Variation in English free essay sample

English like any other language, like every language, is subject to variation. This variation can be complex and at times subtle. This text provides us with information about the principal ways in which British and Irish English speech varies and, just as importantly, the non-linguistic (social, geographical) factors which condition variation. Variation in pronunciation RP Dialect: refers to the varieties distinguished from each other by differences of grammar and vocabulary. Accent: on the other hand, refers to variations in pronunciation. RP stands for â€Å"received pronunciation†. Received here is understood in its nineteeth-century sense of accepted in the most polite circles of society. RP remained the accent of those in the upper reaches of the social scale, as measured by education, income and profession, or title. It has traditionally been the accent of those educated at public schools. It is not the accent of any particular region. It enjoys the highest prestige in England. We will write a custom essay sample on Variation in English or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is estimated that only about 3 to 5 percent of the population of England speak RP. Since it is clearly a minority accent, why then, is it the only British accent taught to foreign learners? Social prestige; RP is often associated with high social status, wealth and power of its speakers. It is often considered the best, the clearest, and even the most beautiful accent. Because of its use on radio and television within Britain RP has become probably the most widely understood of all accents. Moreover, it is by far the most thoroughly described of British accents. Language change Accents change with time. In RP, for example, there has for some considerable time been a tendency, through a process known by linguists as smoothing, for certain triphthongs and diphthongs to become monophthongs. There is not a perfect correlation between age and pronunciation. Some RP speakers will regard the distinguishing features of the advanced variety of the accent as â€Å"affected† and will not alter their own speech, at least not until these features become more general with the passage of time. Other RP speakers will be only too ready to integrate them into their own speech. As there are early or conservative adopters, it would be misleading to say there is only one, fixed form of the accent, since at any stage the accent will be a mixture of traditional and innovative features. The long-standing association of RP with affection, social snobbery, aloofness, and so on, is increasingly out of keeping with the kind of image many of the accent’s younger speakers would wish to project of themselves. This trend can be noticed in the influence of non-standard and foreign accents and dialects, along with a general deterioration in other modes of behaviour (dress, manner, respect for elders) and a perceived rise of sloppiness in pronunciation and disregard for proper grammar. The decline of RP and standard English can be reflected in the rise of a new variety first dubbed â€Å"Estuary English† by Rosewarne (1984) The usual definition of Estuary English is an amalgam of RP and working-class London speech (Cockney). This seemed to be a neutral variety which provided the opportunity for lower-class speakers to appear higher status than they are, and for middle-and upper-class speakers to appear lower status than they are. A particular salient, widely discussed and often heavily stigmatized Estuary form is glottal stop / / as a pronunciation of / t /in certain contexts. Another example of a feature entering modern RP which probably has its origins in a non-standard accent is the (w)-like labio dental approximant (v)as a pronunciation of / / that appears to be spreading fairly fast in British English. Another example of a change is at a relatively early stage in its progress is the so-called High-rising, the high rise terminal (HRT), Australian question intonation (AQI)or uptalk. This phenomenon is often defined as the use, in statements, of the rising intonation pattern normally associated with questions. Some people interpret high-rising tone as an indication of general uncertainty and lack of confidence on the part of the young people who use it. These people have also attributed this influence to Australian and New Zealand English, both of which share this property. This suggestion has been raised because it has become so common for young British school leavers to travel independently overseas on the backpacking trail, often for extended periods. The use of high-rising may have come to act as a badge of well-travelled or wordly status. In tandem with its association with the appealing stereotype of Australians, and New Zealanders as relaxed, friendly, open, sporty, fun-loving, etc. The claim that the use of HRT patterns indicates uncertainty is also probably untenable, given that such patterns may be used when giving information about which the speaker cannot have any doubt (name, personal information, etc. ) Stylistic variation It is the variation conditioned by speakers? perceptions of the situation in which they are speaking. There is variation among RP speakers and in the pronunciation of individual speakers.

9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation

9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation 9 Steps to Produce a Professional Business Presentation The presentation is a very complicated and costly way of communication. It requires time, efforts, creativity and what is worse, it may not work if you have missed at least one important component. At the same time if a presentation is well-thought-out and properly organized it turns from being costly into being cost-efficient. Here are nine steps to create and deliver a professional business presentation, which will astonish your audience. Telling a Story Step 1. The goal should be clearly stated, written down and followed at every further step. Never start with asking yourself questions like: â€Å"What will I be talking about?†, â€Å"What is the best first line for this presentation?†, â€Å"How to capture attention?† Primarily you should determine your goal. Your goal is an answer to the question: â€Å"What do I want my audience to do after I finish?† You might want to be promoted, or hired, or receive a great mark for your project, or make people buy your product, invest money in your startup, you name it. To do: Determine your goal and write it down. Step 2. Find a dilemma in your story. No one likes boring stories like: â€Å"He felt in love with her, she felt in love with him. They lived happily ever after and had no problems. The end.† People want drama. People want you to show them a problem and then to solve it miraculously during your presentation. If your presentation doesn’t have any inner conflict, people won’t listen for long. To do: Apply some drama even when you are talking about microbiology. Step 3. Keep your story integral. Your presentation has the same structure as any good novel â€Å"beginning-stating a problem-peak (solving the problem)-ending.† You might have several smaller peaks, but you should still follow this order. It is better if one presentation is dedicated to one problem, but if you have several issues to cover, find the one uniting all of them. In this case, your smaller problems will be your small peaks. To do: Write down an outline of your story with a thesis in the beginning, peaks, and ending. Making Slides Step 1. Design matters. At this step, you make important decisions about slides. Determine, for example, whether they will be image or text centered and which are the most suitable fonts and colors, etc. To do: Choose fonts and colors, make sure they are matching. Step 2. Visualize. Don’t put huge tables with numbers or piles of text into your presentation. No one pays attention to them, first of all, because it is â€Å"mission impossible† to read and analyze them. Show trends and ideas with the simplest visualization you are capable of. To do: Add well-structured information, but don’t overload your slides. Step 3. One slide one idea. Make your slides concise and integral. One slide should contain only one simple idea, and serve your final goal. If some slide doesn’t complement the target you have determined, delete it, even if you like how it looks. To do: Check if every slide helps you achieve the major goal of the presentation. Delivery Step 1. Clarity is the answer. Focus on making your storytelling straight to the point. Establish organizational framework, for example, define the approximate time of the presentation and tell whether you are going to answer questions during the speech or right after it. To do: Write a clear introduction to your speech. Step 2. Stick to a storyline. It is hard, especially if you decided to answer some questions during the speech. You should balance between improvisation and the major line of your presentation. The easiest way to copy with this is to make repetitions and to understand clearly major peaks of the presentation. To do: Write down 3-5 issues you have to cover whatever it takes. Write 3 sentences about each, add a starting thesis and an ending. Learn all this by heart. Step 3. The audience is more important than content. Whatever your goal for this presentation is, the outcome largely depends on the way the audience perceives your delivery and you in general. People pay attention to what you say when you pay attention to people, not to your slides or paper with text. Talk to the audience, ask some short questions (rhetorical, if you are under time pressure) and make sure to keep eye contact. To do: Relax and try to enjoy what you are doing. Joy and engagement are infectious. Have a great time producing and delivering your custom presentation. We are sure you will rock it!