Omsk State University

Faculty of Culture and Arts

Department of Directing

Course work

on stage speech (theoretical part)

Logic of stage speech

Introduction

Speech beats and logical pauses

Punctuation marks

Logical stress

Rules for reading simple sentences

About logical perspective

Rules for reading complex sentences

References

Introduction

The section of the subject “Stage Speech” - the logic of stage speech - develops the ability to convey ideas in spoken speech. Mastery of the logic of stage speech makes it possible to convey in sound the thoughts of the author contained in the text of a role, story, lecture, helps to organize the text in a certain way in order to most accurately and meaningfully influence the partner on stage and the viewer.

The rules for logical reading of a text are not formal laws alien to our spoken language. They were formed as a result of observations of writers, linguists and theater workers on living Russian speech. The rules for logical reading of text are based on the peculiarities of Russian intonation and grammar (syntax) of the Russian language.

Logical analysis of the text of a role, story, lecture, any public speaking, of course, does not replace verbal action - it is the beginning, the foundation of work on the text, a means of identifying the author's thoughts.

In order for the author’s phrase to sound to the viewer, it is necessary to pronounce it extremely accurately, that is, determine the place and duration of logical pauses, determine the main thing stressed word, note secondary and tertiary stresses. In other words, to do this you need to know the rules for placing pauses and stress.

When the phrase is analyzed and organized in this way, the listener will have the opportunity to appreciate the depth of thought contained in the text, the beauty of the author’s language, and the features of his style.

M.O. Knebel, talking about Stanislavsky’s work with students in his studio, testifies that in last years In his life, Stanislavsky especially persistently strived for the most precise adherence to the rules of the logic of stage speech - the placement of logical pauses, stress, correct rendering of punctuation marks in the sound, etc. She says: “Every year Stanislavsky more and more insistently demanded the study of the laws of speech, demanded constant training, special work on the text.”

1.Speech beats and logical pauses

Each individual sentence of our spoken speech is divided according to its meaning into groups consisting of one or more words. Such semantic groups within a sentence are called speech beats. A speech tact is a syntactic unity, that is, a speech tact can be composed of a subject group, a predicate group, a group of adverbial words, etc.

In each speech beat there is a word that, according to its meaning, should be highlighted in the spoken speech by raising, lowering or strengthening the sound of the voice. This intonation emphasis of a word is called logical stress. A single speech tact rarely contains a complete thought. The stress of each speech beat must be subordinated to the main stress of the whole sentence.

In spoken speech, each speech beat is separated from the other by stops of varying duration. These stops are called logical pauses. In addition to pauses and stops, speech beats are separated from one another by changes in the pitch of the voice. These changes in voice pitch during the transition from one speech beat to another give intonation variety to our speech.

There can be no pause within a speech beat, and all the words that make up a speech beat are pronounced together, almost like one word. In writing, one or another punctuation mark usually indicates a logical pause. But there can be significantly more logical pauses in a sentence than punctuation marks.

Logical pauses can be of varying duration and content; they are connecting and disconnecting. In addition to them, there are backlash pauses (pauses for gaining air - “air”, from the German Luft - air) and, finally, psychological pauses.

Designation in writing of logical pauses of different durations:

" - a backlash, which serves to add breath or highlight an important word that comes after it;

/ - pause between speech beats or sentences closely related in meaning (connective);

// - longer connecting pause between speech beats or between sentences;

/// an even longer connecting-disconnecting (or dividing) pause (between sentences, semantic and plot pieces).

K.S. Stanislavsky in his book “The Actor’s Work on Oneself” wrote: “Take a book and a pencil more often, read and mark what you read by speech beats. Stuff your ear, eye and hand with this...Marking speech bars and reading from them are necessary because they force you to analyze phrases and delve into their essence. Without delving into it, you won’t be able to say the correct phrase. The habit of speaking in beats will make your speech not only harmonious in form, understandable in delivery, but also deep in content, as it will force you to constantly think about the essence of what you are saying on stage... Work on speech and words should always begin with division into speech beats or, in other words, from the placement of pauses.”

Connective pauses, not marked with punctuation, occur in sentences:

1. between the group of subject and predicate (unless the subject is expressed by a pronoun);

for example: My daughter / listened with curiosity.

1. between two subjects or between two predicates before the connecting conjunctions “and”, “yes” before the dividing conjunction “or”, etc.;

for example: The languor / and heat / intensified.

1. after adverbial words at the beginning of a sentence (less often, at the middle or end of a sentence).

for example: Since my school years / I have felt the beauty of the Russian language, / its strength / and density.

A disjunctive logical pause is placed between sentences if they do not directly develop each other’s thoughts.

for example: With this word he turned over on one leg and ran out of the room. /// Ibrahim, left alone, hastily opened the letter.

Backlash (connective pause) is very short, it is better to use it as an additional pause before the word that we want to highlight for some reason; like getting air.

Psychological pause - introduced into the text by the actor in the process of working on the role; in writing it can be indicated by an ellipsis. This pause belongs entirely to the realm of verbal action.

for example: I don’t love anyone and... I won’t love anyone again.

Close to the psychological pause is the so-called pause of silence or interrupted speech, when unsaid words are replaced by ellipses.

for example: His wife... however, they were completely happy with each other.

2.Punctuation marks

In the logical analysis of text, punctuation marks are considered as a graphic designation different types logical pauses. It happens that punctuation marks do not coincide with the intonation structure of the sentence. Then they remain only in written speech, and are not transmitted in spoken speech. The comma is “not readable” - this means that in oral speech In this case there should not be a pause coinciding with this comma.

for example: Everyone began to disperse, / realizing (,) that in such a wind / it was dangerous to fly.

There is a mandatory intonation inherent in each punctuation mark.

It shows the completion of a thought and the completeness of a sentence, and is associated with a strong lowering of the voice on the stressed word preceding it or standing close to it.

Stanislavsky spoke about the final point like this: “Imagine that we climbed the highest rock above a bottomless cliff, took a heavy stone and threw it down to the very bottom. This is how you need to learn to put periods when completing a thought.” In place of the point in the spoken speech, a disjunctive pause must necessarily appear.

for example: Following the words, the door slammed shut, and only one could hear the iron bolt sliding shut with a squeal. ///

However, there are not only “real” points. It may be that the period at the end suggests the development of thought in the next sentence. In this case, the voice necessarily goes down, but does not fall down as sharply as with the “real” point.

for example: Yellow clouds over Feodosia. / They seem ancient, medieval. // Heat. // The surf rattles tin cans. // A transparent stream of smoke rises far above the sea - a motor ship is coming from Odessa. ///

Semicolon

It separates and at the same time connects parts of one picture, one description into one whole. The voice in front of her drops somewhat, but not as much as with a full stop. In spoken speech, a semicolon denotes a connecting pause. Usually this pause is shorter than the one indicated by a dot.

for example: Scarlet clouds, round, as if tightly inflated, floated across the sky with the solemnity and slowness of swans; // scarlet clouds floated along the river, coloring not only the water, not only the light steam above the water, but also the wide glossy leaves of water lilies.

A comma usually shows that the thought is not finished.

The presence of a comma indicates a connecting pause, which is preceded by a rise in voice on the stressed word. The stressed word preceding the comma may not necessarily be immediately before the comma, but the rise in voice occurs precisely at the stressed word.

for example: The early willow fluffed up, / and a bee flew to it, / and the bumblebee hummed, / and the first butterfly folded its wings.

Before conjunctions (adversatives) “a”, “but”, “yes” (meaning “but”), before a comma, the voice is raised.

for example: Has the sea already darkened?, / and he was still looking at its distance, waiting for the boat.

When enumerating, the comma requires repeated, almost identical increases in voice on each of the words listed. The voice rises more strongly on the penultimate one listed, and on the last one the voice decreases to a point.

for example: These facades, / columns?, deserted windows? make me very nervous.

Sometimes a comma is “unreadable”, although according to the rules of punctuation it is where it should be (,). A comma means a pause and a rise in voice on the stressed word that precedes it. But if this word does not carry a semantic load, then it cannot be emphasized and emphasized.

The comma is “unreadable”:

) when the conjunction “and” is followed by an adverbial phrase;

) when it comes before subordinate clauses beginning with conjunctions and allied words “who”, “what”, “which”, etc.;

) when it comes before the comparative phrase;

) before and after the introductory word;

1. A comma may also be “unreadable” before the address at the end of the sentence.

for example: You (,) of course (,) everything is luxurious, / but I still prefer to dine at a hotel or in a club.

But a group of introductory words, as a rule, is distinguished by pauses.

for example: The heroine of this novel, / of course, / was Masha.

Colon

A colon usually indicates an intention to clarify, to list what is said before it. There should always be a connecting pause (logical) at the colon. Usually, before it, the voice on the preceding stressed word drops somewhat, but significantly less than on the dot. You should always remember that the main meaning is in the sentence after the colon.

for example: No one got into his car, / only property? loaded: / tents, / sleeping bags, / firewood, / axes.

The dash is found in both simple and complex sentences. It is posed with the goal of explaining what is in front of it, contrasting one phenomenon with another, etc. The dash shows a connecting pause and requires some raising of the voice on the stressed word preceding the sign.

for example: Were two figures moving towards me along a deserted stretch of street? - / male and female.

Question mark

The intonation of a question mark is conveyed by raising the voice on the stressed word of the question sentence. Types of interrogative sentences:

) without a question word;

1. with a question word (“when?”, “where?”, “to whom?”, “why?”, etc.).

In an interrogative sentence without a question word, the voice on the stressed syllable of the stressed word carrying the question rises sharply.

For example: ? Are you right with yourself?

for example: Why are you pretending?

It is important to remember that in a Russian interrogative sentence, after the word carrying the question, there can no longer be a rise in voice; all other words sound lower than the stressed word. Stanislavsky said that a question mark obliges listeners to answer.

Exclamation mark

The intonation of an exclamation mark requires energetic emphasis on the stressed word by raising (less often, lowering) the voice. According to Stanislavsky, the intonation of an exclamation mark “should evoke a reaction of sympathy, interest or protest.”

An exclamatory sentence can express any intention of the speaker or his verbal action: a request, a plea, a threat, a demand, an order, an accusation, a praise - generally a strong feeling.

for example: Time unforgettable?! Time for glory? and delight?! How hard did the Russian heart beat at the word fatherland?! How sweet were the tears of the date?!

Ellipsis

An ellipsis usually means something unspoken or implied. It can be at the end of a plot piece or at the end of a work. In this case, the voice on the stressed word preceding the ellipsis is lowered almost like a dot.

Stanislavsky says that with ellipses, “our voice does not rise up and does not fall down. He melts and disappears, without finishing the sentence, without putting it to the bottom, but leaving it hanging in the air.”

for example: I returned home; but the image of poor Akulina did not leave my head for a long time, and her cornflowers, long withered, are still kept in my possession...

An ellipsis in the middle of sentences implies a pause of interrupted speech - a pause of silence. In this case, the voice usually rises as much as necessary to mentally pronounce the words hidden under the ellipsis.

for example: The caretaker was sleeping under a sheepskin coat, my arrival woke him up; he stood up... / it was definitely Samson Vyrin; but how he has aged!

Words enclosed in brackets usually serve for additional explanation, clarification of the author's thoughts, or for a secondary comment. Individual words, phrases, and entire sentences can be placed in brackets. There is a special intonation of introduction, which is mandatory when reading parentheses.

Usually, before the brackets, the voice rises on the preceding stressed word, then during the brackets it decreases somewhat, and after closing the brackets, the voice returns to the same pitch that it would have been after the pause if there were no brackets there. Parentheses are always surrounded by pauses.

Inside the brackets, the voice should hardly change pitch; monotony—unstressedness—prevails here. However, within parentheses that include multiple words, there is always a word that requires emphasis by raising the voice. If the voice on the stressed word inside the brackets is not raised at all, then the intonation of a period will be heard inside the sentence and the sentence will end prematurely and lose its meaning. At the same time, the voice rise on the stressed word inside the brackets will be significantly less than in front of the brackets.

for example: The majesty of the river, / and the proximity of the sea / (you never know what can come here from the Gulf of Finland!) / kindled curiosity.

Quotation marks are used to highlight a word, a speech beat, or an entire sentence. Words in quotation marks must be emphasized intonationally using pauses surrounding the quotation marks (if this is direct speech or a quotation), emphasis on the word placed in quotation marks, changing the pitch of the voice, etc.

Quotes are highlighted with quotation marks; words used ironically or words unusual for a given text. In this case, it is necessary to highlight, especially actively underline, the word in quotation marks. This is done by using pauses before and after the word enclosed in quotation marks and by using logical stress on that word.

for example: Straightening up, Aleksandrov felt with pleasure that he had / “danced.”

The names of books, newspapers, magazines, etc. are highlighted in quotation marks. In this case, before or after the name in quotation marks, you need to make a short pause and emphasize the name somewhat.

for example: Roman Sholokhov / “Quiet Don”.

Quotation marks, which contain the direct speech or thoughts of the hero, his internal monologue, are pronounced as the performer sees fit.

3.Logical stress

Stress is the process of distinguishing a word or group of words from other words in a sentence or group of sentences using sound means.

