. 3 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 3 Why can it take an age for two people to resolve divergences over quite basic things? Problems of communication typically start because we don’t have a clear and accurate enough picture of what we mean in our own heads. We say quite meaningless or muddled or unelaborated things which therefore make little sense in the minds of others. 4 Which other danger of ineffective communication is given? We read more meaning into the words of others than they ever intended or than is warranted. 5 What is the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus a plea for? To speak more carefully and less impulsively. 6 In 1929 Wittgenstein returned to Cambridge because he had some new things to say about language and communication. What is Philosophical Investigations, published after his death, about? He changed his view on language: language is not only about pictures, it is a kind of tool that we use to lay different games (patterns of intentions). 7 Which ‘games’ can people play with language according to Wittgenstein? We can: - make rational predictions from available facts; - use words as an instrument of comfort and security 8 How do misunderstandings arise? Misunderstandings arise when we don’t see which kind of game (pattern of intention) someone is involved in. 9 What does ‘language is a public tool for the understanding of private life’ mean? Our self-understanding depends to a large extent on the words of others. The richness of the language we are exposed to is really important to our self-knowledge. Reading books gives us tools which help us to know who we are. 4 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 1.1.2 The definition of language 1 How would you define language? 2 Is this language? Why (not)? - red traffic lights - the signing of birds - babies babbling away in their cots 3 Read the dictionary entries to see if you were right. Prepare the following questions individually and then pair up to compare the answers. a What can you conclude about your definition of language? Personal answer. E.g.: It is correct, but incomplete. b What did the entries teach you: which types of language did you come across?  Human language: - verbal - non-verbal  Animal language  Code systems (letters, numbers, gestures, images, sounds) Dictionary entries: 5 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK c Can you recognize different types of dictionaries? If you don’t know the dictionaries, consult them (online). Put the following names in the correct boxes. Merriam-Webster – Urban Dictionary – Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries – Interglot – Resources4ict – Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on historical principles 1 A general dictionary that covers the vocabulary Merriam-Webster (= American) used by the general user of the language. It Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries represents various spheres of life. 2 A specialized or technical dictionary that covers a Resources4ict specific part of the vocabulary often with a specific Urban Dictionary purpose. This dictionary is meant for a target audience. 3 A synchronic dictionary that describes phenomena Merriam-Webster (especially linguistic ones) at a particular period Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries in time without taking the historical evolution into account.  synchronic dictionaries deal with the language and its word-stock at a certain point in time 4 A diachronic or historical dictionary that describes Shorter Oxford English Dictionary phenomena (especially linguistic ones) as they on historical principles change through time.  diachronic dictionaries are concerned with the history and development of the form and meaning of words 5 A dictionary that translates words or expressions Interglot from one language into another. d Which kind of dictionary would you consult: 1 If you were studying The Cantebury Tales by Chaucer and were looking for the meaning of a word that is no longer used? A diachronic/historic dictionary 6 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  2 If you were looking for the origin (= etymology) of the word ‘language’? A diachronic/historic dictionary 3 If you want to know what ‘QR code’ stands for? A synchronic dictionary, a specialized/technical dictionary e Give the correct word. 1 the process of learning a language unconsciously (first language acquisition language) or consciously (second, third … language) 2 a lemma in an encyclopaedia or dictionary entry 3 coded language used by programmers to write programming language Instructions for computers e.g. Java Script 4 communication problems that people who don’t speak language barrier the same language face 5 a person who studies languages and the way the linguist function on a scientific basis 6 language that is approved by the government of a nation, official language used in official and legal documents and in school 7 a group of words related in meaning semantic field 8 the quest for the origin of words and the semantic etymology Changes throughout history 9 a series of signals (letters, numbers, gestures, code system images, sounds) used to send and receive messages f Explain the following terms: 1 foreign language language that is not your native tongue 2 first language native language, language learned from birth, mother tongue 3 dead language extinct language 7 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 1.1.3 Comprehension texts on communication 1 Read the text and