Voice expression and grammar rules

Author: Shi Qi et al.
Editor-in-Chief: Wang Fushun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-11-01
Features:
Excerpt: So, do announcers and hosts need to follow the rules of Chinese grammar when speaking and hosting? Of course, no matter what kind of broadcasting, they must adhere to the rules of Chinese grammar. Improvisational speaking is essentially a form of "oral writing" that requires speaking fluently and coherently. This is similar to the work of reporters and editors in writing, but the methods of expression differ—one uses written language, while the other uses spoken language. Improvisational speaking involves thinking and speaking simultaneously while maintaining clarity and logic. This naturally requires high standards. Not only does it demand quick reflexes and agile thinking, but it also requires a strong command of language. For example, Song Shixiong's sports commentary, where he watches, thinks, and speaks simultaneously, is clear, accurate, fluent, and engaging. In his "thousands of words" of commentary for each game, there are rarely instances of inarticulate expression or grammatical errors. Indeed, this is not easy, and he can be considered a master of language. Ni Ping, during her hosting, speaks spontaneously with quick reflexes, using short sentences naturally and clearly. She can also handle long sentences with many modifiers, speaking in a well-structured, coherent, and orderly manner, demonstrating a high level of language proficiency. These are just two examples, and there are undoubtedly many other announcers and hosts who excel in language use. Improvisational speaking requires high standards, and achieving excellence is not easy. Without a solid foundation in language and a rich knowledge of Chinese, one often struggles. Poor language skills lead to more mistakes. A female host at Beijing Television Station once said, "We hope to draw the attention of the relevant departments in charge of cultural relics," while hosting a program about cultural relic protection. This was clearly incorrect. Why is this example specifically mentioned? Because the author heard this incorrect sentence at the time of writing, making it a convenient example. This also shows that in improvisational speaking and hosting, grammatical errors cannot occur, and this issue should be taken seriously.
Postscript: First, we need to clarify that we are not specialists in broadcasting or hosting. We are engaged in language teaching, research, and editing. We wrote this book purely as outsiders discussing broadcasting. We often listen to the radio and watch TV, paying close attention to announcers' performances and frequently thinking about and researching language expression in broadcasting and hosting. In our view, broadcasting has a great degree of flexibility. If one reads from a script word for word, as people often say, "reading from a script," that is easy and requires only a certain level of education. However, to do a good job of broadcasting, to express the content of radio and television programs accurately and vividly through spoken language, not only making it clear and natural but also engaging and pleasant to listen to, that is far from easy. The same is true for broadcasting, but the effects can be very different. Some broadcasts are enjoyable for the audience, the more they listen, the more they appreciate it. Others, however, are disliked, sounding dull and monotonous. Broadcasting and hosting in radio and television are tools for promoting radio and television programs using spoken language. To do well in broadcasting and hosting, one naturally needs a good voice and fluent Mandarin. However, having a good voice and speaking standard Mandarin does not necessarily qualify one as a truly competent announcer or host. Other conditions must also be met. A truly competent announcer and host must also have a high cultural level and broad social knowledge, as well as language skills, because broadcasting and hosting are all forms of linguistic art. We often listen to the radio, to broadcasts from different stations, to the performances of different announcers, and find that some announcers' broadcasts are truly unsatisfactory and urgently need improvement. Some broadcasts sound hesitant and stammering, with pauses every three or five words, or every seven or eight words, making words and sentences disjointed and lacking coherence, which affects the completeness of the expressed meaning. Some broadcasts are like machine guns, with unclear pauses and no distinct rhythm, making it difficult to discern sentence structure and relationships, which affects the clarity of the expressed meaning. Some broadcasts lack variations in pitch and tone, speed and rhythm, sounding flat and monotonous, which affects the liveliness of the language expression. Some hosts speak haltingly, stumbling over their words, with unfluent and incoherent language, sometimes failing to convey their meaning and sometimes making grammatical errors. Some hosts have vocabulary and repetitive sentence structures, using the same words and phrases over and over, making the language dull and rigid, lacking variety. Some hosts lack natural and sincere language, sounding either cold and stiff or overly dramatic and pretentious; or overly lively yet lacking seriousness, speaking at random. All these issues indicate that some announcers and hosts lack the ability to analyze and appreciate language, as well as the necessary language skills, which affects their understanding of the content and their ability to express it through broadcasting and hosting.
Language is a system composed of phonetics as its material shell, vocabulary as its building materials, and grammar as its structural rules. Grammar is the structural rule of language. Every phrase, sentence, and paragraph we express in broadcasting and hosting follows the rules of modern Chinese grammar, so we must not only ensure correct pronunciation and tones but also clearly convey the structure and types of sentences. Broadcasting and hosting must follow grammatical rules in expression, overcoming the blindness and arbitrariness of language use. The rules of language structure must be mastered and followed not only by writers to guide writing practice but also by announcers to improve their ability to use spoken language for expression, thereby more accurately, fully, and perfectly conveying the content of radio and television programs. The pauses, tones, stress changes, and rhythm in broadcasting and hosting are all directly related to language structure and sentence types. If expressions are made correctly according to grammatical rules, one can master and use pauses, tones, stress changes, and rhythm variations effectively, making the language structure clear, the layers distinct, the meaning understandable, and the rhythm vivid. This makes it easier for the audience to understand and accept the content of radio and television programs. Broadcasting and hosting cannot do without grammar, and grammar guides them. Broadcasting, hosting, and grammar are closely related. Announcers and hosts are both publicists and language workers. Learning, mastering, and correctly using grammar, as well as improving the ability to analyze and use language, are essential for every announcer and host. As mentioned earlier, we are not specialists in broadcasting, and this book does not comprehensively discuss broadcasting business. We have thoroughly discussed and elaborated on the application of grammatical rules in broadcasting and hosting. The issues discussed may not all be accurate, and as outsiders discussing broadcasting, there may be shortcomings. We sincerely welcome corrections and guidance from experts and readers.
Shi Qi, Man Ye, and Ping Beijing, January 1997