The purpose of emphasis is to highlight the most important words for conveying a thought, expressing the essence of what is being said in a sentence or in a whole passage.

A word (or group of words) can be emphasized by strengthening or weakening the sound, raising or lowering the tone of the stressed word, or slowing down the rate of speech when pronouncing a word or group of words.

A stressed word can be emphasized if the stress is removed or almost removed from the remaining words of the sentence, if the pace of speech is deliberately slowed down when pronouncing a word (or sentence) that is important for conveying a thought, if the voice is especially raised (or lowered) on the word that is important for the meaning of the utterance. In some cases, an underlining accent may be placed on the stressed word, i.e. such stress that sharply highlights the stressed word, causing the listener to feel that there is a contrast outside the given sentence. In this case, the rise (or fall) of the voice on a stressed word is sharper and stronger than with normal stress.

Stanislavsky spoke about stress: “Stress is the index finger, marking the most important word in a phrase or measure!” A sentence may have one main stress and several secondary and tertiary stresses. In other words, one strong and one or several medium and weak stresses.

The same sentence, depending on the movement of logical stresses in it, can be filled with new meaning each time. It will depend on what the speaker wants to say.

There are three types of accents:

) tact - on a word within a speech tact;

) phrasal I - highlighting the main meaning of the speech tact in a sentence;

) phrasal II - when a whole phrase in a passage is highlighted using phrasal stress.

for example: The crooked lanes of the Arbat / were covered with snow.

This sentence has two speech beats. Each of them has its own bar stress: in the first bar - “Arbata” (subject group, definition), in the second - “snow” (predicate group, complement). “Arbat” here is highlighted with a secondary emphasis, and the word “snow” is emphasized with the main, meaning-bearing emphasis. The author with this phrase tells us about the time of year: it was winter. That is why “snow” is the main emphasis in this sentence.

Not every sentence contains phrasal stress I. The presence or absence of phrasal stress I depends entirely on the context, on main idea of this literary text. Phrase stress I carries a significant semantic load and often represents the semantic center of a small piece.

Phrase stress II plays an even more active role in a particular piece of plot and performs the functions of an “index finger”, marking the main idea of ​​a given piece of literary passage for the performer and listener.

Monotone - speech at the same (or almost the same) pitch. The power of speech is not in volume, but in sound contrasts. Those words that do not carry the main ideas should be blurred out and highlighted minimally. To do this, on most beat accents you need to raise your voice very little, this will help emphasize the most important thing to convey the meaning.

The Russian language is characterized by certain rules for placing stress in sentences; everyone who wants to learn how to convey a thought in sound should know them.

How to determine stressed words in each specific case? First of all, you need to use the context to understand what thought needs to be expressed, what to communicate to the listener. At the same time, there are a number of mandatory stresses inherent in our language, and there are rules for their placement. You cannot rely only on your taste - this will slow down your speech with random stresses and completely obscure the meaning.

A rule not related to the syntax of the Russian language, but entirely related to the rules of speech logic, requires placing emphasis on a new concept - the first mention in the text of any actor, object or phenomenon.

A new concept almost always receives the main emphasis, because it seems to introduce us to a new hero or a new phenomenon. With further repetition of a new concept in the text, the emphasis shifts from it to the words that characterize it.

Stanislavsky stage speech

4.Rules for reading simple sentences

In a simple, unexpanded sentence, the subject usually comes first and the predicate comes second. This sentence can be read in several ways. It would be more correct to read it “in two beats,” when the subject is one speech beat, and the predicate is the second. In this case, there is a small connecting pause between the subject and the predicate.

In such sentences, when pronouncing them out loud, we always hear a rise in the voice on the subject, before a logical pause, and a decrease in the voice to a point on the predicate.

for example: Masha? / fell asleep?.

However, if the subject is a pronoun, it usually does not receive logical stress and is not separated by a pause from the predicate. Such a simple sentence constitutes one speech beat, and the emphasis falls on the predicate.

for example: I agreed.

Much less often the subject that comes first can receive the main stress. This happens only in cases where it is the subject that carries the semantic load.

for example: Perfect nonsense / is being done in the world.

A special type of simple sentences is nominative (nominal) sentences. These are one-part sentences, usually representing a subject - a noun in the nominative case, alone or with words related to it. Such sentences name objects, phenomena, characterize the scene of action, setting, etc.

for example: Sun. / Sineva. / Golden flight - / leaf fall. / Silence.

IN nominative sentences the stress most often falls on the subject.

In dramaturgy they are found very often in the form of stage directions.

for example: Blooming meadow. / Dawn.

Nominative titles include titles of books, articles, proper names, and dates. Stanislavsky said that in such a sentence the last word receives the strongest emphasis due to the lowering of the voice. There cannot be logical pauses inside such sentences.

for example: Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

In a simple common sentence, in addition to the main members, there are secondary ones: definitions, additions, circumstances. Thanks to them, the groups of subject and predicate increase, and sometimes the minor members form separate groups.

The definition refers to the subject group. A definition, unless it is isolated, is never separated by a pause from the word being defined. There are several types of definitions: agreed definitions, inconsistent definitions and applications.

Agreed definitions can be expressed by adjectives, participles, numerals, pronouns. If they come before the defined nouns, they do not receive stress (an exception may be if there is opposition or isolation). In this case, the emphasis falls on the word being defined - the noun.

for example: Mossy tiles. Old elms. Gloomy air.

When an adjective modifier comes after the noun it modifies, it receives slightly more stress than when it comes before the word it modifies.

Violation of the usual word order in a sentence is called inversion.

The use of inversion allows the writer to highlight the word he needs to convey the meaning. As soon as this word falls “out of place,” the reader’s attention is drawn to it.

There are two types of inconsistent definitions:

) definition - noun in the genitive case.

In this case, the definition and the word being defined always form one speech beat, and the emphasis falls on the definition - on the noun in the genitive case.

for example: It was then that I remembered / the most wondrous of all magical countries - / the country of my childhood.

An inconsistent definition with the word being defined - “the country of (my) childhood” - is highlighted by phrasal stress I. And here the definition (“childhood”) receives greater emphasis.

) definition - a noun with a preposition.

At inconsistent definition- a noun with a preposition - the emphasis always falls on the definition - a noun with a preposition (an exception can only be caused by the presence of opposition in the context).

for example: Olya carried a box with a turtle / and looked into the holes.

In the phrase “box with a turtle,” the noun with a preposition (“with a turtle”) receives more emphasis, rather than the word being defined (“box”), since this noun with a preposition highlights the distinctive feature of the object (not just “box”, but “box with a turtle").

A special type of definition is an appendix. It is usually expressed as a noun and agrees with the word it defines in case. This is like the second name of the subject. The stress usually falls on the qualifying word after the application, especially if that word is a proper noun.

for example: Grandfather Kuzma / lived with his granddaughter Varyusha / in the village of Mokhovoe near the forest.

There are three application definitions here; in all cases, the emphasis falls on the words being defined - proper names: “Kuzma”, “Varyushey” and “Mokhovoye”.

The (agreed) definitions should also include participial phrases. If the participial phrase stands before the noun being defined and is not specifically isolated, it is read together with the noun. for example: Windows facing the forest are visible.

If the participial phrase comes after the word being defined and, therefore, is separated by commas, then the second comma is “readable”, there is a clear pause on it, while the first comma is almost “unreadable”. The emphasis in this case falls on the end of the participial phrase.

for example: The almost full moon hit the windows (,) facing the forest.

Addition - minor member sentences, most often belonging to the predicate group. This is usually a noun in the indirect case. The emphasis most often falls on the complement. An exception may be if the addition comes first in the sentence. The addition almost always makes up one speech beat with the predicate, but if the addition consists of several words, there may be a slight pause or backlash before them.

for example: Young players / redoubled their attention.

In this example, the predicate and the object are in the same speech beat, the emphasis falls on the object. The addition also carries the main emphasis in the sentence.

Adverbial words can denote time, place, reason, purpose, course of action, i.e. there are circumstances of place, reasons, goals, etc. Usually adverbials form a separate group and are separated from the subject group or predicate group by a pause. In a group of adverbial words, the last word usually receives secondary or tertiary stress.

for example: Soon / on one side of the street / from behind the coal house / a young officer appeared.

There are two types of circumstances here: the circumstance of time (“soon”) and the circumstance of place (“on the same side of the street” and “from behind the coal house”). Of these, the stronger emphasis falls on that of the adverbial words that stands on last place(“at home”), but the main emphasis in the sentence will fall not on the adverbial words, but on the end of the sentence, on the subject.

If circumstances come last in a sentence, then usually they receive the main emphasis.

for example: My troika / ran very fast.

The emphasis of the entire sentence falls on the last-place adverbial “very” (adverbial manner of action). There is no pause between the predicate and the circumstance.

Homogeneous members of the sentence.

They serve the same function in a sentence and are most often read with the intonation of enumeration. Exceptions are those cases when there is a special opposition of one homogeneous member to another. for example: The principle is important to me, not salon expressions.

With enumerative intonation, each of the homogeneous members receives stress and is separated from the other by a pause. The voice on each of them rises. The rises in voice on successive homogeneous members are of the same type. The voice rises most strongly on the penultimate of the homogeneous words, and on the last one it decreases, the emphasis on this word is the strongest. This last decrease is especially noticeable when the list of homogeneous members completes the sentence.

for example: Pulcheria Ivanovna’s room / was all lined up chests, / boxes, / drawers? / and chests?.

In sentences of this type, the predicate or another member of the sentence plays the role of a generalizing word (this is the predicate “set”, which, as it were, unites all homogeneous members offers). The sentence may also contain a real generalizing word. It can appear both before and after homogeneous members. If a generalizing word comes before the enumeration, then a short pause is necessary after this word, which will allow it to be attributed to each of the homogeneous members of the sentence that follow it.

for example: Everything was here: the river, the forest, and extraordinary silence.

When the enumeration is preceded by a colon, the voice rises on the stressed word before the colon, and after the colon, homogeneous ones are read as mentioned above.

Homogeneous members of a sentence can be isolated. In this case, they are distinguished by pauses and a gradual increase in voice at each of them.

for example: Healthy, young, strong, / they picked up Antipas, almost lifted him into the air / and threw him onto the deck.

Homogeneous members of a sentence also include the repetition of words. Repetition of words is a stylistic device of the writer used to characterize and especially emphasize the meaning, emotional coloring, and rhythm of events.

When there is a repetition in the text, then when reading aloud, each of the repeated homogeneous words receives emphasis, and on each subsequent repeated word the emphasis intensifies.

for example: Hurry, / hurry / pass this ruinous place!

Stanislavsky divides “repeated words” into words with “increasing energy” and words with “ebb of energy.” An example of “increasing energy” was given above. In the case of an “ebb of energy,” the stress weakens towards the end of the repetition. Often such repetitions end with an ellipsis. Whenever a repetition is encountered, one must decide what type it belongs to.

for example: Wind. And snow, / snow, / snow...

Introductory words and introductory sentences.

Participial phrases.

Introductory words and sentences give a thought one or another shade, expressing the speaker’s attitude towards a fact or character, indicating the degree of reliability of the message, the source of the statement, etc.

Introductory words include: “of course,” “probably,” “undoubtedly,” “however,” “obviously,” “it seems.”

Very often, single introductory words are not highlighted or almost not highlighted either by a pause or stress, i.e. a comma after or before an introductory comma is “not readable”. The introductory word is usually included in the speech beat that it precedes, in the middle or at the end of which it stands. for example: Probably (,) he just got cold feet / and left.

But sometimes introductory words are separated by a small pause or are surrounded by pauses and then, therefore, receive a slight emphasis. Moreover, if the introductory word is at the beginning of the sentence and is read with a pause after it, then the voice on the introductory word rises. If it is in the middle or at the end of a sentence, then the voice on it is slightly lowered. Such introductory words are pronounced with introductory intonation, which is distinguished by a lowering of the voice on the introductory word, as if there was no emphasis, and some acceleration of the rate of speech when pronouncing an introductory word or several introductory words.

for example: There is no doubt / there must be a lot of mines / in this area.

Here the introductory word is separated by a pause from the second speech beat, it is highlighted with a slight emphasis, and the voice on it rises.

Also, as an introductory one - “introductory technique” - gerunds and participial phrases are read. Voice on participial phrase is omitted as when reading parentheses, and so that the sentence does not end prematurely, the stressed vowel of the gerund is pronounced with a slight increase in voice. This increase will be somewhat less than the increase in voice in the speech bars preceding and following the gerund. The strongest rise in voice will be before the participle.

for example: Mother / and son?, / bowing, / followed the master?.

Using the introductory technique, words can be read that introduce the hero’s direct speech (the so-called “author’s remark”). When reading from the “author’s remark,” the voice usually lowers somewhat and, most often, the tempo of the spoken text speeds up somewhat.

for example: - Five miles away! - / Chichikov exclaimed / and even felt a slight heartbeat.

Comparative turnover.

Inside a simple sentence there may be comparative phrases with comparative conjunctions and allied words “like”, “exactly”, “as if”, etc.

In comparative turnover, what we compare with, i.e. the comparison itself always receives emphasis. Very often there may be no pause before the comparative phrase; the comma is “unreadable”.

for example: A star / appeared in this green emptiness, / shimmering, / sparkled (,) as if washed.

