| Record Number |
17930 |
| ISBN |
9780300214260 (hardback) |
| Location |
302.2 CRY |
| Author |
Crystal, David, 1941- (author.). |
| Title |
The gift of the gab : how eloquence works / David Crystal. |
| Published |
London : Yale University Press, [2016] |
| Collation |
256 pages ; cm. |
| Content types |
text |
| Carrier type |
volume |
| General Note |
"David Crystal is one of the world's pre-eminent language specialists. Writer, editor, lecturer, and broadcaster, he is Honorary Professor of Linguistics at the University of Wales, Bangor." -- Publisher website. |
| Collection code: COMM Communicating |
| Bibliography Note |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Contents Note |
Machine generated contents note: 1.Value-added speech -- Interlude 1 Yes we can -- 2.Eloquence everywhere -- Interlude 2 Times are a-changing -- 3.Knowing how -- Interlude 3 Going on and on, not -- 4.How long have I got? -- Interlude 4 When you're the boss -- 5.Where will I be? -- Interlude 5 Capitulation -- 6.Who am I talking to? (To whom am I talking?) -- Interlude 6 Eloquence battles -- 7.Who am I talking to -- abroad? -- Interlude 7 Teach me, believe me, move me -- 8.What to say? -- Interlude 8 It ain't what you say... -- 9.When do you say it? -- Interlude 9 Strings of pearls -- 10.How do they do it? The memory game -- Interlude 10 Shakespeare was there first -- 11.How do they do it? The rule of three -- Interlude 11 Three centuries of triples -- 12.How do they do it? Weight control -- Interlude 12 Magical foursomes -- 13.How do they do it? Order, order -- Interlude 13 The great Q -- 14.How do they do it? Variation -- Interlude 14 Going beyond the rules -- |
| Contents note continued: 15.How do they do it? Being natural -- Interlude 15 Sounding, erm, eloquent -- 16.Sounding -- natural -- Interlude 16 WPM -- 17.Rates of exchange -- Interlude 17 Rattyspeak -- 18.The melody lingers on -- Interlude 18 Rounding a sentence well -- 19.Build-ups, beats, and breaks -- Interlude 19 Handling hecklers -- 20.Paralanguage -- Interlude 20 The UX of content -- 21.Mind your technology -- Interlude 21 Debating the point -- 22.Talking about content... -- Interlude 22 Autocues for all? -- 23.Reading it -- Interlude 23 Laying it out -- 24.Nerve ending -- Interlude 24 Putting nerves to work -- 25.Homo eloquens. |
| Summary Note |
"We all know eloquence when we hear it. But what exactly is it? And how might we gain more of it for ourselves? This entertaining and, yes, eloquent book illuminates the power of language from a linguistic point of view and provides fascinating insights into the way we use words. David Crystal, a world-renowned expert on the history and usage of the English language, probes the intricate workings of eloquence. His lively analysis encompasses everyday situations (wedding speeches, business presentations, storytelling) as well as the oratory of great public gatherings. Crystal focuses on the here and now of eloquent speaking--from pitch, pace, and prosody to jokes, appropriateness, and how to wield a microphone. He explains what is going on moment by moment and examines each facet of eloquence. He also investigates topics such as the way current technologies help or hinder our verbal powers, the psychological effects of verbal excellence, and why certain places or peoples are thought to be more eloquent than others. In the core analysis of the book, Crystal offers an extended and close dissection of Barack Obama's electrifying "Yes we can" speech of 2008, in which the president demonstrated full mastery of virtually every element of eloquence--from the simple use of parallelism and an awareness of what not to say, to his brilliant conclusion constructed around two powerful words: dreams and answers"-- |
| Subject |
Rhetoric |
| Public speaking |
| Elocutionists |
| Eloquence in literature |
| Oral communication |
| Voice culture |
| Storytelling |
| Internet Site |
Publisher website |
