BALEAP Webinar Pronunciation in EAP Sue Argent Academic

BALEAP Webinar Pronunciation in EAP Sue Argent

Academic discussion: Agreeing and disagreeing politely Really?

Academic purposes in discussion 1. To contribute to a jointly constructed outcome (Basturkman 1999) 2. To negotiate meaning and understanding 3. To negotiate the system

Strategic choices Purposes ↓ Discourse moves ↓ Language (including stress and intonation patterns)

Stress, intonation and discourse moves Apologising 1. 2. 3. 4. Sorry → Sorry ↘ Sorry ↗ Sorry ↘ ↗ level tone: false fall tone: assertive / dismissive rise tone: assertive / controlling fall-rise tone: diplomatic / sympathetic

Stress, intonation and discourse moves • Making a claim Our data↗ showed that the glaciers were retreating↘ • Confirming a claim from another speaker Of course ↘; exactly↗ ↘ • Clarifying a claim from another speaker I assume you consulted pre-war maps ↗

Stress, intonation and discourse moves • Adding new information to challenge a claim from another speaker (the yes, but move) Although the data showed that the glaciers were retreating↘ ↗, precipitation ↘ wasn’t taken into account. Precipitation does ↘ fluctuate ↘. Bruce (2016) refers to this as a ‘concession contra- expectation ’ relation

Stress, intonation and discourse moves • Challenging a claim assertively or diplomatically There’s a problem↘ here. I think there ‘could ↘ be a problem here.

A useful protocol • X said: I think you used the wrong data ↘. • You can also say: I think you sent the wrong email ↘. It’s possible you read the wrong article ↘. Perhaps you used the wrong procedure ↘. • Student: Can you say? George Woolard (2013) developed this protocol and refers to it as ‘messaging’.

References • Argent, S. and Alexander, O. (2013). Access EAP: Frameworks. Reading: Garnet Education. • Basturkman, H. (1999). Discourse in MBA seminars: towards a description for pedagogical purposes. English for Specific Purposes, 18/1, pages 63 -80. • Bruce, I. (2016). Constructing critical stance in University essays in English literature and sociology. English for Specific Purposes, 42, 13 -25. • Woolard, G. (2013). Messaging: Beyond a Lexical Approach. Published online at Theround. http: //theround. com/resource/messaging-beyond-a-lexical-approach/