But depending on the meaning, pauses on commas before the comparative phrase may remain, and then the comparative phrase is read using the introductory technique.

for example: He, / like Dickens, / cries over the pages of his manuscript, // groans in pain, / like Flaubert, // or laughs, / like Gogol.

Appeal.

When an address is at the beginning of a sentence, it usually receives secondary stress and is separated by a pause from subsequent words (a comma after it is “read”).

for example: “Pavel Vasilich, / some lady came there, / asking for you,” / Luka reported.

If the address is in the middle of a sentence, then it happens that the comma preceding it is “not read”, and the comma after the address is “readable”.

for example: Please tell me (,) Daria Ivanovna, / how old were you then?

If the address is at the end of a sentence, then it is usually separated by a pause from the preceding words - the comma is “read”. The main emphasis falls not on the address, but on the previous words that carry a semantic load.

for example: How glad I am, / dear Maxim Maksimych!

5.About logical perspective

Logical perspective is the delivery of the main idea when reading aloud a sentence, a “chain” of several sentences that are complete in thought and composition, a passage, a story, an article, a monologue, etc.

Stanislavsky called perspective “a calculated harmonic relationship and distribution of parts while embracing the whole.”

He spoke about the features of logical perspective as follows:

“In the perspective of transmitted thought (logical perspective), logic and consistency play an important role in the development of thought and in creating the relationship of parts throughout the whole. This perspective in the unfolding thought is created by a long series of stressed words that give meaning to the phrase. Just as in a word we highlight this or that syllable, and in a phrase this or that word, we should highlight the most important phrases in a large thought, and in a whole long story, dialogue, monologue - their most important components, just like in the whole big scene, act, etc. - their most important episodes. The result is a string of impact moments that differ from each other in strength and convexity.”

In other words, in order for speech to have perspective, you need to know the main idea of ​​the passage and create sound relationships between all stressed (strong, medium, weak) and unstressed words that make up a sentence or a series of sentences.

In order to convey his thoughts and feelings most accurately and expressively, the performer must first of all master the technique of conveying a logical perspective in sound. The inner cannot be expressed without the help of the outer.

By determining, in direct dependence on the idea of ​​a whole sentence or passage, the main and secondary stresses, pronouncing the corresponding parts of the text using the “introductory technique”, etc., we come to convey the main idea of ​​the passage. The ability to highlight the main thing, without missing or crumpling the secondary and tertiary, the ability to lead listeners “to the goal” - to the end of a sentence, passage, story - is the ability to convey a logical perspective.

Conveying a logical perspective requires coordinating stresses of varying strength and quality. This is similar to different plans in painting - in comparison, used by Stanislavsky. In painting the most important things are brought to the fore; less important things are in the second or third place; finally, the least important is almost imperceptibly, obscured.

“In our speech there are the same plans that give the perspective of the phrase. The most important word stands out most clearly and is brought to the very first sound plane. Less important words create whole series of deeper plans,” writes Stanislavsky.

The logical perspective (the perspective of the conveyed thought) depends on what is important for a given play, story, article, or for a given literary passage. In full dependence on this, the main stress words of the passage should be established and it can be decided what exactly in this case is secondary, i.e. the logical perspective, its “construction” depends on the idea of this work and from the tasks of the performer.

Stanislavsky wrote: “Only when we study what we are reading as a whole and know the perspective of the entire work, can we correctly arrange the plans, beautifully distribute the component parts in harmonic relationships and convexly sculpt them in verbal form.

Only after the actor has thought through, analyzed, experienced the entire role as a whole, and a distant, beautiful, alluring prospect opens up before him, does his speech become, so to speak, far-sighted, and not short-sighted, as before. Then he will be able to play not individual tasks, speak not individual phrases, words, but entire thoughts and periods.”

When determining stress, Stanislavsky advises, first of all, choosing “among the entire phrase one most important word and highlighting it with emphasis. After this, you should do the same with less important, but still highlighted words. As for the unimportant, unselected, secondary words that are needed for the overall meaning, they must be relegated to the background and faded out.”

for example: And again / it became boring, / it was quiet / and dull all around.

The circumstances of the course of action in this example “outweigh”, since they characterize the situation.

Stanislavsky states: “Even the smallest independent phrase, taken separately, has its own short perspective. A whole thought, consisting of many sentences, especially cannot do without it.”

So, even a small phrase has its own perspective. What does this mean? This means that in short phrase there is its own “goal” - the main stressed word that carries the main idea - and there are secondary stresses. For example:

Larisa. This matter is over: he does not exist for me. (A. Ostrovsky. “Dowry.”)

With these words, Larisa renounces her fiancé, Karandyshev. The main word, without which her renunciation cannot be expressed, is “does not exist.” The secondary emphasis falls on the word “finished.” “It’s over,” taken alone, may seem to be a word that better expresses the end of the relationship between Larisa and Karandyshev. But we must not forget that after the word “finished” Ostrovsky does not have a period, but a colon, and by this he wants to say that the idea of ​​the end will still be revealed and Karandyshev will be completely destroyed by Larisa’s subsequent words.

And indeed, after the colon there is the main word that erases Karandyshev from Larisa’s life - he “does not exist.” A very weak emphasis on the word “deed” can be completely removed; then there will be one speech beat before the colon, and another one after the colon. The words “this” and “he is for me” are blurred and do not bear emphasis. All this helps to highlight more clearly the important word for thought “over” in the first part of the phrase and the most important thing - “does not exist” - in the second part.

Thus, the emphasis in this phrase will be as follows:

This matter is over: / he does not exist for me.

6.Rules for reading complex sentences

A complex sentence is a complete syntactic whole in semantic and intonation terms. It can consist of two or several parts (simple sentences).

Complex sentences are divided into compound and complex sentences. The components of complex sentences can be connected by coordinating (“and”, “a”, “yes”, “but”, “or”, etc.) or subordinating (“that”, “so that”, “how”, “ when”, “if”, “although”, “because”, etc.) conjunctions.

There may also be non-union complex sentences. In them, intonation takes on a special role.

Compound sentences are a combination of two or more relatively equal simple sentences into one whole.

The parts of such a sentence are connected by coordinating conjunctions. These can be connecting conjunctions (“and”, “neither... nor...”, “too”, “also”), adversative conjunctions (“a”, “but”, “yes”, “but”, “ same", "however") and disjunctive conjunctions ("or... or...", "that... that...", "not that... not that...").

Parts of complex sentences are sometimes independent, forming, as it were, a chain of simple sentences. When analyzing and reading such sentences, you need to analyze each simple sentence, not forgetting the logical perspective of the entire (complex) sentence.

A complex sentence very often has a main phrasal stress I and several secondary stresses. Each honor is separated from another by a connecting logical pause. The stresses are arranged in increasing order and the last part receives the strongest stress.

for example: Several minutes passed, / and Silvio / broke the silence.

In this example, there are two simple sentences separated by a comma. The first simple sentence is one speech beat, the emphasis in it falls on the last word - “minutes”. The second simple sentence has two speech beats; the second speech beat of this sentence can carry the phrasal stress I. It will be the main stress of this complex sentence.

When an adversative conjunction is found in a complex sentence, this indicates the opposition of one phenomenon to another contained in the sentence. Opposed phenomena always receive emphasis. In this case, the emphasis on what is opposed is usually associated with a rise in voice, and the emphasis on what is opposed is associated with a decrease in voice; this last emphasis is stronger.

for example: On her dress / were sewn not flowers?, / but some kind of dried mushrooms?.

A complex sentence is a complex sentence that has a main part and a subordinate part connected to the main part by subordinating conjunction or allied word.

Both the main and subordinate parts of this sentence are subject to analysis: there must be logical pauses of appropriate duration in them or between them. Each complex sentence has a main stress, a secondary stress, and a logical perspective.

In many complex sentences, the main stress most often falls on the end of the subordinate clause.

IT IS FORBIDDEN! make a pause close to a pause at a period before a subordinate clause with a comma.

In complex sentences, the rule of reading by commas is most often violated; this is where they most often “cannot be read.”

for example: I ran home, / proud / that I was able to complete the assignment.

In this example, the first comma is "read". In the first speech beat, the adverbial place “home” receives emphasis. But if you pause after the second comma, then the pronoun “them” will be highlighted by the pause, which does not carry any semantic load in the sentence. What is important here is what exactly one is “proud of”.

Therefore, it would be more correct to pause after the word “proud” and place a slight emphasis on this word, and then read the second half of the sentence as one speech bar with the main emphasis on the addition (“order”). This way the thought will be most fully conveyed: “I was proud that I fulfilled the order.”

There may be cases where a clause should be read as an introductory clause (this most often applies to attributive clauses).

for example: On a snowy cliff, / where there were yellow spots / and streaks of ash (,) that had been raked out of the stoves this morning, / small figures were moving.

Here the first subordinate clause (“where the spots and stripes from the ash turned yellow”) is separated from the main part by a pause, and the second subordinate clause (“which was raked out of the ovens today”) is attached to the first without a pause.

There may be types of complex sentences where subordinate clauses are usually separated from the main part, although they are not read using the introductory technique.

for example: Like everything - / and poetry loses its holy simplicity, / when poetry is made into a profession.

If a subordinate clause of the same type comes first, then a pause after the subordinate clause is also required.

for example: And when the moon rises, / the night becomes pale and languid.

When in a complex sentence there are conditional clauses (“if”, “if”) and tense clauses (“when”, “since”,

“after”, “while”, etc.), they always have a certain sound pattern when read aloud.

Stanislavsky called subordinate clauses a “two-generation period.” He argued that in such an intonation figure “after a sound rise, at the very top, where the comma merges with a logical pause, after a bend and temporary stop of speech, the voice sharply falls down, to the very bottom.”

When reading conditional subordinate clauses and subordinate clauses during training, you should feel the inherent active movement of the voice “to the top” and its obligatory fall down at the end.

for example: If imagination disappears?, / then a person / will cease to be a person?.

When a comparative subordinate clause (“like”, “exactly”, “as if”, etc.) is found in a complex sentence, this subordinate clause takes precedence and the main emphasis in the sentence always falls on it, especially if it is at the end of the sentence. When this clause comes before the main part of the sentence, the main stress is usually also retained on it, rather than on the main part.

for example: The girl / sat on the chair so carefully, / as if she was afraid (,) that the chair / would fly away from under her.

In this example, the comparative clause is separated from the main part by a logical connecting pause, which makes it possible to compare the main part with the subordinate clause. The main stress also falls on the second part of the subordinate clause: “the chair will fly away from under her.”

When in complex sentences there are comparative clauses with the conjunctive words “than... that...”, “just as”, etc., the emphasis falls on both compared phenomena. In this case, the one of the compared phenomena that comes first usually receives slightly less emphasis, associated with raising the voice. The main emphasis associated with lowering the voice goes to the one compared that comes in last place.

for example: The higher the sun, / the more birds/ and their twitter is more cheerful.

Here two phenomena are compared: “the sun is higher” - on the one hand, and “more birds” and “more cheerful chirping” - on the other. They all get emphasis. Of these, the main emphasis falls on the second word from the second group of compared ones - “twitter”, which is in last place.

By the nature of their constituent parts (simple sentences), non-union complex sentences are close to either complex or complex sentences. In the first case, their parts are relatively independent and reading them most often requires the intonation of enumeration (with small even pauses), comparison or contrast (in the last two cases - with a longer pause between parts of different pitches: from raising to lowering).

for example (listing intonation): The snowstorm / did not subside?, / the sky / did not clear?.

Non-union complex sentences, close in meaning to complex sentences, express the interdependence of phenomena (conditionality, causality), reveal the content of one part of the sentence in another, etc. The intonation of these sentences is close to the intonation of the corresponding complex sentences, but with a sharper melodic break between parts, because It is intonation that connects the sentence into one whole and conveys the relationship of parts without the help of conjunctions.

for example: Fight alone? / - life cannot be turned around?.

All parts of a non-union complex sentence are subject to the same analysis as we subject a simple common sentence. Each part of it has different stress levels, and all of them are subordinated to the main phrasal stress I, usually in last place and representing the last part non-union proposal.

Reading a non-conjunctive sentence with an enumerative connection is in many ways similar to reading homogeneous members: the entire penultimate part, and especially its stressed word, rises, and the last part, as the last of the homogeneous ones, is all lowered to a point.

for example: But the sunbeam / went out; // the frost / grew stronger / and began to tingle my nose; // twilight / thick; // gas / flashed from shops and shops.

There are four parts to this sentence. Each of them is a simple sentence, and the stresses within it follow the rules for placing stress in simple sentences.

The entire sentence should be read with the intonation of enumeration, as homogeneous members of the sentence are read. The entire last part - “gas flashed from stores and shops” - is close to reading with phrasal stress II, but the main stressed word in this case is not at the end of the sentence. In terms of meaning, it is better to emphasize the subject “gas”. This word carries the main meaning, as it means light in the windows of shops as a sign of evening.

A special type of complex sentence is a period. A period is a very branched complex sentence, with many subordinate clauses. This kind of proposal gives the author the opportunity to present in detail and develop any idea, to paint a bigger picture. The period is an independent part, complete in content, within a literary work. The construction of a period resembles a vicious circle, a ring. For the author, the period is a special stylistic device. The very construction of the period contains a special rhythm, which is created through a certain organization of the text within each part, as well as through raising and lowering the voice, slowing down or speeding up the tempo of speech when reading the period.

