atw: Re: Dinosaurs and punctuation
- From: Rebecca Caldwell <beckyakasha@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tech writers group <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 16:22:24 +0800
In another life, I wrote copy for television auto-cues, and I would implement
the 'comma for breath' system, with great results.
Years later, I used the same system for writing telemarketing scripts, and was
told that it was genius! This coming from a 'seasoned' audiovisual copywriter.
I guessed his age at about 24 at the time.
I too get annoyed hearing out of breath or nonsensical sentences uttered on
air. I often wonder if they even read the material out loud beforehand, or if
it is simply that they do not understand the subject matter?
Rebecca
From: rhonda.bracey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 16:13:31 +0800
Subject: 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
rhonda.bracey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.cybertext.com.au
CyberText Newsletter/blog: http://cybertext.wordpress.com
Author-it Certified Consultant
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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