fill in the table. HOMEWORK …/18 8 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK Put the following words in the correct column and explain in your own words: 12 biologically transmitted – symbolic – dual structure – closed – not symbolic – context bound – culturally transmitted – open ended – context free – single structure Animal communication Human (verbal) communication Single structure: Dual structure: - animals can produce only sounds - the human language consists of phonemes (= a limited list of meaningless sounds) and morphemes (= the smallest word or part of a word that has a meaning). Closed: Open-ended: - they cannot produce new vocal signals. - humans can rearrange phonemes, morphemes, words and phrases to produce new expressions and sentences. Context bound: Context free: - they respond to stimuli in the immediate - human language is not necessarily linked neighbourhood. to real things, the present time, or the immediate surroundings. Biologically transmitted: Culturally transmitted: - they can’t acquire other languages. - humans acquire the language that belongs to a certain culture but can learn other languages as well. Not symbolic: Symbolic: - they cannot replace sounds by symbols. - human language can be displayed in symbols (alphabet). Human vocal chords can produce a large number Different biological structure will regard to the of sounds -> each human language makes a production of sounds selection of sounds 9 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 2 Read the text and fill in the table. 10 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK a Put the following words in the proper place: semantics – syntax – phonology – morphology – lexicon - discourse b Explain the terms in your own words. 6 1 lexicon (= vocabulary of a particular language, e.g. There are about 7 times more words in the subject) English language than in French (500,000 against 70,000) 2 semantics (= what a word means) e.g. ‘Mouse’ can refer to an animal but also to a hand-held device that computer users use to point at and select items on the screen. 3 morphology (= how words are formed) e.g. ‘Happy’ is the root words that can be extended according to certain rules  unhappy, happily, happiness 4 syntax (= how words can be combined) e.g. Little ethel tells her father: ‘Ethel not eated vegetables.’ Her mother corrects her: ‘Ethel didn’t eat her vegetables.’ 5 discourse (= the use of words to exchange e.g. Mother to children: ‘And in the restaurant thoughts, feelings) you don’t yell “Yo, the salt!”, but you ask “Can you pass me the salt, please?”’ 6 phonology (= how words are pronounced) e.g. Pay attention, the th-sound is voiceless in ‘thick’. 11 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 2/ The basics of linguistics 2.1 Word classes or parts of speech You’ll need these words: interjection - verb - pronoun - adjective - preposition - conjunction - noun - adverbs Every name is called a noun as field and fountain, street and town. In place of a noun the pronoun stands as he and she clap their hands. The adjective describes a thing, as magic wand or bridal ring. The verb means action, something done, to read and write to jump and run. How things are done the adverbs tell, as quickly, slowly, badly or well. A preposition shows relation as in the street or at the station. A conjuction joins in many ways, sentences, words or phrase and phrase. The interjection cries out hark*! I need an exclamation mark! *Old-fashioned word for ‘listen’. Words and groups of words are classified by function in every language. We’ve already learnt the characteristics of nouns, adjectives and verbs. With these eight parts of speech you should be able to classify most words. Quite often there is overlap. Words don’t always fit neatly into the categories we think they should be in and some words have more than one function. Remember this!  Nouns, adjectives and pronouns can be declined (=verbuigen), this means that it has different forms according to whether it is the subject or an object of a verb, whether it is singular or plural etc.  Verbs are conjugated (=vervoegen), this means they can have different forms as they vary according to number, person or tense. 12 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK The parts of speech: 1 Nouns - is a word for a person, place, thing, a quality or an activity - can be preceded by an article - can be countable (an article can be put in front of it) or uncountable (no article can be put in front of it) - can be declined - can be a common noun (e.g. house) or an abstract noun (e.g. love) - E.g.: sleeve, computer, bottle, school, Ben, French, time … 2 Adjectives - is a word that describes a person or a thing - is put in front of or behind the noun if a linking verb is used - can be declined - E.g.: beautiful, slow, hard, good - Take care: articles and quantifiers often belong to this category 3 Verbs - is a word that expresses a state, an event or an action - can be conjugated: put into different forms as it varies according to number and person - can be regular or irregular - E.g.: be, drink, divide, read 4 Pronoun - used to refer to people or things without continually repeating their names - different kinds depending on the function: subject (I), object (me), possessive adjective (my), possessive pronoun (mine), reflexive (myself), demonstrative (that, this), relative (who, that, which), indefinite (anyone, somebody) 5 Adverbs - tell how, when and where a thing is done - connected to verbs (describes or modifies the action), but