A period always consists of two parts. The first part of the period is usually longer than the second and contains a complex enumeration consisting of several relatively small parts.

The entire first part is read with a gradual increase in voice on the stressed words within each part. The voice rises to its maximum on the main stressed word at the end of the first part.

Between the first and second parts of the period there is the longest pause (the author often puts a dash here). This pause represents, as it were, a boundary between parts. After this pause, a sharp melodic change occurs. When moving to the second part, the voice drops sharply compared to the first part.

The second part of the period is called the conclusion (“conclusion”) of the period. It is usually much shorter than the first part. Inside it, the voice on the stressed words rises somewhat, but these increases are less than in the first part, and the maximum decrease in the voice occurs on the main stressed word of the entire period, located at the end of the second part. This is where the final point comes in.

Typically, periods are conditional (“if...”) and temporary (“when...”); There are also periods of concession (“no matter how...”, “although...”).

Stanislavsky gives practical advice on how to prepare for reading the period. Analyzing the reading of Othello’s monologue, he says: “I make sure that the second bar is stronger than the first, the third is stronger than the second, the fourth is stronger than the third! Do not shout! Volume is not strength! Strength is in the rise!.. However, if each measure is raised by a third, then forty words of a phrase will require a range of three octaves! He's gone! That’s why after the increase I pull down! Five notes - up, two - draw! Total: only third! And the impression is like a fifth! Then again four notes up and two - pull down! Total: only two notes of increase. And the impression is four! And so all the time.”

for example: If you are eight years old, / and you have blue eyes, / and one hand is in compote, / and the other is in putty, // and if you have a brother / who is five years old, / who has a runny nose / and who every five minutes loses her handkerchief, // and if your mother / leaves for the whole day - /// then / it becomes very difficult for you to live.

In this example, the first part, as usual, is significantly longer than the second. The author places a dash on the border between the first and second parts. The first part is divided into three pieces, each of the pieces is a conditional clause. The pauses between pieces of the first part will be longer than the pauses between speech bars within the first part. The pause separating the first part of the period from the second and indicated by a dash will be longer, and the voice on the stressed word preceding it (“day”) will rise most strongly, since this is the main stressed word of the first part.

In such a relatively short text, the reader should have enough range of his voice to raise his voice at each new piece of the first part. But if this turns out to be difficult, then even on this text you can apply Stanislavsky’s advice about “pulling down” after an increase. Then, raising your voice on the word “putty,” you need to start again from medium height on the words “if you have a brother.” Having reached the “top” of the second piece - “shawl”, raise your voice again, but the increase will be only slightly higher than it was on the word “putty”.

The same should be done in the third piece (“and if your mother...”), but here you need to sharply raise your voice on the main stressed word of the first part - “day”. It is necessary to pause between the first and second parts and only after that you can move on to the second part of the period. After a pause with the words “then then,” the voice drops sharply (compared to the height on the word “day”) - here the second part of the period begins, conclusion, summary, conclusion. The word “difficult” is the end, the maximum lowering of the voice, a full stop.

References

1. Aksenov V.N. Art artistic word. M. "Art", 1954.
2. Artobolevsky G.V. Essays on artistic reading. M., Uchpedgiz, 1959.
3. Golovina O.M., Verbovskaya N.P., Urnova V.V. The art of speech. M., " Soviet Russia", 1954.
4. Zaporozhets T.I. Logic of stage speech. M., “Enlightenment”, 1974.
5. "Sounding Word" M., “Iskusstvo”, 1969.
6. Saricheva E.F. Scenic speech. M., “Iskusstvo”, 1955.
7. Saricheva E.F. Working on the word. M., “Iskusstvo”, 1956.
8. Stanislavsky K.S. An actor's work on himself. M., “Iskusstvo”, 1951.
9. Shevelev N.N. Logic of speech. M., 1959.

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LOGIC OF STAGE SPEECH

MOSCOW "ENLIGHTENMENT" 1974

795.7 3-33

3-33 Logic of stage speech. Textbook benefit for theatre. and cult.-enlightenment. textbook establishments. M., “Enlightenment”, 1974.

128 p. with ill.

In order for the thoughts contained in the text to be perceived by the audience from the stage, the future actor needs to know the means and rules of the logic of stage speech.

This textbook outlines the content of the course on the logic of stage speech, studied at the Nm Theater School. at the theater nm. Evg. Vakhtangov

The manual carefully and tastefully selects literary material that can be used for training.

PREFACE

The author of this book, Tatyana Ivanovna Zaporozhets, is one of the leading teachers of the Theater School named after the Evg. Vakhtangov. For thirty years now she has been teaching the students of this school the skill of expressive stage speech.

Working tirelessly to improve the teaching methods of her subject and theoretically developing its most important problems, she achieved very significant results. This is convincingly evidenced by the annual graduation of such artists from the Shchukin School, who turn out to be not only actors of drama theaters who have an excellent command of expressive words on stage, but also qualified masters of artistic reading.

These successes are largely due to the inclusion in the program of the stage speech course, developed by Zhets, of a special section, which is the content of this textbook. This section is called “Logic of Stage Speech”.

The purpose of this section is to develop the ability to express thoughts clearly and distinctly. This ability is a prerequisite for artistic speech. By itself, it does not provide high artistic quality. sounding word- its emotionality and vivid imagery, but is a necessary precondition for this quality. In the absence of logic, it is impossible to achieve high artistry. Therefore, the section “Logic of Speech” occupies a middle place in the program of the entire stage speech course between two sections: the initial section, “Speech Technique,” ​​and the final section, “Artistic Reading.”

Neglect of the laws and rules that determine the logic of speech entails an extremely sad consequence: lack of skill. at the very beginning of his book, he rightly notes that in connection with the development of radio broadcasting, television, cinema and the increase in the number of oratory performances, lectures, etc., interest in spoken speech is growing. But along with this, it should also be noted that the average level of artistic quality of stage speech is still far from being at the level that can satisfy us. True, there are actors who have an excellent command of stage speech, there are renowned masters of artistic reading, of whom we are rightfully proud, but we are not talking about them now, but about the average level. After all, how often, listening to the radio or sitting in the theater, in the cinema, in front of the TV screen, we are annoyed by the low quality of the actor’s speech. It happens that we are offended by its false theatricality, which manifests itself in excessive declamation, false pathos or tearful sentimentality, and when reading poetry, in a monotonous howl that deprives the work of any meaning.

However, lately, the cause of annoyance is more often not these, but the opposite shortcomings: slurred speech, its colorlessness, dullness, lack of musicality, lack of expression... “What did he say? What did he say?" - spectators sitting in the theater often ask each other, until one of them completely loses patience and begins to ask: “Louder!.. Louder!”

But it's not about volume at all. You can shout on stage, but the audience still won’t hear or understand anything. The main problem is the lack of real skill.

This misfortune is facilitated by a very harmful prejudice, as if one should speak on stage “as in life.” But in life too often they speak poorly, hastily, in an incomprehensible tongue twister, dividing each phrase into many parts, and thus turning any text into some kind of “chopped cabbage”.

You can speak like this on stage only in cases where they want to make bad speech a characteristic feature of a given character, meaning its satirical ridicule. In all other cases, you need to speak better, brighter, more expressively on stage than in life.

Life speech is often trivial, boring, monotonous. Imitating her on stage, the actor involuntarily falls into that “mumbling realism” that so irritates the audience. Becoming a phenomenon of art and subject to the requirements of mastery, stage speech does not lose the naturalness and simplicity of life speech; on the contrary, it acquires even greater naturalness and simplicity and at the same time becomes capable of expressing human thoughts and feelings with a much greater degree of strength, clarity, accuracy, clarity and beauty than in life.

Russian speech is characterized by musicality and melody. Unfortunately, in real life Russian speech often turns from musically melodic into roughly clattering: vowel sounds are crumpled, “eaten up,” and consonants sound like a drum roll.

The task of theatrical art is not to descend to the level of shortcomings that are sometimes inherent in life speech, not to naturalistically copy its imperfections, but to provide positive examples, inspiring examples of the highest quality, to infect viewers and listeners with a love for the beauty of the Russian language and thus contribute to the improvement of its sound in real life. life.

Mastering the technique and logic of stage speech are the most important stages on this path.

Let us say in advance that practical mastery of the laws and rules discussed in this manual is not an easy task. Success can be achieved through numerous exercises, the implementation of which should gradually become easy, relaxed, unconscious... But it is known that persistent and hard work is the key to success in any art.

B. ZAHAVA,

rector of the Theater School named after. , People's Artist of the USSR, Doctor of Art History

The textbook “The Logic of Stage Speech” is an attempt to consistently present the content of the course on the logic of stage speech, studied at the Theater School. (higher education institution).

The course on the logic of stage speech, which is one of the sections of the subject “Stage speech”, is studied at our school during the 1st and 2nd semesters of the second year of study in the acting and correspondence directing departments.

Studying the section of the logic of stage speech precedes our work on literary reading and at the same time is the beginning of work on the text. Subsequently, in the 3rd and 4th years of study, students constantly apply the knowledge they have acquired when analyzing passages for literary reading and when working on roles in educational performances.

The basis of our work on the logic of stage speech is the provisions of Stanislavsky, proposed by him in the book “The Actor’s Work on Oneself.” Stanislavsky gave actors, theater students educational institutions and to everyone who deals with the sounding word, the basics of all sections that make up the subject “Stage speech”.

He revealed the essence of each section, showed how to work on the word, and persistently encouraged the actors to improve their skills. Addressing his students in his book “The Actor’s Work on Oneself,” Stanislavsky wrote:

“I made it clear to you in a little practice how many technical methods of voice development, sound colors, intonations, all kinds of drawings, all kinds of stress, logical and psychological pauses, etc. and so on. Artists must have and develop it in themselves in order to respond to the demands that our art places on word and speech.”

Our textbook is structured in such a way that those working on studying the rules of the logic of stage speech begin their acquaintance with a particular rule with a description of its features and methods of practical mastery of it. After the presentation of the rule, specially selected examples follow, analyzed by the author and clearly confirming the rule. They serve for training and solid assimilation of the rules. Only after these examples have been worked out can you move on to the exercises. They can be analyzed and read under the supervision of a teacher or offered to students as homework.

When performing each of the exercises, it is necessary to perform a graphical analysis of the text, as shown in our drawings. It may also be useful to independently select texts for the exercise for each of the rules. Such texts must be worked out in detail: the place of logical pauses and stress in each sentence is determined, and a graphical analysis of each of them is performed.

Ministry of Culture Russian Federation

Federal State educational institution higher vocational education

"Orlovsky state institute arts and culture"

LOGIC OF SPEECH IN STAGE ART

textbook for the specialty:

071301 "People's artistic creativity»,

profile: “Head of an amateur theater”

Orel-2013

UDC 792.076

BBK 85.334

Reviewers:

Aleshina L.V.. - Doctor of Philology, Professor;

Knyazeva O.V.- Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation, Professor.

Ivanova L.V.

Logic of speech in performing arts. Tutorial. - Orel, Oryol State Institute of Arts and Culture, 2013. - 80 p.

In order to correctly and convincingly convey from the stage the idea contained in the text, students need to know the existing means and rules of speech logic in the performing arts.

This textbook presents a theoretical course where the rules for “reading” punctuation marks in the Russian language, the rules for placing all types of logical pauses and logical stresses, reading various types period and practical material for independent work students.

The textbook is accompanied by a disk with a recording of academic student work on stage speech from the first to fourth years (descriptive prose, plot prose, prose monologues).

UDC 792.076

BBK 85.334

(c) OGIIC, 2013

(c) L.V. Ivanova, 2013

Introduction

“The logic of stage speech” is one of the sections of the course “stage speech”. Its study precedes work on artistic reading and constitutes the beginning of students’ work on the text.

The teaching methodology of this section is based on the provisions of K.S. Stanislavsky, formulated by him in the book “The Actor’s Work on Oneself.” Stanislavsky presented the basics of all sections that make up the subject “Stage Speech,” deeply revealing the essence of each section and persistently urging actors to improve their skills.

Often both actors and directors reject the laws of speech logic, believing that this is a simple formality. They mistakenly expect that the thought will “express itself” if the speaker has deep feelings. Of course, having them in your creative arsenal is an important component. But one can hardly confine oneself to the intuition of feeling - this is an element, and one must be able to direct this “element” into the right direction. In order to correctly read from a page the complex, often filling half a page or more, phrases of Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or to combine the capacity of Pushkin’s sentences into one whole, or to preserve the integrity of the deep psychologism of the modern prose of Abramov, Astafiev, Rasputin, Bely.

In order for the performer’s feelings to not exist separately from the author’s thought, it is necessary to learn to analyze complex phrases, highlighting those that are fundamental to the author’s thought in the work.

Highlighting the main thing in a thought will help get rid of multi-stress, will take you away from incorrect stresses, and will protect you from unnecessary pauses.

Studying the basics of stage speech logic and consistent training in logical reading of various texts will help actors and directors master the art of spoken word logic in further work on roles and passages, and solve complex creative problems.

