Speech Context and

Speech Style
Oral Communication
Prayer
Father, May everything we do begin with your
inspiration and continue with your saving help.
Let our work always find its origin in you and
through you reach completion. We ask this
through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen
Warm-Up
• Watch the video clip titled “Time Prank” from
The Office.
• Write the video clip’s summary in five sentences
or less.
Types of Speech Context
Intrapersonal – This refers to a type of
communication that is focused on one person,
where the speaker acts both as the sender and as
the receiver of the message. The message is
made up of thoughts and feelings while the
medium is the brain that processes what you
think and feel. (Hybels & Weaver, 2012)
Types of Speech Context
Interpersonal – This refers to the type of
communication that takes place between and
among people and creates a personal relationship
between and among them. Normally, it includes
two individuals, and it can vary from casual and
very personal to formal and impersonal.
Types of Speech Context
Types of Interpersonal Communication
Dyad – between two people
Small group – between 3-12 people
Public – before a crowd
Mass Communication - through television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, books, billboards, the
internet, and other types of media.
Speech Style
The forms of language you use in talking to
different people in different situations change in
degree of formality. This is because of speech
style.
Speech Style
• Intimate - used for very close relationships.
• example: couple
• Note: Language used in this style may not be shared in
public.
• Casual - an informal communication between groups
and peers who have something to share and have shared
background information but do not have close relations
• example: classmates
• note: Jargon, slang, and vernacular language are used
Speech Style
• Consultative - used in semi-formal and standard
communication
• example: teacher and student
• note: Professional or mutually acceptable language
is a must in this style.
• Formal - a one-way straightforward speech.
• example: State of the Nation Address
• What the speaker says is something that has been prepared
beforehand.
Speech Style
• Frozen - the most formal communicative style
that is usually used during solemn ceremonies
and events.
• example: pledges
note: It does not require any feedback from the
audience.
Intonation
• Nicoline has bread.
• Is Nicoline a bread?
• What bread is Nicoline holding?
• Nicoline holds a bread, doesn’t she?
• Nicoline has a baguette, a croissant, a bagel,
and a donut.
Intonation Cheat Sheet
• Wh-word questions: falling intonation
• Yes/No questions: rising
• Statements: falling
• Question-Tags: 'chat' - falling; 'check' - rising
• Lists: rising, rising, rising, falling
Stress
• Stress is emphasis given to certain syllables in
words. In English, stress is produced with a
longer, louder and higher pitched sound than
unstressed sounds.
Stress
There are two very simple rules about word stress:

1. One word has only one stress. (One word cannot have
two stresses. If you hear two stresses, you hear two
words. Two stresses cannot be one word. It is true
that there can be a "secondary" stress in some words.
But a secondary stress is much smaller than the main
[primary] stress, and is only used in long words.)
2. We can only stress vowels, not consonants.
Stress
Stress