not always alongside it - different kinds: manner (well, hard, happily), time (yesterday, then, later), place (here, down, somewhere), degree (quite, very, almost) 6 Prepositions - tell us how something is positioned or done in relation to something else - E.g.: in, behind, during, from, to, about, of 7 Conjunction - joins ideas, phrases or clauses - E.g.: and, but, or, however, while, so, also, though, because 8 Interjection - also referred to as ‘exclamations’ - no relation to other words in the sentence - insert excitement or another strong emotion into a sentence - E.g.: ah, dear lord, congratulations, yeah, oh, Jesus, hoorah 13 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 1 Match the qualities to the proper part of speech. Noun Verb Adjecti ve 1 … can be declined (= have different forms according to whether x it is singular or plural,). E.g.: book - books 2 … can be declined (= have different forms, for instance if it’s a x comparative or superlative form). E.g.: large - larger - largest 3 … is a word that describes a person or a thing x E.g.: that cup is bigger. 4 … can be countable (an article can be put in front of it) or x uncountable (no article can be put in front of it) E.g.: a book - rice 5 … is a word for a person, place, thing, a quality or an activity x E.g.: English - box - magazine 6 … can be conjugated: put into different forms as it varies x according to number and person E.g.: work - works - worked 7 … can be a common one (e.g.: toilet) or an abstract one (e.g. x beauty) 8 … is put in front of a noun or behind it x E.g.: The massive bookcase / the bookcase is massive 9 … is a word that expresses a state, an event or an action x E.g.: is, love, jump, rotate, write, will 10 … can be regular or irregular x E.g.: dreamt, dreamed 14 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 2 Read this poem and answer the questions. When a man is in love how can he use old words? Should a woman desiring her lover lie down with grammarians and linguists? I said nothing to the woman I loved but gathered love’s adjectives into a suitcase and fled from all languages. by Nizar Qabbani (Syria’s National Poet) a) What’s the poem about? What do you think it means? Personal answer b) Do you like it or not? Why? Personal answer c) Find three different adjectives. Copy them. Old, all, a, the d) What can you conclude from those? Articles and quantifiers are also considered to be adjectives (not in all grammar guides). e) Highlight two common nouns. Copy one abstract noun here: love f) Find three different pronouns. Copy them. He, her, I g) Underline two conjunctions. h) Circle two prepositions. (note: ‘down’ is an adverb here -> modifies the verb) 4 Which part of speech do the underlined words belong to? Did you (1) know that (2) words are divided (3) into classes (4) called parts of speech according (5) to their (6) grammatical (7) properties? Words belonging to (8) different parts of speech have distinct (9) roles in (10) a (11) sentence: verbs express (12) action, while (13) nouns denote things (14) and adjectives their qualities (15). 15 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK Recognizing parts of speech is very (16) useful (17) when learning a foreign (18) language. The part of speech to which a word belongs (19) guides (20) its (21) use in a sentence and (22) defines the correct (23) word order and punctuation (24). Knowing the role that each (25) word has in a sentence structure clearly (26) helps to understand sentences and also (27) to construct them (28) properly (29). Did you manage doing this exercise? Bravo (30)! noun adjective verb pronoun adverb preposition conjunction interjection 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 x 6 x 7 x 8 x 9 x 10 x 11 x 12 x 13 x 14 x 15 x 16 x 17 x 18 x 19 x 20 x 21 x 22 x 23 x 24 x 25 x 26 x 27 x 28 x 29 x 30 x 16 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 2.2 Parts of a sentence The parts of the sentence are a set of terms for describing how people construct sentences from smaller pieces. The part of speech does not correspond with the parts of a sentence: the subject could be, for example, a noun or a pronoun. Look at the examples: Julie is running. (subject = a noun) Julie and her dog are running. (subject = a noun, conjunction, pronoun and another noun) We learnt about the subject, verb and objects last year. Almost every sentence has a subject and a verb. - the verb phrase (= gezegde) can have the following forms: main verb (= hoofd werkwoord) I worked yesterday. auxiliary verb(s) and main verb (= I am working today. hulp werkwoord) I have worked all day. I have been working there for 4 years. a modal verb and a main verb I can work today. (= modaal hulp werkwoord) - the subject (= een onderwerp) o what the sentence is about o found by asking: ‘who/what is verbing?’ o e.g.: Shakespeare wrote many plays.  wrote = verb  who / what wrote?  Shakespeare Take care: compound sentences consist of more than one subject and verb, e.g.: I am working now, so we’ll eat later. Some verbs demand an object (= een voorwerp) and are incomplete without one. Take ‘bring’ for example. ‘Can you bring’ is not at all clear or complete. ‘Can you bring a book’ is better. The part of the sentence that gives meaning to the subject’s action of the verb is called the object. There are two types of objects: - the direct object (= lijdend voorwerp) o answers the question of who(m) or what o receives the action of the verb o Take care: find the subject and the verb first! o e.g.: The girls wrote a letter. - the indirect object (= meewerkend voorwerp) o answers the question of to who(m), for who(m) or for what. o receives the direct object 17 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  o e.g.: The girls wrote me a letter. Take care: In English, objects never start with a preposition. 