At first, the mistake of many students is that they begin their work on the text not with logical analysis, but with a search for intonation patterns. During practice, you can often hear from students that following the rules of logical reading suppresses creative individuality. But if the performer focuses only on conveying his visions and feelings, he will prevent listeners from understanding the work in its entirety. This is a fairly common mistake in the practice of literary reading, since one can only arrive at the only correct intonation “from the inside,” revealing the content and performing precise semantic tasks. Stanislavski defines intonation as “the result of vision, attitude, action.” Here's how People's Artist of the USSR V.O. writes about it. Toporkov: “To memorize, remember certain intonations that we encounter in life, and mechanically transfer them to the stage is useless and hardly possible.” He sees only “one right path” suggested by “life” - to “see” in detail, vividly, mentally what we are talking about. As a result of such a vision, “genuine living” intonation will appear, filled with the subtle, unique charm of nuances... No effort, no artificial search for intonation can achieve the accuracy that our nature creates.”

For a deep understanding of the rules of logical reading, examples are given from the works of Russian and Soviet writers. The ability to logically correctly read a text is not a simple formality that is alien to spoken language. The rules of logical reading developed in the process of observations and generalizations characteristic features the living Russian language used by writers, theater workers, and linguists.

A director who neglects the rules of speech logic cannot achieve the intended goal, since when reading a play, he cannot convey the intended idea to the performers himself, much less infect the creative troupe with it. “Babbling” the text is harmful both for students and for specialists involved in working on the word, and for the audience, and, as a bad result, for art in general. Therefore, the first preparatory stage in the study and mastery of the written word is rightfully occupied by the logical analysis of the text. But mastering such analysis in practice absolutely does not mean that work on the text in its entirety is replaceable: effective analysis, verbal action, emotional content of the word - these are three important components, without them it is impossible to create an image.

L.N. Tolstoy said that the art of a writer lies in finding “the only necessary placement of the only the right words" Therefore, it is important to understand the author’s intention by penetrating the mystery of this only necessary placement of the necessary words. And the ability to think logically and knowledge of the features helps us in this native language- his vocabulary, the specific construction of phrases, the meaning of punctuation marks.

K.S. Stanislavsky believed that an artist should know his language perfectly. The use of expressive properties of oral speech when reading a literary work and when working on a role is based on knowledge of the laws of language. Intonation-logical text analysis - live creative work, this is an immersion into the world of the author’s thoughts and feelings.

The main goal of the course in the logic of stage speech is to develop the ability to clearly and distinctly express the idea expressed by the author in a literary text. The main means of expressiveness of speech logic are logical pause and logical stress.

Exercises

Punctuation marks

Russian punctuation is connected with grammar, with Russian syntax.

Punctuation marks are those symbols that help the performer to reveal the author's intention. “The author’s choice and placement of punctuation marks depends on the ideological intent, content and creative originality of the writer.”

Each author has his own individual style, their own language, and often writers introduce into the text additional punctuation marks that are important for conveying their thoughts. And since the author’s punctuation helps not only to understand the content, but also to grasp all the subtleties of the plan, reveal the way of thinking and find the exact subtext, therefore punctuation marks are so important and individual in the work of each writer.

IN high school Punctuation is studied in order to correctly place punctuation marks in writing, but in a theater school attention to individual author's punctuation should be developed; it is important to understand the semantic and expressive functions of punctuation marks when translating the author's text into a coherent story.

It is known what importance Stanislavsky attached to the issue of studying punctuation. He gives a description of the melodic contours of each punctuation mark. At mental reading we perceive the text without thinking about why the author uses this or that punctuation mark. And we begin to think deeply only when “we need to “appropriate” the author’s text, to make it “our own.” Therefore, we are aware of the importance of those properties of punctuation that help the birth of lively conversational expressive speech. Punctuation finds its expression in spoken language. A.P. Chekhov called punctuation marks “notes when reading.” S.G. Berman says this about Gorky’s language: “Not only is Gorky’s phrase, remark, and words of each character in the play “Vassa Zheleznova” necessary, unchangeable, irreplaceable, but he is also responsible for each of his own punctuation marks (not in the syntactic sense, of course). His dashes, dots, and exclamation marks speak about the inner world of the characters in the play more eloquently, perhaps, than the most detailed and verbose remark of another playwright. The punctuation marks placed by Gorky indicate the rhythm in which the heart of the person in the play beats: exactly? intermittently? They indicate how fast the blood flows through the veins (the rhythm of the phrase makes it possible to hear how a given person breathes at a given moment in life."

In modern Russian there are eight punctuation marks: period, comma, semicolon, colon, ellipsis, exclamation point, question mark, dash.

There is a mandatory intonation inherent in each punctuation mark. But knowledge of the rules of punctuation itself should not be considered as some kind of magic key. When the same intonation is assigned to any sign, speech becomes impoverished by monotony. Punctuation marks have ambiguity in certain conditions of verbal action and can expand the boundaries of their meaning.

But the magic key may indeed be in the hands of a thinking, creative and very hardworking person.

Future directors and everyone who deals with spoken speech need to study the mandatory rules for the “sounding” of punctuation marks in order to master the melody of the Russian language.

Dot

The dot shows the completion of a thought and the completeness of a sentence, which does not contain either a direct question or an emotional connotation. It is associated with a strong lowering of the voice on the stressed word preceding it or standing close to it. As a rule, a period requires a relatively long pause after itself, especially when it coincides with the completion of a thought. Stanislavsky spoke about the final point like this: “Imagine that we climbed the highest rock above a bottomless cliff, took a heavy stone and threw it down to the very bottom. This is how you need to learn to put periods when completing a thought.”

For example:

“Following these words, the door slammed shut, and all you could hear was the iron bolt sliding shut with a squeal.”

…“Do you know the Ukrainian night? Oh, you don't know the Ukrainian night. Look closely at it: the moon is looking down from the middle of the sky. The vast vault of heaven opened up and spread even more vastly. It burns and breathes." (N. Gogol “May Night, or the Drowned Woman”)

From this example it is clear that before the beginning of the piece devoted to the description of the Ukrainian night (the beginning of the chapter), there should be “a real point showing the completion of the previous chapter.”

But the duration of the pause at a point may vary. There are not only “real” points. There are often cases when a period at the end of a sentence suggests the development of thought in the next or subsequent sentences. In this case, the voice necessarily goes down, but does not fall down as sharply as with the “real” point.

For example:

“Meanwhile, the snowstorm did not subside; I couldn’t bear it, ordered the laying again and rode into the storm. || The coachman decided to go along the river, which should have shortened our journey by three miles. || The banks were covered; the driver drove past the place where we entered the road, and thus we found ourselves in an unfamiliar direction. || The storm did not subside; I saw a light and ordered to go there. || We arrived at the village; there was a fire in the wooden church. ||The church was open, several sleighs stood outside the fence; people were walking around the porch. || "Here! “This way,” several voices shouted. || I told the coachman to drive up.” (A. Pushkin “Blizzard”)

In this example, there are no pauses between speech bars and after punctuation marks, except for pauses after a period.

Here, each sentence is connected with another, one can feel the continuous growth of the story, its movement forward. There are no “real” dots here, that is, those that complete the thought, and the voice on the dots goes down much less than in Gogol’s example.

Exercises

1) “Yellow clouds over Feodosia. They seem ancient, medieval. Heat. The surf rattles tin cans. The boys sit on an old acacia tree and stuff their mouths with dry sweet flowers. Far above the sea a transparent stream of smoke rises - a ship is coming from Odessa.” (K. Paustovsky “The Case of Dickens”)

2) “Natasha was as happy as she had never been in her life. She was at that highest level of happiness when a person becomes completely kind and good and does not believe in the possibility of evil, misfortune and grief.” (L. Tolstoy “War and Peace”)

3) “An old woman is sitting in the big great-grandfather’s chair. Her yellow-gray, wrinkled face is sour, like a crushed lemon, her eyes look to the side gloomily, suspiciously... She is not in a good mood.” (A. Chekhov “Stepmother”)

4) “Moiseevna, of course, was at home in such bad weather. She sat on the low porch under the shed, which was dripping thickly, and dully tapped with a wooden hammer.” (F. Abramov “Around and Around”)

5) “The thunder of the seaside city poured through the open window. Murget, who had lost weight, looked sadly at Anni, and Anni, trying not to give in to despondency, looked at her husband.” (A. Green “Seller of Happiness”)

6) “In the summer I was at the Tikhvin fair and once again met Balavin by chance. He was walking with some dealer.” (I. Bunin “The Life of Arsenyev”)

7) “Once, driving past the Turkins’ house, he remembered that he should stop by at least for a minute, but he thought about it and... didn’t stop by. And he never visited the Turkins again

Several more years passed. Startsev has gained even more weight, has become obese, is breathing heavily and is already walking with his head thrown back.” (A. Chekhov “Ionych”)

Semicolon

A semicolon separates and at the same time connects parts of one description into one whole. The voice before this punctuation mark decreases slightly, but not as much as with a period. One of the most common mistakes when reading a semicolon is lowering the voice before it, as before a period. The pause after a semicolon is shorter than after a period.

As linguist A. B. Shapiro noted, “most writers of the 19th century, as well as some writers of the early 20th century, used the semicolon more often than in our time, and they subtly distinguished between the cases when they put this sign and when they put a comma.”

For example:

“Moscow walks until four o’clock in the morning and the next day does not get out of bed until two o’clock; || Petersburg also walks until four o'clock, but the next day, as if nothing had happened, at nine o'clock he hurries into the presence in his flannel coat. || Rus' drags itself to Moscow with money in its pocket and returns light; || people without money come to St. Petersburg and travel to all directions of the world with a fair amount of capital.” (N. Gogol “Moscow and St. Petersburg”)

This short episode of the work is taken from the first chapter “Moscow and St. Petersburg” by N.V. Gogol. The content of the chapter is based on a satirical contrast between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The author in each of the sentences separates the part talking about Moscow with a semicolon from the part characterizing St. Petersburg. This gives him the opportunity to highlight the necessary contrast between the two cities, but at the same time bring together related thematic pieces. In the first sentence, this is a topic about recreation and entertainment in two capital cities, in the second, about the benefits of staying in them.

Exercises

1) “They constantly complain that we don’t have practical people; that there are many political people, for example; there are also many generals; No matter how many different managers are needed, now you can find whatever you want - but there are practically no people.” (F. Dostoevsky “Idiot”)

2) “The riot is over; ignorance was suppressed, and enlightenment was installed in its place.” (Saltykov-Shchedrin “The History of a City”)

3) “I looked around, saw rapiers sticking out with their tails, frightened faces around; my ears were ringing." (A. Green “Naive Tussaletto”)

4) “Scarlet clouds, round, as if tightly inflated, floated across the sky with the solemnity and slowness of swans; scarlet clouds floated along the river, coloring not only the water, not only the light steam above the water, but also the wide glossy leaves of water lilies; the white fresh flowers of the water lilies were like roses in the light of the burning morning; red drops of dew fell from the bent willow into the water, spreading red circles with a black shadow.” (V. Soloukhin “Dew Drop”)

5) “He lost weight and stretched out; There were circles under his eyes on his narrow face; he hid when he heard his father’s voice; when asked who he was missing, he blushed, and the garden already seemed completely magical to him, because it lived and hid in it.” (A. Tolstoy “Ravines”)

6) “The sun was setting in a conflagration of purple flame and melted gold; when the bright colors of dawn faded, the entire horizon was illuminated with an even dusty pink glow.” (A. Kuprin “Loneliness”)

7) “If he had not tried to make amends and atone for his act, he would never have felt all the crime of it; Moreover, she would not have felt all the evil done to her.” (L. Tolstoy “Resurrection”)

Comma

A comma usually indicates that the thought is incomplete. It is placed only inside a sentence and serves to separate simple phrases within complex ones. As linguists point out, the comma often corresponds in importance to other punctuation marks that are placed only within phrases. In the case of opposition or comparison, the comma is replaced by a dash, colon or semicolon.

The comma is significant in its ambiguity and may require different intonation in different cases. A comma requires a raised voice before it on a stressed word.

For example:

“Days after days passed, | and there was no end in sight to the disputes between the crucian carp and the ruff. (Saltykov-Shchedrin “Crucian carp the idealist”)

The stressed word preceding the comma may not necessarily be immediately before the comma, but the rise in voice occurs precisely at the stressed word.

For example:

“The early willow blossomed, | and a bee flew to her, | and the bumblebee buzzed, | and the first butterfly folded its wings.” (M. Prishvin “In the Land of Grandfather Mazai”)

Stanislavsky writes that with a comma, you want to “bend the sound upward” and leave “the top note hanging in the air for a while. With this bend, the sound is transferred from bottom to top, like an object from a lower shelf to a higher one... the most remarkable thing in the nature of the comma is that, as if a hand was raised in warning, it forces listeners to patiently wait for the continuation of an unfinished phrase.”

When enumerating, the comma requires repeated, almost identical increases in voice on each of the listed words, and on the last one the voice drops to a point.

For example:

“There is no shortage of nuts, | lingonberry | and blueberries." (A. Pushkin “History of the village of Goryukhin”)

When a comma is not “readable”. The comma is not used as a pause in spoken language.

