The gift of the gab : how eloquence works

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Title:

Author:

Crystal, David, 1941- author.

ISBN:

9780300214260

Personal Author:

Crystal, David, 1941- author.

Physical Description:

xi, 243 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Abstract:

"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"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Value-added speech : Yes we can -- Eloquence everywhere : Times are a-changing -- Knowing how : Going on and on, not -- How long have I got? : When you're the boss -- Where will I be? : Capitulation -- Who am I talking to (To whom am I talking?) : Eloquence battles -- Who am I talking to--abroad? : Teach me, believe me, move me -- What to say? : It ain't what you say -- When do you say it? : Strings of pearls -- How do they do it? The memory game : Shakespeare was there first -- How do they do it? The rule of three : Three centuries of triples -- How do they do it? Weight control : Magical foursomes -- How do they do it? Order, order : The great Q -- How do they do it? Variation : Going beyond the rules -- How do they do it? Being natural : Sounding, erm, eloquent -- Sounding--natural : WPM -- Rates of exchange : Rattyspeak -- The melody lingers on : Rounding a sentence well -- Build-ups, beats, and breaks : Handling hecklers -- Paralanguage : The UX of content -- Mind your technology : Debating the point -- Talking about content ... : Autocues for all? -- Reading it : Laying it out -- Nerve ending : Putting nerves to work -- Homo eloquens -- Appendix 1. Obama's victory speech -- Appendix 2. Martin Luther King's speech delivered at the March on Washington.

Subject Term:

Elocutionists.

Eloquence in literature.

Oral communication.

Voice culture.

Storytelling.

LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES -- Rhetoric.

LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES -- Public Speaking.

Elocutionists. (OCoLC)fst00908209

Eloquence in literature. (OCoLC)fst00908221

Oral communication. (OCoLC)fst01047000

Storytelling. (OCoLC)fst01134169

Voice culture. (OCoLC)fst01168754

Sprachfertigkeit. (DE-588)4182512-3

Sprachkompetenz. (DE-588)4077722-4

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Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Aurora Downtown	Book	PN4051.2 .C79 2016	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

A many-faceted exploration of spoken eloquence: how it works, how it has evolved, and how to tap its remarkable power

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 .

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

With a sharp English accent and expert pacing, Perkins largely exemplifies the lessons in linguist Crystal's lively treatise on the subject of eloquence. Originally published in 2016, the book investigates the concept of eloquence across cultures and at various points in history while also providing advice on how best to achieve it. For most of the book, veteran voice actor Perkins doesn't so much read as confidently deliver the text (Crystal addresses the difference between the two in the book). He also subtly mimics the speaking styles of eloquent speakers quoted at length, including Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., and Winston Churchill. The audio edition gets bogged down by the later chapters, which deal with the technical aspects of public speaking, including pitch, cadence, and pacing. There's a chapter on modifying notes to help individuals read eloquently that's basically useless in the audio version (Perkins indicates where the symbols appear in the text but doesn't follow them). Overall, Perkins's versatile narration enhances Crystal's book in ways that are especially suited to the subject. A Yale Univ. paperback. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Choice Review

While the title might evoke blarney, wedding toasts, and garrulous relatives, this book offers far more than that. In 25 brief chapters, Crystal takes the reader through a complete course in preparing and giving public presentations. This is a charming, intelligent book--this reviewer cannot resist calling it eloquent. It is part instruction and part memoir, with Crystal drawing on his own considerable public-speaking experience to illustrate dos and don'ts. The focus is equally on matters of rhetoric, logistics, and science. Crystal offers tips for thinking through the nature of one's audience, content, organization, personal style, and pacing to engage listeners. He explains the logistics of speech giving, covering everything from one's place on the program to sight lines, technology, eye contact, and interruptions from the audience. And he looks at the linguistics and psychology of attention span, sentence weight, the use of pauses and vocal fillers, intonation, and intensity. The book is filled with rich examples, among them Barack Obama's 2009 "Yes We Can" speech, which Crystal subjects to an in-depth stylistic analysis. This reviewer learned something from every chapter. This thought-provoking book will be invaluable to those who engage in public speaking. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. --Edwin L. Battistella, Southern Oregon University

Library Journal Review

While it is commonly believed that eloquence is a gift or trait that is inherent in some and absent in others, the distinguished linguist and prolific writer Crystal provides a practical and instructive guide on what exactly comprises spoken eloquence and how we can all achieve it. Using examples from the worlds of politics, Hollywood, music, popular culture, history, and the classics, Crystal shares the notion that all of us can be well spoken; we are, as he says, "homo eloquens." There are sections on timing, audience, intonation, word choice, etc., to help us understand the success of outstanding speakers and how we can join their ranks. This highly readable book is filled with good sense and solid advice. Crystal deals effectively with different kinds of speaking occasions, including debates, broadcasting, introductions, presenting and receiving awards, and speeches for virtually every opportunity. While many eloquent speakers are cited throughout, Crystal devotes special attention to two well-known speeches: President Obama's victory speech following the November 2008 election and Martin Luther King Jr's address at the August 28, 1963, March on Washington are both reproduced in their entirety in the appendix. With its list of further reading, this book will be useful, informative and enjoyable. Verdict A valuable addition to all libraries.-Herbert E. Shapiro, Lifelong Learning Soc., Florida Atlantic Univ., Boca Raton © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Prologue	p. ix
1 Value-added speech	p. 1
Interlude 1 Yes we can
2 Eloquence everywhere	p. 7
Interlude 2 Times are a-changing
3 Knowing how	p. 12
Interlude 3 Going on and on, not
4 How long have I got?	p. 20
Interlude 4 When you're the boss
5 Where will I be?	p. 27
Interlude 5 Eloquence battles
6 Who am I talking to? (To whom am I talking?)	p. 37
Interlude 6 Eloquence battles
7 Who am I talking to - abroad?	p. 47
Interlude 7 Teach me, believe me, move me
8 What to say?	p. 57
Interlude 8 It ain't what you say...
9 When do you say it?	p. 65
Interlude 9 Strings of pearls
10 How do they do it? The memory game	p. 75
Interlude 10 Shakespeare was there first
11 How do they do it? The rule of three	p. 85
Interlude 11 Three centuries of triples
12 How do they do it? Weight control	p. 95
Interlude 12 Magical foursomes
13 How do they do it? Order, order	p. 101
Interlude 13 The great Q
14 How do they do it? Variation	p. 108
Interlude 14 Going beyond the rules
15 How do they do it? Being natural	p. 118
Interlude 15 Sounding, erm, eloquent
16 Sounding - natural	p. 126
Interlude 16 WPM
17 Rates of exchange	p. 135
Interlude 17 Rattyspeak
18 The melody lingers on	p. 144
Interlude 18 Rounding a sentence well
19 Build-ups, beats, and breaks	p. 153
Interlude 19 Handling hecklers
20 Paralanguage	p. 163
Interlude 20 The UX of content
21 Mind your technology	p. 171
Interlude 21 Debating the point
22 Talking about content...	p. 180
Interlude 22 Autocues for all?
23 Reading it	p. 193
Interlude 23 Laying it out
24 Nerve ending	p. 203
Interlude 24 Putting nerves to work
25 Homo eloquens	p. 213
Appendix 1 Obama's victory speech	p. 220
Appendix 2 Martin Luther King's speech delivered at the March on Washington	p. 228
Endnotes	p. 234
Further reading	p. 236
Index of personalities	p. 238
Index of subjects	p. 240
Illustration credits	p. 244

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Choice Review

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents