- A
- B
- C
Listen to a lecture in a linguistics class, take detailed notes while listening.
assertive – behaving in a confident way
operative – involving cooperation or working together
intonation – the way in which your voice rises and falls when you speak
phrase – to express something in a particular way
unsure – not confident or certain
Fill in the following diagram.
Phenomenon
1.
Advantage
Disadvantage
2.
4.
Reasons
3.
5.
Now answer the questions using your notes.
Women's Use of Intonation in Statements
Summarize the text using your notes and diagram.
- 1: Women use rising intonation in statements.
- 2: They appear cooperative to a female listener.
- 3: They give listeners a chance to reply.
- 4: They appear to lack confidence to a male listener.
- 5: Men think it's good to sound assertive.
Listen again:
W: Have you ever noticed how some women use more rising intonation at the end of their sentences? For instance, instead of saying, "The report is on the desk," they'll say, "The report is on the desk?" It's as if they're asking a question rather than stating a fact. Today, we'll discuss some of the pros and cons of this way of speaking.
To a female listener, rising intonation signals cooperation. This is because women view conversation as a cooperative activity. By phrasing a statement as a question, the woman gives the listener a chance to reply. This shows she is more cooperative than competitive. This could be beneficial in a team setting when a woman must work with other people, A male listener, however, will probably view this behavior negatively. He is more likely to see rising intonation as a sign that the woman is unsure of herself. In a highly competitive environment, this could give male listeners the idea that the woman is not assertive. And being assertive is a trait that men prize in speech… urn, especially in a competitive business environment.