1) Before or after the introductory word.

Without pauses, such introductory words as “of course”, “probably”, “perhaps”, “probably”, “seems”, “maybe”, “however”, “what good”, “in my opinion” are pronounced in oral speech without pauses. , “unfortunately”, “finally” and so on.

For example:

“And yet, Claudia was probably removed from the team leader ten times, and even now she is officially listed as “acting”.” (F. Abramov “Around and Around”)

“The heroine of this novel, | it goes without saying | there was Masha." (L. Tolstoy “Adolescence”)

2) Between the conjunction “and” and the participial phrase.

For example:

“The Chechen looked at him and, slowly turning away, began to look at the other shore.” (L. Tolstoy “Cossacks”)

3) Before the participial phrase, if it comes after the word being defined.

For example:

“A person (,) loving animals, | - poet." (Yu. Olesha “Not a day without a line”)

In the example given, the definition is a unity with the word being defined: not just “man,” but “a person who loves animals.”

But depending on the context, this rule may be broken.

4) Before comparative turnover.

For example:

"Herman | trembled (,) like a tiger, I awaiting the appointed time.” (A. Pushkin " Queen of Spades»)

5) The comma is often “unreadable” in complex sentences, when the connection between the main part and the subordinate part is carried out by conjunctions: “who”, “what”, “which”; complicated words: “because”, “so that”, “in order that”; relations: “all that”, “that which”.

For example:

“Borya felt | how his back and crown grow cold |, realizing (,) that she, | Lucy, | Even now he sees something terrible. (Astafiev “The Shepherd and the Shepherdess”)

“It is true (,) that we have books, | but this is not at all the same (,) as live conversation and society.” (A. Chekhov “Ward No. 6”)

“I invited you (,) gentlemen, | in order (,) to inform you | very unpleasant news." (N.V. Gogol “The Inspector General”)

“In childhood | the whole world | belongs to the child, | and Akim | everything (,) that I saw, | turned into his own experience, | thought to myself as about a tree, | about an ant, | about the wind, | to guess | why do they live, | and what makes them feel good.” (Platonov “The Light of Books”)

6) Before an address in the middle or at the end of a sentence.

For example:

“But there is a lot of happiness, so much (,) guy, | that there would be enough for the whole district, | let not a single soul see him!” (A. Chekhov “Happiness”)

“I don’t blame you (,) Alexey Nikolaevich.” (I. Turgenev “A Month in the Village”)

Exercises

1) “The weather was beautiful, he joyfully breathed in the spring air.” (L. Tolstoy “Sunday”)

2) “The owner herself, a beautiful, tall Cossack girl, came out of the log hole.” (A. Chapygin “Walking People”)

3) “When I wrote this story, I always tried to retain within myself the sensations of the cold wind from the night mountains.” (K. Paustovsky " Golden Rose»)

4) “Wanting to gain the favor of the masses, Boris undertook the construction of public buildings during the hungry years.” (A. Kuprin “Moloch”)

5) “When moving to another apartment, Skvortsov hired him to help with arranging and transporting furniture.” (A. Chekhov “The Beggar”)

6) “The girl grinned, looked and quickly ran away, waving her black braid.” (A. Tolstoy “Ravines”)

7) “When she woke up, she remembered that it was not iron, but Dimov’s disease.” (A. Chekhov “The Jumper”)

8) “He did not become a music teacher, but began to borrow and fell into huge debts for him.” (F. Dostoevsky “Humiliated and Insulted”)

9) “The sea had already darkened, but he was still looking at its distance, waiting for the boat.” (M. Gorky “Malva”)

10) “Nikitin smiled pleasantly and helped his mother treat the guests, but after dinner he went to his office and locked himself.” (A. Chekhov “Literature Teacher”)

II. Comma when listing:

1) “But behind the confusion of demands, shouts, orders and misfortunes, order suddenly appeared.” (K. Fedin “Caravans”)

2) “Ten minutes later, the smell of blood, fat and burning came from the slender human bodies, turned into food.” (A. Green “Taboo”)

3) “She named dream, night beauty, cloves, shepherd’s purse, hoofed grass, small root, sword, valerian, thyme, St. John’s wort, celandine and many other flowers and herbs.” (K. Paustovsky “Golden Rose”)

4) “Now they began to talk for hours only about themselves, and about the most sincere, bitter, hidden things.”

5) “But here, at her father’s, Masha got up early, went for a walk in the city garden, still wet with dew, looked at the children, at the birds, at the clouds and felt small, meek, sad and happy.” (A. Tolstoy “Love”)

6) “Gates, shutters, gates, doors - everything was locked.” (K. Fedin “Inferno is hell”)

III. The comma is not “readable”

1) “Apparently, I took a lot of precious time from the cannibals, since, only occasionally, looking in my direction, they, with the liveliness and appetite of hungry schoolchildren, began an unnatural meal.” (A. Green “Taboo”)

2) “Apparently, grandma was late for the bus and that’s why she often looks around to see if anyone will give her a ride.” (V. Belov “On the Road”)

3) “Of course, I’m forcing him to say this before he dies,” and, turning the pages, she began to read aloud what she had written.” (A. Tolstoy “Logudka”)

4) “The cubs had already woken up, and all three, very similar to each other, stood side by side on the edge of the pit, looking at the returning mother, wagging their tails.” (A. Chekhov “Blond”)

5) “The dacha yard, similar to an estate, was large.” (I. Bunin “Tanya”)

6) “We were all secretly proud that tomorrow Lenin’s speech would become known throughout Odessa.” (K. Paustovsky “The Tale of Life”)

7) “He was not inclined to talk and, having received a pass, immediately went to buy a ticket.” (M. Sholokhov “Quiet Don”)

8) “He smiled lazily, apparently having noticed Evgraf a long time ago.” (K. Fedin “Caravans”)

9) “I listened and also laughed, but I felt that the workshop with everything that I experienced there was far from me.” (M. Gorky “In People”)

10) “Pelageya, of course, didn’t think about working at the bakery - where could she drag such a cart.” (F. Abramov “Pelageya”)

11) “About half an hour later, Agatha re-read her translation, made the necessary corrections in it, in her opinion, cheerfully jumped off the window sill, and ran out into the hall.”

12) “Glowacka guessed her father’s voice, screamed, rushed to this figure and, wrapping her ancient arms around her father’s thin neck, cried on his chest with those tears that, according to the legend of our people, God’s angels rejoice in heaven.” (N. Leskov “Nowhere”)

13) “She took her white-gloved hand out of her muff and said hello.” (A. Tolstoy “Why does it snow”)

14) “In the twilight it seemed that there was no end to the rooms.” (I. Bunin “The Last Day”)

15) “The future art tells us that the prospect of art is much deeper and wider than the Maiden’s Field, even if there were a million in it, for life itself is immeasurably deeper and wider and is blackened by a yawning abyss of unknown secrets.” (A. Serafimovich “Exhibition and booth”)

16) “Wonderfully arranged in the world! Everything that does not live in him tries to adopt and imitate the other.” (N.V. Gogol “The Night Before Christmas”)

17) “How can we not talk about this? When, perhaps, everything has already been explained and described to them, when, perhaps, not just at some long distance, but even tomorrow itself, there won’t be a breath or groin of Sergei left in this yard?” (N. Leskov “Lady Macbeth” Mtsensk district»)

18) “What did not bother you during the day, suppressed by work, now rose before your eyes, causing regret and reproach.” (A. Serafimovich “Working Day”)

Colon

A colon indicates the intention to clarify, clarify, list.

In non-union complex sentences, the connected parts relate to one another as the explanatory to the explained. Characteristic feature In such sentences in oral speech there is a mandatory pause between the explanatory part and the explained part.

For example:

“No one got into his car, | only property loaded: | tents, | sleeping bags, | firewood, | axes." (G. Goryshin “One Hundred Kilometers”)

Often a mistake is made when reading a colon, when the voice is lowered too much and the intonation of a period occurs. This leads to nonsense: the colon is followed by clarification, clarification, and the intonation of the period shows the end of the thought.

You should always remember that the main meaning is found after the colon.

Often the colon is used as a sign separating the author's text from direct speech. The pause in this case is shorter than at a colon within a phrase.

Practicing reading colons is necessary and useful for students. Speech hearing develops, which is necessary for conveying the semantic and emotional side of intonation in oral speech.

Exercises

1) “Yakov, apparently, was overcome by rapture: he was no longer timid, he devoted himself entirely to his happiness; his voice no longer trembled - it trembled, but with that barely noticeable inner trembling of passion that pierces the listener’s soul like an arrow.” (I. Turgenev “Singers”)

3) “During these few hours, Rykov changed beyond recognition: his face became haggard and bluish, his eyes sunken deeply; the orbits gaped in the twilight like large, black holes, as if in an empty skull.” (V. Veresaev “Without a Road”)

4) “I went into the hallway again, having two goals: firstly, to ask the boy about the guest, and secondly, to provoke the guest himself to say something with his appearance.” (N.S. Lesov “Musk Ox”)

5) “He still hoped at first that some kind of nonsense with Victor would go away by itself, but the cry was so hoarse, so pleading that there was no longer any doubt: the same suffocation, the same thing that was then in the village.” (F. Abramov “Mamonikha”)

6) “It remains in my memory: the snow is constantly falling outside the windows, the trams are muffled and ringing along the Arbat, in the evening there is a sour stink of beer and gas in the dimly lit restaurant...” (I. Bunin “Muse”)

7) “The man listened: not a rustle.” (A. Serafimovich “Morning”)

8) “This May debuted very impressively: with an exhibition of roses at the Admiralty.” (A. Chekhov “Motley Tales”)

9) “The manager told me: “I’m keeping you only out of respect for your venerable father, otherwise you would have flown away from me long ago.” I answered him: “You flatter me too much, Your Excellency, by believing that I can fly.” And then I heard him say: “Take this gentleman away, he’s getting on my nerves.” (A. Chekhov “My Life”)

10) “Senka sometimes felt the pistol in his bosom: “Many will attack, the battle will become beyond our strength, so there is something to kill ourselves with...” (A. Chapygin “Walking People”)

11) “He shook his head and, turning away, began to think: “I need to talk to her about a lot, a lot. My God, we are complete strangers!” (A. Tolstoy “Without Wings”)

Dash

Getting acquainted with the history of Russian punctuation, we learn that Lomonosov’s student A. A. Barsov was the first to point out a new punctuation mark - “silent”. This “silence,” Barsov wrote, “interrupts the speech that has begun, either completely or for a short time to express cruel passion, or to prepare the reader for some extraordinary and unexpected word or action later.”

Later this sign was called the “dash”.

The dash is found in simple and complex sentences. It connects the previous with the subsequent: a dash is placed with the aim of clarifying what is in front of it, contrasting one phenomenon with another, and so on. The dash requires some raising of the voice on the stressed word preceding it.

For example:

“On a deserted section of the street two figures were moving towards me - | male and female." (Yu. Olesha “Not a day without a line”)

"This is | senior policeman in our quarter, | a tall, dry old man, hung with medals; | his face is | smart, | smile | - dear, | eyes are cunning." (M. Gorky “My Universities”)

A dash definitely requires pauses. Pauses are usually significant, with a great psychological load, as they indicate the emergence of new thoughts, which in oral speech is expressed in bright and expressive intonations.

The dash is a sign with various functions; it refers to signs that usually appear within a phrase. Two dashes are distinguishing signs: they mark direct speech, and sometimes an introductory word or sentence. If two dashes or semicolons indicate the introduction of a word, group of words or a sentence, then before the dash the voice rises, then throughout the introductory words it decreases somewhat, and after the second dash the voice returns almost to the height that was before the dash in the first part of the sentence.

For example:

“My grandfather - | my mother's father - | was a poor man." (K. Paustovsky “The Tale of Life”)

In this example, the word “grandfather” receives the emphasis before the first dash, then after a pause the voice on introductory words, standing between two dashes, goes down, and after the second dash and pause it returns almost to the height that was before the first dash and goes down to the point on the word “poor”.

Exercises

1) “Three young trees grow in front of the cave door - linden, birch, maple.” (M. Gorky “The Hermit”)

2) “Non-dancing intellectuals without masks - there were five of them - sat in the reading room at a large table and, with their noses and beards buried in the newspapers, read, dozed and, in the words of a correspondent for the capital’s newspapers, a very liberal gentleman, thought.” (A. Chekhov “Mask”)

3) “Oh, you,” I thought to myself, “you are such cabbage animals! They themselves jump like goats in the mountains, and even though their husband is not good enough for them, don’t bother anyone else.” (N. S. Leskov “Warrior”)

4) “My aunt’s garden was famous for its neglect, nightingales, turtle doves and apples, and the house was famous for its roof. He stood at the head of the courtyard, right next to the garden - the linden branches hugged him - he was small and squat, but it seemed that he would not last a century - so thoroughly did he look from under his unusually high and thick thatched roof, blackened by time." (I. Bunin “Antonov Apples”)

5) “Our Oka is stupidly crowded. Just at the top at the beginning of the city there is a lock - this is the last lock on the Oka, and it is called “Boastful”, and the city stands on dry banks.” (N. Leskov “The Life of a Woman”)

6) “They had one boy - wow, a wolf cub! Everyone else falls like grass - well, a hungry man, what kind of warrior is he? But this one is not. This is the steering wheel,” Miksha pointed to his nose, “he corrected it a little for me... With a stone...” (F. Abramov “A Trip to the Past”)

7) “In the front hut at the counter - screaming, noise, swearing. Drink, hang out, just pay. The treasury is strict. There is no money - take off your fur coat. And the whole man got drunk, - the kisser blinked at the clerk, he sat down at the edge of the table, - a quill pen behind his ear, an inkwell on his neck, - and went to scribble.” (A. Tolstoy “Peter the Great”)

8) “As for the cigarette, here it is, this Finnish cigarette, ten kopecks ten.” (A. Green “Pik-Mick’s Legacy”)

9) “Why am I doing this? - you don't need to know. If you began to talk about this so persistently, then - I know you - you could not begin without having some definite plan in mind. Be honest for once in your life; frankness is an indispensable condition.” (F. Dostoevsky “Uncle’s Dream”)

10) “He grabbed her by the shoulder, pulled her towards him and brought a knife to her face - a short, thick and sharp piece of rusty iron.