1 Look at the underlined parts. Which part of the sentence is it? subject verb DO IO phrase Hi Samia x Just a quick email to say that sounds like a great idea. Saturday is better for me, because I’m meeting my parents x on Sunday. So if that's still good for you, why don't you come here? x Then you can see the new flat and all the work we've done x on the kitchen since we moved in. We can eat at home and then go for a walk in the afternoon. x It's going to be so good to catch up finally. x I want to hear all about that new job you told me about. x I’ll cook something tasty. x Let me know if there's anything you do/don't like to eat. x See you soon! Gregor Additional parts of a sentence In order to pick apart sentences you’ll need more than the subject, verb and objects. Study these other common parts of a sentence. - the prepositional phrase (= voorzetselzin) o starts with a preposition and always contains a noun or pronoun o cannot stand on its own (not a complete thought) o provides additional information about location, time, manner or purpose. o e.g.: The girls wrote a letter to me. / Is she really going out with that guy? o These are some of the most common prepositions: to, of, about, at, before, after, by, behind, during, for, from, in, over, under, and with. - the adverb or adverbial phrase (= bijwoord(elijke bepaling)) o adds extra, often optional information about the how, where or when of a verb, adverb or adjective o e.g.: She wrote a letter to me later. 18 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  o the sentence without their adverbials is still correct and well formed, even if some of its meaning is lost:  e.g.: My students now speak English fluently. (My students speak English.) - A complement gives you more information about the subject or object. It cannot be left out without the sentence becoming ungrammatical or incomplete. There are two types of complements: o subject complement (= vaak het naamwoordelijk deel)  adds additional information to the SUBJECT  e.g.: She is clearly a gifted student.  used with linking verbs (= koppelwerkwoorden). Take care: in English, there are more linking words than ‘ZWOBBELS’: If it describes the subject rather than the action, it’s a linking verb. Always a linking verb Sometimes a linking verb to be, to become and appear, feel, look, smell, sound, taste, come, to seem fall, get, go, keep, stay, grow, get, turn, … Compare: NOT a linking verb  a linking verb The tree grew.  The group grew silent. She acts for a living.  She’s acting weird today. I feel something here.  I feel funny. o object complement (= bepaling bij lijdend voorwerp)  adds additional information to a DIRECT OBJECT: renames, identifies or describes it  follows the direct object and can a prepositional phrase, noun, adjective or adverb  E.g.: They’ve named him group leader. (renames him, the object)  E.g.: I painted the wall blue. (describes the wall, the object) Study these examples: subject indirect object verb phrase object complement prepositional phrase subject complements direct object Adverb(ial phrase) 19 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  - Johannes Gutenberg was born in the German city of Mainz. subj VP PP - He studied at the University of Erfurt. subj VP PP - He practised his father’s profession passionately during his young adult life. subj VP DO A PP - Gutenberg was a goldsmith. subj VP SC - He told his investors something untrue. subj VP IO DO OC Sometimes It Gets Tricky! One interesting thing to note is that sometimes a prepositional phrase can also act as an adverbial phrase. In other words, one group of words in a sentence might serve multiple roles depending on how they relate to the rest of the sentence. Don't worry if this sounds a bit confusing; even experienced writers can find this tricky! Remember: if a prepositional phrase tells you how, when, where or why something is happening, it is also an adverbial phrase. Study this example: Gutenberg printed the Bible with meticulous attention to detail. subj VP DO AP PP 2 Look at the underlined parts. Decide which part of the sentence it is: prepositional phrase, subject or object complement. preposition subject object Ad(verbial) al phrase complement complement phrase Gutenberg made up for it by letting them x x (how) in on a secret. He thought of a revolutionary idea by x (not, because (not himself. it doesn’t because it 20 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  modify the doesn’t revolutionary describe idea) manner, time, place or reason’) It would bring learning to the masses. x (not because it indicates the recipient of the action, not directly modify or rename the DO) Gutenberg had created the mechanical x x printing press with movable type. Literature was primarily handwritten x before that. Each copy of a book was tediously and x painstakingly hand scribed. Books were therefore extremely rare and x expensive. Gutenberg’s invention would change all x x (modifies of that in a heartbeat. speed of change) Gutenberg worked tirelessly, day and x night, to perfect his printing press. His press could print the page again and x again. The first major Gutenberg text was a x copy of the Bible. The last complete Gutenberg Bible was x (not sold for 4.9 million dollars. because it doesn’t describe manner, time, place or reason’) Experts considered the Gutenberg Bible x a priceless treasure. 