In this issue I shall be continuing my look at several aspects of the English language in the context of some particular phenomenon. In this Vox Populi, it’s the turn of TELEVISION NEWS.
The aim of this article is, firstly, to encourage all those English students out there who are still bewildered by or having problems with English stress patterns. Or maybe you’re just stressed out by them. Keep reading, and I’m sure you’ll cheer up. Secondly, it’s a nice opportunity for me to let off steam. Before going on to stress, let me draw your attention to certain fashions which have been appearing on the TV news; gimmicks which distract rather than clarify. For a time, all the presenters were suddenly standing up giving the headlines (or "top stories" as they’re called now). Their desks had disappeared. They gave the impression that what they were really saying was something like, "Sorry, viewers, I’m dying to go to the toilet! I haven’t been all day and I’m bursting! So when I’ve mentioned the latest Royal scandal I’m off for a pee" or "Sorry, viewers, I’ve got to rush off and put some money in the parking meter." Another gimmick which I could never comprehend was the appearance of several screens behind the presenter with images which had nothing to do with the news item being reported. While Clare What’s-her-name was telling us about the latest suicide bombing in Iraq , just above her right shoulder you could quite clearly see a chubby golfer about to make a million dollar putt. Or she’d be giving the latest figures of a famine-stricken area of Ethiopia and just above her left shoulder you’d be able to see some skeletal models walking up and down the catwalk in some European capital.
All that is bad enough but what about when you’ve had your dinner and you’re on the sofa in front of the telly, floating between sleep and dream and you suddenly hear something like: "The talks are to take place AT the Labour headquarters" or "This may be a last attempt FOR peace." You are rudely awoken from your comfort and think "what on earth is this? Stressing mid prepositions? I never tell my students to do that! And this is the BBC!" Believe it or not, a lot of us Brits talk about this phenomenom and the general feeling among many is that TV news reading is going to the dogs. Frances Coverdale, a former newsreader herself, has created CUSP (Campaign against Unnecessary Stressing of Prepositions). It seems that far too many readers from the BBC are placing the emphasis on all the wrong words such as prepositions and conjunctions (not to mention personal pronouns and possessive adjectives and a whole load of other word classes). Lack of space has obliged me just to concentrate on prepositions and conjunctions.
To support her (and many others’) argument, she gave an example in "The Times." If you, as a newsreader, have just spoken about the probability of a hurricane in the Gulf, how would you say the following? "Some of the oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down ahead of the arrival of the hurricane." Well, if you’ve been doing your stress work in class you’d probably say, "Some of the oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down ahead of the arrival of the hurricane." However, a real newsreader said it like this (and Coverdale has recorded evidence): "Some of the oil refineries IN the Gulf have shut down AHEAD of the arrival OF the hurricane." I mean, what is going on? What about these recently heard renditions: "The CRE – the Campaign for Race Equality" or the HFEA – the Human Fertiliser and Embryology Authority." Some people would think or say, "But this is the BBC. It must be good! It must be correct!" If that is the case, there will soon be too many people copying this but I hope none of them are English students from the EOIP because they are in danger of saying weird things such as:
"Would you like a cup OF coffee?" "What do you fancy FOR lunch?" "The Oscar for best supporting actress was won BY Penelope Cruz."
Perhaps some of my C1 module students out there are dying to use that expression they learnt in the first term and say to me "Get a life!" "Don’t be such a pedant!" Well, yes, there are more important things to worry about in life. I accept that. But if things aren’t said as they should be we’ll end up believing that the smart, smooth newsreader really thinks prepositions are friendly, fabulous and fantastic while race equality is just a fringe thing.
And while I’m on about smart, smooth newsreaders, who on earth is Gordon Brown, the pry minister? What the hell are pea stalks in the Middle East? And what are British hoe moaners? But that’s another story and as I said earlier on in the article, I thought I would run out of space…
Vocabulary:
Bewildered: confused.
Let off steam: express your anger to feel better.
Chubby: a little fat.
Catwalk: the long narrow stage that models walk on.
To go to the dogs: to go from bad to worse.
Fringe: not of interest to the majority.
"Pry minister" debe ser "Prime Minister" y no "el ministro que se está metiendo las narices en tus asuntos."
"Pea stalks" debe ser "peace talks" y "no tallos de guisante."
"Hoe moaners" debe ser "home owners" y no "los quejitas con las azadas."