He came with the definite intention of winning his wife. It was absolutely necessary that she submit to him again, he knew for sure that it was necessary! He has a passionate nature, he experienced a lot and changed his mind during these 24 hours and - a dark man - did not know how to understand the chaos of feelings that his wife aroused in him with the truthful accusation thrown at him.” (M. Gorky “The Orlov Spouses”)

Question mark

What associations do you have when you hear the word “lecture”? Most likely, something boring, monotonous, soporific and completely uninteresting. What about the word “conversation”? It no longer seems soporific - on the contrary, a conversation is when they address you personally, when it comes to you. Why does this happen? Living human speech, not designed to be spoken in front of a large number of people, is very natural and varied. But for some reason public speech loses its naturalness and diversity, and often turns into monotonous “muttering” under one’s breath. And this is not just about a lecture or speech by a party leader. Monotony of speech is also found among actors. In life, the voice, pace and rhythm of speech change all the time depending on the circumstances, thoughts, feelings that a person experiences every second. In conditions of public speaking, it is even more necessary to think about changing the tonality, rhythm and tempo of speech. Each phrase, depending on changes in the proposed circumstances, should change in tone, rhythm and tempo. Living speech does not flow incessantly; it has its stops. It is, as it were, divided into measures, where there are different durations, different rhythmic patterns, and, of course, pauses. Even more so, stage speech should be divided into bars.

In order to divide speech into beats, stops are needed, or, in other words, logical pauses.
As you probably know, they simultaneously have two purposes that are opposite to each other: to connect words into groups (or into speech bars), and to separate groups from each other.
Did you know that the fate and life itself of a person can depend on one or another arrangement of logical pauses? For example: “To forgive cannot be exiled to Siberia.” How to understand such an order until the phrase is separated by logical pauses? Arrange them, and only after that the true meaning of the words will become clear.
"Forgive | “You can’t send him to Siberia!” or “You can’t forgive | - exile to Siberia! In the first case - pardon, in the second - exile.

When working on a public text (it doesn’t matter whether it’s a role or a story, a lesson, a lecture), every thought expressed in words requires a mandatory change in tone, rhythm and tempo. There are two types of pause: logical and psychological. A logical pause is determined by punctuation marks, a psychological pause is determined by the atmosphere and mood. Between these pauses the text is pronounced. Each time after a pause, the tone and rhythm of speech changes. Between two logical pauses, you need to pronounce the text, if possible, inseparably, together, almost like one word.

There are, of course, exceptions that force you to stop mid-beat. But there are rules for this, which will be explained to you in due time.
Take a book and a pencil often, read and mark what you read by speech beats. Stuff your ear, eye and hand with this. Reading by speech beats hides another more important practical benefit: it helps the very process of experiencing.
Marking speech beats and reading from them are also necessary because they force you to analyze phrases and delve into their essence. Without delving into it, you won’t be able to say the correct phrase.

How to parse text by bars
As an example showing how the text is parsed bar by bar, we offer you an excerpt from the book by K. Kurakina “Fundamentals of speech technique in the works of K. S. Stanislavsky.”

Even a simple logical pause, determined either by a punctuation mark or by the need to highlight a word indicating the direction of thought, requires after itself mandatory change rhythm and tempo of pronunciation and tone of voice. This is one of the mandatory rules, non-compliance with which leads to monotonous pronunciation on stage.
Let's try to analyze all of the above using the simplest verbal example. Let's take the first lines of I. Krylov's fable “The Crow and the Fox.”

Somewhere God sent a piece of cheese to a crow;
Raven, perched on the spruce tree,
Yes, I thought about it, but I held the cheese in my mouth,
To that misfortune, the Fox ran very quickly.

Without making a detailed effective analysis of the entire fable as a whole, we will only place the logical accents and logical pauses necessary for mutual understanding in the above text. We will denote accents in bold italics, and pauses by V. We will not denote the ratio of stronger and weaker accents in the same way as the duration of pauses.

To Crow V, somewhere God V sent a piece of cheese;
Crow V perched on a spruce tree
I was just about ready to have breakfast,
Yes, V thought about it, and held the cheese in her mouth.
To that misfortune V the fox V ran very close.

Let us analyze the meaning and significance of the placement of accents.
1. “Crow”: who we are talking about. Who do we mean by the definition of "raven".
2. “Somewhere is God”: how she accidentally managed to get food.
3. “I sent a piece of cheese”: what exactly did she get and her attitude towards the delicacy.
4. “A crow perched on a spruce tree”: where exactly she comfortably settled down.
5. “I was really ready to have breakfast”: her intention and desire to fulfill this intention.
6. “Yes, I thought about it”: anticipating pleasure, she began to daydream.
7. “The fox quickly ran to that misfortune”: a new piece - an event associated with the appearance of a new character, with a warning from the author-narrator that “this” appearance does not bring anything good for the daydreaming crow.

Punctuation marks in the text
In oral speech, we, of course, do not think about punctuation marks, but only designate them with logical accents. However, in a written text (either the author’s or your own) punctuation marks are indispensable. Otherwise, it will be impossible to read the text – neither silently, nor, especially, out loud. Punctuation marks are important indicators when reading text. They can help you find that one intonation that will give your speech naturalness and liveliness.

Punctuation marks require mandatory vocal intonations. Period, comma, question and exclamation marks and others have their own, inherent, obligatory voice figures, characteristic of each of them. Without these intonations they will not fulfill their purpose. In fact, subtract from the point its final, final voice drop, and the listener will not understand that the phrase is over and there will be no continuation. Take away the special sound “croak” that is characteristic of the question mark, and the listener will not understand that he is being asked a question to which an answer is expected.

Studying punctuation marks and building an intonation pattern according to them helps fight one of the main problems of public speaking people, namely haste. Hidden in the intonation properties of punctuation marks is precisely what can keep an actor from being too hasty. And also - to attract the attention of the listener, to provoke his reaction.

These intonations have some kind of impact on the listeners, obliging them to do something: an interrogative phonetic figure - for an answer, an exclamation figure - for sympathy and approval or protest, two dots - for attentive perception of further speech, etc. In all There is great expressiveness in these intonations.
Words and speech have their own nature, which requires corresponding intonation for each punctuation mark. This property of the nature of punctuation marks contains precisely what can calm you down and keep you from haste. That's why I dwell on this issue!

Knowledge of the laws of speech, attention to punctuation marks and construction of the intonation pattern of each phrase of the text leads to the fact that actors cease to be afraid of stops and pauses in the text.

Remember what you instinctively want to do with any comma? First of all, of course, stop. But before it, on the last syllable of the last word, you will want to bend the sound upward (without placing an accent if it is not logically necessary). After this, leave the top note hanging in the air for a while.
With this bend, sound is transferred from bottom to top, like an object from a lower shelf to a higher one. These rising phonetic lines receive a wide variety of bends and heights: a third, a fifth, an octave, with a short sharp rise, with a wide, smooth and low swing, etc.
The most wonderful thing about the nature of the comma is that it has miraculous properties. Its curl, like a hand raised in warning, forces listeners to patiently wait for the continuation of the unfinished phrase. If only you believe that after the sound bend of the comma, the listeners will certainly patiently wait for the continuation and completion of the begun phrase, then there will be no need for you to rush. This will not only calm you down, but will also make you truly love the comma with all its natural properties.
If only you knew what a pleasure it is when you have a long story or phrase, like the one you just spoke, to bend the phonetic line before the comma and wait confidently, knowing for sure that no one will interrupt you or rush you.
The same thing happens with all other punctuation marks. Like a comma, their intonation obliges the partner; so, for example, a question obliges the listener to answer...

Logical and psychological pauses
Stanislavsky argued that intonation arises from knowledge of the laws of speech, from the desire to accurately convey the meaning of the text. Punctuation marks help to place semantic stops, or logical pauses. Often a logical pause develops into a psychological pause. How does a logical pause differ from a psychological pause? Each type of pause has its own task, its own purpose.

You will understand my words and warnings only after I explain to you the nature of logical and psychological pauses. This is what it consists of: while a logical pause mechanically forms measures, entire phrases and thus helps to clarify their meaning, a psychological pause gives life to this thought, phrase and measure, trying to convey their subtext. If without a logical pause speech is illiterate, then without a psychological pause it is lifeless.
A logical pause is passive, formal, inactive; psychological – certainly always active, rich in internal content.
A logical pause serves the mind, a psychological pause serves the feeling.

It is in the pauses between words and phrases that the listener can perceive those inner visions that flash before the actor on an imaginary screen. A pause is not emptiness; it sometimes says more than a word.

Metropolitan Philaret said: “Let your speech be terse, and your silence eloquent.”
This “eloquent silence” is a psychological pause. It is an extremely important tool of communication. You yourself felt today that you cannot help but use creative purpose such a pause that speaks itself without words. She replaces them with glances, facial expressions, radiation, hints, subtle movements and many other conscious and subconscious means of communication.

While the actor must maintain the intonation pattern of the phrase, this pattern cannot be “prepared” in advance and mechanically fixed in sound expression. The same applies to pauses: both a logical and a psychological pause should depend entirely and completely only on the proposed circumstances, events, and tasks. Mechanical wear and tear will result in a die. Pause is a very powerful weapon. You need to work on it long and hard for the pause to be meaningful.

They all know how to convey what is inaccessible to words, and often act in silence much more intensely, subtly and irresistibly than speech itself. Their wordless conversation can be interesting, meaningful and convincing no less than verbal.
A pause often conveys that part of the subtext that comes not only from consciousness, but also from the subconscious itself, which does not lend itself to specific verbal expression.
These experiences and their identification, as you know, are the most valuable in our art.
Do you know how highly valued a psychological break is?
She does not obey any laws, but all laws of speech, without exception, are subject to her.
Where it would seem logically and grammatically impossible to stop, a psychological pause boldly introduces it. For example: imagine that our theater is traveling abroad. All the students are taken on the trip, with the exception of two. - Who are they? – you ask Shustov in excitement. - Me and... (psychological pause to soften the impending blow or, on the contrary, to increase indignation)... and... you! - Shustov answers you.
Everyone knows that the conjunction “and” does not allow any stops after itself. But the psychological pause does not hesitate to violate this law and introduces an illegal stop. All the more right does a psychological pause have to replace a logical one without destroying it.
The latter is allotted a more or less definite, very short duration. If this time drags on, then the inactive logical pause should rather degenerate into an active psychological one. The duration of the latter is uncertain. This pause is not constrained by time for its work and delays speech as long as it needs to perform a truly productive and purposeful action. It is aimed at a super task along the lines of subtext and cross-cutting action and therefore cannot but be interesting.

How long should you pause? This should depend on the pace and rhythm of the action. The action in speech should not stop for a moment. A pause is an active comprehension of what has been said, reflection, preparation for a decision, that is, action. A pause should continue the action, not stop it.

However, the psychological pause takes into account very strongly the danger of prolongation, which begins from the moment the productive action stops. Therefore, before this happens, the psychological pause hastens to give way to speech and the word.
It’s a disaster if the moment is missed, because in this case the psychological pause will degenerate into a simple stop, which creates a stage misunderstanding. Such a stop is a hole in a work of art.

Anyone who is going to speak in front of the public must analyze each piece of text in detail according to the logic of thought and feeling. It is necessary to determine which thought is the main, main, leading one, with the help of what arguments this thought proves its dominance. Which words are main and which are secondary? The main words are highlighted with the help of intonation patterns and pauses, the secondary ones help to emphasize the importance of these words. It is also necessary to remember that when we speak, we want to communicate something not only to the mind, but, above all, to the heart. Through the logic of the text, we can come to a feeling that will transform our speech from rational to emotional.

Exercise 1
Using punctuation marks, graphically depict the intonation pattern in the following passages. Read the text following this picture.

Pushkin
GYPSIES

Everything started moving together - and now
The crowd pours into the empty plains.
Donkeys in flip baskets
Children playing are carried;
Husbands and brothers, wives, maidens
Both old and young follow;
Scream, noise, gypsy choruses,
The bear's roar, his chains
Impatient rattling
Rags of bright variegation,
The nakedness of children and elders,
Dogs and barking and howling,
Bagpipes are talking, carts are creaking,
Everything is meager, wild, everything is discordant,
But everything is so lively and restless,
So alien to our dead negligence,
So alien to this idle life,
Like the song of slaves, monotonous!