21 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 3 Distinguish the prepositional phrases, subject and object complements in the following sentences. 1 They left at eight o’ clock. (WHEN did they leave?) 2 Peter’s daughters work at a large bank. (WHERE do they work?) 3 There was a boy in the room. (modifies THE BOY, he is linked to the location) 4 In this new house she didn’t like the ballroom. (WHERE didn’t she like the ballroom?) 5 After our disagreement she became my best friend. (WHEN did she become …?) 6 We painted the ceiling blue. 7 Gepetto called his pet goldfish Cleo. 8 By August, some rivers in France had run dry. (WHEN had the rivers run …?) 4 Now highlight all the subjects in the previous exercise. 5 Now underline all the prepositional phrases that are also adverbial phrases (that also modify the verb describing the manner, time, place, reason or condition of the action). (explained) 6 Analyze the parts of speech of the following sentences. Name them: subject, verb phrase, direct or indirect object, prepositional phrase, adverb(ial phrase), subject or object complement. 1 You’ll find the keys in the kitchen on the counter near the refrigerator. 2 A large portion of the proceeds will be allocated for food and clothing. 3 On Saturday, I’m going to the mall with Rick and John. 4 We don’t often see snow any more. 5 During the summer, the beach is enjoyable. 6 In the evening, I like to drink lemonade and to eat strawberries. 7 My brother, along with two of his annoying friends, went with me to the mall on Friday to buy Nikes. 8 Christine looked in the mirror before leaving. 9 The scientist predicted it correctly. 10 The performance of the artists pleased the audience. 22 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 6 Circle the letter that corresponds to the best answer. 1. Near my house you’ll find a waste management facility. You’ll smell it too. a) the sentence begins with a prepositional phrase b) my house is the subject of the sentence 2. Blowing in the wind is the answer. a) the answer is the subject complement b) The sentence begins with a form of the verb to be 3. He was making just enough for the city. a) for the city is a prepositional phrase b) He is a verb 4. Are you a lucky little lady in the city of light, or just another lost angel? a) the sentence begins with a form of the verb to be b) a lucky little lady is the subject 5. I am the king of the world. a) The subject of the sentence is king b) the king of the world is the subject complement 6. Out here in the fields, I fight for my meals. a) fields and meals are subjects b) fields and meals are objects of prepositions, so they can’t be subjects 7. Five people are lifting the piano up the stairs. a) up the stairs is a prepositional phrase b) up the stairs is a subject complement 8. It’s giving them a backache. a) them is the subject of the sentence b) them is an indirect object 9. I get by with a little help from my friends. a) I is the subject of the sentence b) my friends is the subject of the sentence 23 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 10. After skiing, my girlfriend and I sip hot chocolate near the fire. a) fire is the subject of the sentence b) my girlfriend and I are the subjects of the sentence 7 This text is incomplete. What does it need? Complete the sentences with a word or phrase and define it. Do as the example. Your bag is lost after your flight. The next morning (1) is delivered to your house. You open it and see (2). It appears to be (3). You feel (4). After that, you’re sure: it’s (5). You put in a call (6). Immediately, they (7). In the end, (8) is (9). 1 another suitcase direct object 2 direct object 3 subject complement 4 - prepositional phrase (e.g. with your fingers) - subject complement (e.g. sick, excited) - direct object + object complement (e.g. it softly) 5 subject complement 6 prepositional phrase (to …) 7 verb phrase (e.g. come over) … 8 … 9 … 24 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK 3/ The essence of human communication 3.1 Communication model Linguists (people who study language on a scientific basis) have examined the way humans communicate and discovered certain patterns they ‘translated’ into models. You have studied the communication model by Ellis & McClintock in previous years. 1 Watch the following fragments and explain where the communication went wrong. a Fawlty Towers: Basil gives Manual a language lesson. Basil and Manuel don’t use the same code (English-Spanish) and that’s where the communication becomes ineffective. 25 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK b A failure to communicate Both girls are different channel/medium to communicate (lip reading + machine to convert speech to text, versus speech). Then the background noise at the station makes it impossible to communicate. When they resort to body language (facial expressions and gestures), they succeed in conversing, but by the time they have finally understood each other, they both miss their train, which was the whole point of the conversation. 3.2 Are you tuned in properly? Communication is a social activity. We communicate with other people daily. Our communication skills are largely influenced by our family, friends, environment, society and culture. The customs, values and beliefs we grow up with form a kind of mental filter through which we observe the world. We learn when to use formal or informal language, how to behave towards superiors, what is appropriate body language (e.g. when somebody has died). Unless we understand the customs, values and beliefs of the people we interact with, communication will not be effective. It is as if each communication situation has a set of rules which create meaning. 