THE PROSODIC FEATURES OF SPEECH

 

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Points of View

 

Point of view is the mode of narration the author employs. It simply means as to what perspective the author is telling the story from. However, this has become a very taxing topic for students as it may appear as broad if not pointed into the right details. So how do we know? Well, you just have to ask the right question: WHO IS TELLING THE STORY?

Looking at the matrix above, your mind might have been given a bit of clarity now. This information is a very useful tool when you venture into writing. Would you want to be the mysterious, tell-all or the engaging author?

In the first person point of view the storyteller is any one among the main characters in the story. Do you see now why your teacher always asks who the characters are? Well, obviously one of the reasons is this part. Once you have established who the main characters are - and if the story is written in the first person-, then you'd know who's telling the story.

The storyteller in the first person point of view has limited scope. He only tells the story usually based only on the surface of things. No deeper realizations nor a sense of implied/obvious emotional bond to the rest of the characters.

 The first person omniscient is still narrated by any one of the main characters in the story but this time the storyteller notifies the reader what the rest of the characters and himself is thinking; why they're doing it; what he or other characters feel. Because he knows all, the readers know everything in every step of the way.

 The first person observer is narrated by any of the minor characters in the story. The storyteller based his narrative plainly on what he has observed like some sort of a witness. 

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THEY ARE MINOR CHARACTERS THEN? 

When a character does not take a major role in the story then surely he is a minor character. The main characters are the ones making big actions to make the story happen while the minor characters may not even have a name to begin with. Or if they do have names, sometimes they are but mentioned in the story but is not seen to do movements most of the time.

The second person point of view is easy to identify. Once you've read something so demanding that tells you to do this and that, then that is the second person point of view.

This mode of narration seems peculiar. It is not like any other stories you've read in a normal basis. The author who is the narrator at the same time, wants to engage the reader. The author wants the reader to assume a role which actions direct to the plot. The narrator here is tantamount to that of a director.

The third person point of view is also known as the observer point of view is told in a point of view of a witness but does not include what the characters may think and other intentions.

The storyteller in the third person omniscient is a know-all narrator who tells the readers what the characters think and feel. He divulges reasons for the characters actions and intentions for such.

This matrix uses the STORY OF GUNO AND KOYO; the part when they were caught stealing from the Hadji and went to the dry river bed pretending to swim. This is to show the difference among the points of view.

You can read and listen to the STORY OF GUNO AND KOYO here.

Originally published at jeanillec.blogspot.com

in June of 2020

FEATURES OF LOCAL COLOR IN LITERATURE | AFRO-ASIAN LITERATURE

  

Local color presents distinct characteristics in culture and traditions in a reading text. Reading such literature would give you a glimpse of what used to be or how the characters differ from the usual characters in the American or English literature. In Afro-Asian literature local culture is most rich. Here are the features of local color in literature.

·         Dialect

The use of certain words in the dialect of the origin of the narrative adds credibility and authenticity to the roots of the characters or the setting itself. This proves the setting to be mostly inaccessible.

 

Example

Nai Hah Tong waited patiently for the priest. The only sound he heard was the lonely call of the gecko lizard hiding in a crack of the stucco wall of the wat. He counted the lizard’s croaks nung, song, sam, see, ha, hok, jet. The Gold Harvest Tale from Thailand

 

Here in this text the author uses the Thai counting to validate the setting of the story. This validates the character, Nai Hah Tong, as a Thai who has distinct dialect or language from the rest of the world. Hence, the distinctive plot.

 

·         Mannerisms

The use of certain personality traits distinct to the region which may prove peculiar to the readers.

 

Examples

Bharat made a passionate plea for Rama to return and rule Kosalas but all in vain. Bharat then took Rama’s sandals to place them on the throne as testimony to the people that he was ruling in Rama’s name. The Ramayana Tale from India

 

This trait of taking anything that belongs to a person to testify the latter’s consent is distinct to India especially during that time. This is peculiar particularly that it is the throne of the kingdom that is at stake here and it only took a sandal to prove that the bearer now is king.

 

·         Social Customs

The use of rituals adherence to the old ways which may tend to ignite curiosity among readers. These rituals and customs are mostly related to religion and beliefs. 

 

Examples

“No,” they said “We want to go with you to your people” But Naomi replied, it is better for you to return to your own people. Do I have younger sons who could grow up to be your husband? No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to have a husband. And even if that were possible and I become pregnant tonight, and bore sons, would you wait for them to grow up? No, of course not, my daughters: oh, how I grieve for you that the Lord has punished me in a way that injures you.” The Story of Ruth (from Israel)

 

This presents a custom of the old Israel wherein a daughter-in-law is under the care of her mother-in-law when her husband dies. In this case Naomi’s husband died, who was supposed to be head of the family to whom the decision on what befalls on the widowed daughter-in-law when her husband dies. It also presents a possibility of the daughter-in-law to be married to her brother-in-law had there been any living younger brother left to marry when the husband dies. This is another queer experience if you put it in the perspective of the modern world.

 

·         Historical References

The use of significant historical event or characters of the specific region to promote believability to the turn of events in the narrative. These references you have yet to validate the truthfulness or let’s say the part that connects to real events. This may include names or titles that reflect the origin of a time-bound event/occasion known only to a certain place or locale. 

Example

But one morning their sawali door rustled. Then slowly it opened The head of an aliping namamahay –house slave- showed. Magindanao Pearls by Isidro L. Retizos

 

This made a significant reference to Pre-Hispanic Filipino social classes particularly that of the servants not slave, there is a difference. There were two classes of servants back then, the aliping sagigilid and aliping namamahay. The text made mention of an aliping namamahay who is higher in rank than the sagigilid. The aliping namamahay mentioned in this part of the text is the servant in Sinagtala’s household. This also suggest that Sinagtala’s family are free men as they have servants.

    Object

The use of certain objects reflective of their origin from a certain region. For example the use of "jeepney" which is widely used in the Philippines. The use of "chopsticks" in a household would suggest that the family has Asian roots.

"Look well towards the center of the plaza, look across it, and fix your gaze on that small tower of bamboo and nipa that is the belfry of the town. Friar Botod by Graciano Lopez Jaena Translated by Phyllis Tiongco

Commonly nipa was used by the Filipinos in building houses together with bamboo during the Pre-Hispanic period.

Originally published at jeanillec.blogspot.com

in July of 2021

MODALITY

 Modal auxiliary verbs are followed by the base form of a verb to show certainty, necessity, or possibility. Modals and the verbs that follow do not change form to indicate tense or take an “-s” ending. All modal auxiliary verbs can be used in the present, but only “could,” “would,” “should,” and “might” can be used in the past.

 

MODAL AUXILIARY VERB	USAGE	EXAMPLE
can , could	To show or infer general ability	You can come and visit any time. She could solve the problem mentally.
	To make a polite or informal request	Can we take the train instead? Could you take me to school early tomorrow?
	To give permission	You can take a day off tomorrow if you’re still feeling sick. If necessary, I could give you a longer extension.
	To make a prediction	If you work hard, you can easily land a job. If you continue to study hard, you could graduate with flying colors.
will , would	To make a polite or informal request	Will you see me tonight? I would gladly appreciate your help.
	To make a formal request	Will you be nice! Would you please help!
	To make a prediction	If she hears news about you, she will recover in no time. I would be surprised if she did not win.
shall	To show intention	We shall not surrender.
	To make a polite or an informal request	Shall we dance?
should	To indicate expectation	You should receive an email by next week.
	To suggest or provide advice	If you expect to get their full attention, you should give extra effort to your presentation.
	To infer responsibility or obligation	We should work hand in hand for the success of our community project.
may, might	To make a formal request	May I speak with you after office hours? You might want to reconsider your decision.
	To request permission	May I go to the dance tonight? Might I have a word with you?
	To show possibility	I may want to hear more of what you can offer. We might show up in the party.
	To make a prediction	We may win this contest if we craft a solid strategy. I might not see you in class, but I’ll wait for you in the stadium at lunch.
must	To indicate necessity	We must do something right now, or lose everything then next day.
	To infer a logical assumption	I couldn’t find her anywhere, she must have gone home already.

