atw: Re: Dinosaurs and punctuation

This is not just an issue with young newsreaders. A weather guy on Perth's 
Channel 7 used to do the same thing and it drove me mad listening to him! He 
retired a few years ago and is well into his 60s. Nice personality, but 
terrible phrasing and pausing. He grew up in an era where those things mattered 
so I'm not sure what happened to him and why he never changed even after many 
years in the public eye (surely someone in the station or from the general 
public must have complained about it).

Rhonda

Rhonda Bracey
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________________________________
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Christine Kent
Sent: Wednesday, 6 April 2011 3:59 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Dinosaurs and punctuation

I have just made another observation regarding the problem of whether "our 
grammar" is defunct.

I was listening to a very young newsreader and finding her uncomfortable to 
listen to and difficult to understand, so I paid attention. Something was 
"wrong" with the "rhythm" of what she was saying.  It is something I have 
wondered about with younger people - why I can find some of them really 
difficult to follow, but I have never really paid attention before now.

I had a teacher in year 12 who, instead of teaching us grammar, told us to put 
commas where we wanted the reader to take a short breath and a full stop where 
we wanted them to take a longer breath.  In effect our punctuation told the 
reader when to breathe.  It's an excellent system, even if it is technically 
incorrect at times.

This newsreader was putting all her pauses in the wrong place.  She would 
run-on at the end of sentences with no pause at all, and put short or long 
pauses in the middle of clauses.

I  struggled to follow what she was saying.  Did she follow it herself?  Was 
she reading for meaning or just reading words? Is there some internal logic 
comprehended by other young people? Or does no-one care anymore whether we/they 
understand what is said or not?

Someone must be researching this.

Christine

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