Summary
Highlights
Expressive reading is an exercise in pronunciation and intonation, demonstrating a reader's ability to understand a text's subtleties and convey its emotions. This session will focus on an extract from the Brothers Grimm, 'The Brave Little Tailor'. Good diction is crucial; ensure your voice is audible and your posture is upright. Articulation of vowels and consonants should be clear for proper pronunciation.
Liaison occurs when a silent consonant at the end of a word is pronounced before a vowel at the beginning of the next word. An example is 'était assis' where the 't' in 'était' is pronounced. However, liaison is not made with an aspirated 'h' or the conjunction 'et' (e.g., 'et il chassa' not 'et til chassa').
Expressive reading requires interpreting the text, especially in dialogues. Respect the character's personality and assume their voice's tone and volume. For instance, a traveling merchant crying out her wares would require a strong, loud tone to convey her advertising (e.g., 'Bonne confiture à vendre!').
Read ahead mentally before reading aloud. Make a short pause at each comma and lower your voice. Take a longer pause after semicolons and colons, with a descending intonation. For exclamation and question marks, use longer pauses with an ascending intonation. Descending intonation is used for declarative sentences, while ascending intonation is used for interrogative and exclamatory sentences.
Pause longer at the end of each paragraph. Emphasize words expressing feelings and emotions to engage the audience. Vary your reading rhythm to maintain interest and prevent boredom for both the reader and listener. Punctuation marks dictate pauses: a lowered intonation for commas, and a rising intonation before exclamation points. For direct speech, increase vocal tone to convey the character's emotion. Sadness or discouragement might require a lower volume.
The pace of reading plays a significant role. Avoid reading too slowly or too quickly, and remember to breathe. While rapid reading can emphasize emotion, it shouldn't be constant. Vary the pace to reflect different emotions or situations, such as anger. Intonation should reflect the sentence's melody and the character's emotional state, rising for exclamatory or interrogative phrases. Vocal volume is also crucial to bring text to life.
The speaker reads the full extract of 'The Brave Little Tailor' demonstrating all the expressive reading techniques discussed. The summary concludes that expressive reading of literary texts relies on various elements, including respect for pauses, varied speed, appropriate volume, and expressive intonation.