Public Speaking

152 CHAPTER 12^ Choosing Effective Language

Carefully choose the correct word for the context. Pay attention to connotative mean-

ings, either positive or negative, that listeners might attach to your words. And adapt

your dialect and your jargon to your audience and the occasion. As you do this, you take

into account the cultural implications of your language choices.

Diversity

in praCtiCe

Dialects

A dialect is a variant form of a language that differs in pronunciation, vocabulary,

and/or grammar. English dialects include international English, British English,

Black English (sometimes called ebonics or African American English—AAE), and

a variety of regional and ethnic variations.^13 Standard English is most common

in education and business in the United States; it is the language of journalists and

textbook authors.

If you speak a dialect, you may choose to be bidialectical—using Standard

English in public contexts and your dialect around family and friends. This is

called code switching. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. adapted to various

settings, as an excerpt from a biography explains:

King was ... a code switcher who switched in and out of idioms as he moved

between black and white audiences. But he also made such moves within his

black talk and his white talk.... [He was] a man who blended all sorts of

oppositions. The key crossings were not just between black and white but

between raw and refined, sacred and secular, prophetic and pragmatic. This

mixing suggests... a “postethnic” man.^14

dialect a variant form of a
language

standard english the English
dialect most commonly used
in public speaking and in US
institutions

code switching changing
from one dialect to another

Use Language Effectively

Give your speech in an oral style that fits the context, purpose, subject matter of the

speech, and your personality. This section first describes elements of an oral style and

then explains several principles in the canon of style that will help you choose language

more effectively. It closes by discussing ethical aspects of appropriate language.

Use an Oral Style

James Winans, author of an early speech textbook, cautioned his students, “A speech

is not an essay on its hind legs.”^15 Written texts are more static; writers choose words

carefully and they use more complex words and greater diversity in vocabulary because

readers can take their time, stop, look up words, pause to think, read, and reread.^16

A speech, in contrast, is dynamic; it exists in a specific time frame, and words, once

uttered, are gone. However, speakers have the advantage of engaging the audience by

using gestures, vocal stress, and other nonverbal cues to communicate their ideas.^17

Oral style is less formal and more personalized. (Figure 12.1 shows some differences

between oral and written style.)

This excerpt from a speech given at the Los Angeles Film Festival by an entertain-

ment CEO showcases oral style. He is developing his first main point: Rule One: Make

Smarter Movies!^18

oral style characteristics of
spoken language compared
to written language

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