3.2.1 One-to-one communication The face-to-face or interpersonal communication is very important in everyone’s life. When starting a conversation, it’s smart to ‘read’ the body language of the person you are talking to. Quite a lot of information is given away. a Look at the diagram. Do you realize how much you are telling people without speaking? Give two examples of situations (in class / at home) in which you deliberately choose to communicate without using words. ________________ Personal answer 26 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK b Which aspects of body language do you know? Facial expression, eye movement, posture, gestures, movement, proximity (= physical distance) c Which aspects of body language do you pay attention to most when speaking with someone for the first time? Explain why. Personal answer d What do the following visual signs tell us about the situation? Boy Girl eye contact No contact, although his eyes move 100% focus on the boy in the direction of the girl. facial expression pleasurable amazement smile full of admiration gesture arms crossed one hand on the shoulder, sign of friendship (intimacy) posture (= position of the body) rather closed, is cautious turned towards the boy, clearly seeking contact 27 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  physical distance intimate zone turned towards the boy, clearly seeking contact conclusion The girl is clearly interested in the boy, wants to get to know him better. The boy doesn’t reject her, but is cautious. He doesn’t want to give in immediately. Woman Man eye contact staring at his back none: eyes averted, turned downward facial expression head bent sideways: sign of partly hidden disagreement lips closed, rather tense gesture arms crossed = unwilling to look for hand touching nose = secretive a solution posture (= position of the body) slightly turned away slightly bent forward, ducking physical distance personal zone personal zone conclusion The couple clearly has a problem. The man is hiding something from the woman. The woman realizes this and is waiting for an explanation or an excuse. She doesn’t accept the situation. e Watch the Seinfeld video Social Awareness. Explain the people’s reaction to Elaine’s new boyfriend. - parents: both parents withdraw when Elaine’s boyfriend comes too close; they are somewhat shocked 28 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK  that a newcomer crosses social boundaries. - Seinfeld: Jerry knows Elaine’s new boyfriend (he has warned the others) and he stands up to him (intimate zone). f When writing or talking to people, the tone of voice you use has an enormous impact. Watch the video Tone of Voice and explain in your own words what it is about. The tone is the colour we add to words. The reaction of others can dramatically change depending on the way we say something. It is important to choose the correct tone to convey the message you want to give. 3.2.2 Group communication Giving a lecture or a speech to a group of people to inform, persuade or entertain them, is called public speaking. To be successful, it is important to have a good idea of the target audience you want to reach and the effect you want to have (transmitting information or views, motivating people to take action, simply entertaining). 1 Watch Amy Cuddy explain body language. 29 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK a As a speaker, Amy Cuddy tries to grab the audience from the beginning. Which techniques does she use to tune in the audience? - She starts her talk by offering the public a free no-tech life hack. The words ‘free’ and ‘life hack’ grab the attention of the audience: they get something for free, and what they get will make their lives easier, more efficient. The public is interested. - She asks her audience to audit their body = she activates the audience, asks the public to do something. - She examines her audience carefully and picks out a person to comment on. The public realizes they ‘can be caught’ + the incident generates laughter (nice atmosphere). - She promises the public she can change their lives for the better. b Only now does she introduce the real topic of the presentation. How does she do that? She mentions the subject ‘body language’ and immediately shows pictures and a clip that prove that inappropriate body language can make you a laughing stock. Message: body language is important. c Then she gets to the main point: what is the effect of body language on judgement? What do the examples prove? The examples prove that people make judgements and draw conclusions from body language within seconds. d What are nonverbal expressions of power and dominance? The expressions of power is making oneself big, stretching out, taking up space, opening up (= universal sign). e What do people do when they meet someone powerful? They make themselves small, close up. They don’t mirror that person, but do the opposite. Note: We complement each other’s verbal. 2 Look at the cartoon below and say which important element of public speaking is being discussed. The way you dress should add to the reception of the message. Keep the audience and circumstances into account. 30 ENGLISH 4+ - MODERN LANGUAGES COURSE BOOK