 

Originally published at jeanillec.blogspot.com

in March 2019.

Reference

GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS Using Modal Auxiliary Verbs

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/repository/files/grammar-and-mechanics/verb-system/Using-Modal-Auxiliary-Verbs.pdf  

THE BASICS OF CHANGING DIRECT TO INDIRECT SPEECH

 In reporting an idea or a message using the exact words of the speaker, use direct speech; However, in reporting an idea or a message using your own words, use indirect speech. But what is the most appropriate way to change direct speech to indirect?

Sentences in the indirect speech are already free of the quotation marks and must always end with a period.

The sentence inside the quotation mark is called the REPORTED SPEECH. When the verb in the reported speech is in the present tense, change it into its simple past tense when changing into indirect. 

In the sentence above, "like" is the verb in the reported speech and "like" is also present. In changing it to indirect "like" becomes "liked".

YOUR TURN

Directions: Change the given direct speech into indirect.

1. Direct: Melissa said, "I eat bread for breakfast."

    Indirect: _________________________

If the verb in the reported speech is in the past tense, in this case, "met" , change it into the past perfect tense which is "had met".

So, what is really the form of a past perfect tense? Simple: had +verb pp. Meaning had plus the past participle of the verb. The past participle form of the verb is generally the third column in conjugating verbs.

The verbs in the past participle column are the verbs to pair with had to form the past perfect tense of the verb. They would look like this: had liked; had talked; had eaten; had sung.

Notice also the time indicator in the example above; yesterday is changed to the previous day in the indirect form. This means that time expressions also change when the statement is transformed into indirect.

Be reminded of these changes:

now - then

tomorrow - the next day

today - that day

yesterday - that previous day

tonight - that night

YOUR TURN

Directions: Change the given direct speech into indirect.

2. Direct: Melissa said, "Robert drank the milk in the 

               fridge last night."

    Indirect: _________________________

This means that not everything in the reported speech has to be changed when you want to use the indirect speech. This one is an example. 

There is no need to change "All people have equal rights" because that is a universal truth. That is something everyone knows and should be known.

It would sound unnatural if you insist on changing it: ‘He said that all people had equal rights.’ You cannot change that because even when the speaker said that in the past, that idea is still true even after she said it.

YOUR TURN

Directions: Change the given direct speech into indirect.

3. Direct: Melissa said, "We are all created equal."

    Indirect: _________________________

This part could be tricky. You have to make sure that the pronouns used  refer to the correct antecedent. Antecedents are what pronouns refer to.

Let us examine the sentence above: "John told Mary that he had told her that they do not have money." It is very important that you do not interchange the pronouns. It should also be taken into consideration that some names do not suggest gender anymore so it is wise to clarify it.

YOUR TURN

Directions: Change the given direct speech into indirect.

4. Direct: Melissa told Pedro, "I needed you to listen 

    to me last night."

    Indirect: _________________________

The reporting verb refers to the verb before the reported speech or outside the reported speech; the verb outside the quotation marks. In the sentence above -  She says, "I will come." - "says" is the reporting verb. When the reporting verb is in the present or future tense, there is no need to change the tense of the verb in the reported speech. In the example above, the only changes made were the pronoun "I to she" and the addition of the word "that".

YOUR TURN

Directions: Change the given direct speech into indirect.

5. Direct: Melissa says, "Pedro and I will be leaving 

               soon."

    Indirect: _________________________

You can also watch this video. 

Originally published at jeanillec.blogspot.com

in 2020

References:

Direct to indirect speech: General rules. (9 February 2016). Retrieved from

https://www.englishgrammar.org/direct-indirect-speech-general-rules/

Cogtas, J. (3 March 2019). How to change direct to indirect speech. Retrieved form

https://jeanillec.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-to-change-direct-to-indirect-speech.html