Shakespeare
HAMLET

Wait! Look: he has appeared again!
Let the vision destroy me,
But I swear I will stop him.
Vision, stop! When human speech
If you own it, speak to me.
Say: or by a good deed can I
Restore your peace to you,
Or fate threatens your homeland,
And can I prevent it?

(Translation by A. Kroneberg)
Exercise 2
Read the passage. Place logical pauses in the proposed phrase. What psychological pauses could there be here? Where would you place them?

V. Odoevsky
RUSSIAN NIGHTS
To explain the great meaning of these great figures, the natural scientist questions the works of the material world, these symbols of material life, the historian - living symbols included in the chronicles of peoples, the poet - living symbols of his soul.

Exercise 3
Read the passage, and, guided by punctuation marks, divide the text into speech bars.

M. Saltykov-Shchedrin
IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THE MENTAL
Outside the service, he had only four complaints: 1) that, when bending the arm at the elbow, the muscles of its upper half formed a completely round and hard core, like iron; 2) so that behind the scenes of the Buff and Berg theaters all the cocottes understand him as an educated young man; 3) so that the Tatars of all restaurants, without bothering him with questions, directly serve him the very menu that he was in the habit of consuming at that time, and 4) so ​​as not to skimp on a single performance at the Ginn circus.

Exercise 4
Read the passage aloud as follows:
a) monotonously, continuously, without observing pauses.
b) just as monotonously, but stopping at the end of each speech act.
c) observing the intonation pattern, making the necessary intonation bends and stops.
All options must be recorded on a voice recorder. Listen. Which option do you think sounds most natural?

I. Makarov
THE BELL RATTLES ONE SOUND

And the road gathers a little dust,
And sadly across a flat field
The coachman's song flows.
There is so much sadness in that sad song,
There is so much sadness in the native melody,
What's in my cold, chilled soul
My heart was on fire.
And I remembered other nights
And native fields and forests,
And my eyes, which have long been dry,
A tear came running like a spark.
The bell rings loudly,
And the road is getting a little dusty.
And my driver fell silent, and the road
Far, far away in front of me...

Exercise 5
Place psychological pauses in this passage. Do they coincide with logical ones? Why did you place the psychological pauses this way and not otherwise?

G. Uspensky
CORNERS OF RASTERYEVOYA STREET
Rasteryaeva Street lies on the city side, but the general flavor of the working-class city is reflected here too. Here, by the way, in a shack, not protected by fences anywhere, lives a representative of Rasteryaev’s craftsmanship itself, an old soldier, a “puppet maker.” Domestic sculpture blooms under her decrepit fingers; On fine summer afternoons, several clay officers and ladies and countless whistle horses with only front legs are sure to dry on the rubble of her shack. The Rasteryaev boys stock up on these whistling horses and for a whole year they diversify their woeful existence with deadly shrill whistles. In the same shacks live drillers, sandpaper workers, women and girls working in factories. In the same street live accordion makers, turners, mechanics, etc. At the end of the street, abutting the wide Voronezh highway, you can see a square building made of dark red brick - a samovar factory. All these skills give Rasteryaeva Street a slightly different physiognomy compared to other out-of-the-way places. On days of rest, her silent face is enlivened by fights and drunks scattered here and there. On weekdays, the ringing singing of chickens is accompanied by the sound of hammers, sometimes alternating, sometimes suddenly falling on the minted metal mass; sounds of harmony, on which the master touched with an “interception” for testing; the whirring of a lathe - and above all this, as usual, a quiet song.

Exercise 6
Punctuation marks have been deliberately removed from this text. Arrange them according to your understanding of the text. Based on these signs, create an intonation pattern for the text.

Sholom Aleichem
TEVIE THE MILKMAN
They are saying something to me in gibberish, I thought, all in some circumstantial terms, and dead witches come to mind, you are evil spirits, you are a complete fool, I think why are you standing like a tree stump, climb onto the irrigator, scare the horse with a whip and went wherever you look, but it’s a sin I’m breaking down against my will, get into the cart, and when they heard it, they didn’t take long to beg me. I followed them, turned the drawbar onto the handle and began to whip the little horse, two or three times, I went, and where it’s like, it’s not moving, even if you cut it, well, I think it’s clear now what kind of women are these, and it was difficult for me to stop for no reason in the middle of the road and start a conversation with the women.

Plans and prospects in speech

By highlighting words and entire sentences, the architecture of the text is created. The logic of thought when transmitting a text will not have the proper impact on the listener if the actor is not able to find all the variety of colors and devices that reveal the soul of the work. Only by highlighting stressed words and phrases can one convey the exact meaning intended by the author in the text. This is how different plans and their perspectives in speech are formed.

If they (perspectives) are drawn towards the super-task of the work along the lines of subtext and cross-cutting action, then their meaning in speech becomes exceptional in its importance, because they help fulfill the most important thing, fundamental in our art: creating the life of the human spirit of the role and the play.

Accent
Stress exists in every word. But if we spoke, emphasizing the emphasis in all words, speech would become incomprehensible and practically meaningless. To convey an idea, we emphasize one word in a phrase—the one we consider most important. It is incredibly important for an actor to know which word should be emphasized. “Accent,” wrote Stanislavsky, “is a loving or malicious, respectful or contemptuous, open or cunning, ambiguous, sarcastic emphasis on a stressed syllable or word. This is presenting it, exactly on a tray.”
However, the emphasis on stressed words should not be exaggerated or deliberate. The stressed word becomes such if we follow the logic of the text, if the chain of visions leads us to this. Of course, there should be a calculation of stressed words when working on a text, but it would be a big mistake to rely only on this calculation. Another big mistake is self-listening to the intonation pattern.

It is in vain that you listen so much to your voices. “Self-listening” is akin to narcissism and self-showing. It's not about how you speak, but how others listen and perceive you. “Self-listening” is the wrong task for an artist. Much more important and active is the task of influencing another, conveying to him one’s visions.

Stanislavsky advised speaking not to the ear, but to the partner’s eye. This is the best way to escape and get rid of “self-listening,” which is harmful to creativity, since it dislocates the actor and deviates him from the effective path.
It often happens that the best way to highlight a stressed word is to remove the stress from all minor words.

“I come to the conclusion that before you learn to put accents, you need to be able to remove them,” Arkady Nikolaevich said today.
-Beginners try too hard to speak well. They abuse accentuation. In contrast to this property, it is necessary to teach how to remove accents where they are not needed. I have already said that this is an entire art and very difficult! Firstly, it frees speech from incorrect accents, filled with bad habits in life. On soil cleared in this way, it is easier to distribute only the correct accentuations. Secondly, the art of removing stress will help you in the future in practice and in the following cases: when conveying complex thoughts or confusing facts, you often have to recall for clarity individual episodes, details of what you are talking about, but so that they do not distract the attention of those listening from the main line of the story. These comments must be stated clearly, clearly, but not too prominently. At the same time, one should be economical in the use of both intonation and stress. In other cases, with long heavy phrases, it is necessary to highlight only some individual words, and skip the rest clearly, but imperceptibly. This method of speech makes it easier to write a difficult text, which artists often have to deal with.
In all these cases, the art of removing accents will do you a great service.

However, haste, nervousness, babbling words, spitting out entire phrases do not obscure, but completely destroy the striking words, even if this was not your intention. The nervousness of the speaker only irritates the listeners; unclear pronunciation makes them angry, as it makes them tense and guess about what they did not understand. All this attracts the attention of the listeners and emphasizes in the text exactly what you want to obscure. Fussiness makes speech difficult. Her calmness and self-control make her feel better. To blur a phrase, you need a deliberately leisurely, colorless intonation, an almost complete absence of stress, not simple, but special, exceptional restraint and confidence. This is what brings peace to the listeners.

Clearly highlight the main word and skip easily, clearly, leisurely what is needed only for the general meaning, but what should not stand out. This is what the art of destressing is based on.
Imagine that you have moved to a new apartment and that your things, for different purposes, are scattered throughout all the rooms,” Tortsov began to explain figuratively. - How will you restore order?
First of all, you need to collect the plates in one place, tea utensils in another, scattered chess and checkers in a third, place large objects in accordance with their purpose, etc.
Once this is done, it will become somewhat easier to navigate.

The same preliminary analysis must be done in the words of the text before distributing stress to their real places.
Stress in a series of adjectives

Let's say that in the text or monologue being analyzed we come across a long series of adjectives: “sweet, good, nice, wonderful person.”
You know that adjectives are not stressed. What if this is a comparison? Then it's a different matter. But is it really necessary to put emphasis on each of them?! What's cute, what's good, what's nice, and so on. almost the same thing, with the same characteristics.
But, fortunately, thanks to the laws of speech, you know once and for all that such adjectives with common characteristics do not take accents. Thanks to this information, you without hesitation remove stress from all adjectives and only the last of them merges with the stressed noun, resulting in: “wonderful man.”

When we are dealing with several adjectives, we need to think about whether there is a comparison here. We can talk about comparison if a noun has several adjectives that are not related to each other by any characteristics.

Here is a new group of adjectives: “kind, beautiful, young, talented, smart woman.” All these adjectives have not one common feature, but all different features. But you know that such adjectives without common features necessarily take stress on each of them, and therefore you, without hesitation, put them, but so that they do not kill the main stressed noun: “smart woman.” Here is “Petr Petrovich Petrov, Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov.” Here is the year and date: “July 15, 1908”; Here is the address: “Tula, Moskovskaya street, house number twenty.”
All these are “group names” that require emphasis only on the last word, that is, “Ivanov”, “Petrov”, “1908”, “number twenty”. Here are the comparisons. Highlight them with everything you can, including emphasis.

Having understood large groups, it becomes easier to navigate individual stressed words.

Here are two nouns. You know that the obligatory stress is taken by the one that is in the genitive case, because the genitive case stronger than that the word it defines. For example: “brother’s book, father’s house, icy waves of Pontic waters.” Without hesitation, put the accent on the genitive noun and move on.
Here are two repeated words with increasing energy. Feel free to put emphasis on the second of them precisely because we are talking about a surge of energy, exactly the same as in the phrase: “forward, forward rushing to the Propontis and the Hellespont.” If, on the contrary, there was an outflow of energy, then you would put the emphasis on the first of the repeated words and this would convey degradation, as in the verse “Dreams, dreams, where is your sweetness!”
A sentence with one shock with catch is the most understandable and simple,” explained Arkady Nikolaevich. - For example: “A person you know well came here.” Emphasize any word in this phrase, and the meaning will be understood in a new way every time. Try putting not one, but two stresses in the same sentence, at least, for example, on the words “familiar”, “here”.
It will become more difficult not only to justify, but also to pronounce the same phrase. Why? Yes, because a new meaning is invested in it: firstly, that not just anyone, but a “familiar” person came, and secondly, that he did not come somewhere, but specifically “here”.
Place a third emphasis on the word “came”, and the phrase will become even more difficult to justify and for speech transmission, because it adds to its previous content new fact, namely, that a “well-known person” did not come, but “came” on his own feet.

However, what to do if the text contains a very long phrase with all the stress, but internally untrue words? After all, one can only say about it that “a sentence with all the stressed words means nothing.” And, nevertheless, there are cases when it is necessary to justify sentences with all the stressed words that introduce new content. It is easier to divide such phrases into many independent sentences than to express everything in one.

For example,” Arkady Nikolaevich took a note from his pocket, “I will read you a tirade from Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra.”
“Hearts, tongues, figures, writers, bards, poets cannot understand, express, cast, describe, sing, count her love for Anthony.”
“The famous scientist Jevons,” Tortsov read further, “says that Shakespeare combined six subjects and six predicates in this phrase so that, strictly speaking, there are six times six, or thirty-six sentences.
Which of you will undertake to read this tirade so as to highlight thirty-six sentences in it? - he turned to us. The students were silent.
- You're right! I, too, would not undertake to complete the tasks set by Jevons. I would not have the speech technique for this. But now it’s not about the task itself. It is not this that interests us, but only the technical methods of highlighting and coordinating many stresses in one sentence.

How to highlight in a long tirade one most important thing and a number of less important words necessary for meaning? This requires a whole complex of stresses: strong, medium, weak. Just as in painting there are strong, weak halftones, quarter tones of colors or chiaroscuro, so in the field of speech there are whole scales different degrees strength and accentuations. All of them must be combined with each other, combined, coordinated, but in such a way that small stresses do not weaken, but, on the contrary, highlight the main word more strongly, so that they do not compete with it, but do one common thing in the structure and transmission of a difficult phrase. We need perspective in individual sentences and in this speech.
Creating Perspective Using Accents

You know how in painting they convey the depth of a picture, that is, its third dimension. It does not exist in reality, in a flat frame with a stretched canvas on which the artist paints his work. But painting creates the illusion of many planes. They seem to go inside, into the depths of the canvas itself, and the foreground definitely crawls out of the frame and canvas forward at the beholder.
In our speech, there are the same plans that give perspective to the phrase. The most important word stands out most clearly and is brought to the very first sound plane. Less important words create whole series of deeper plans.

This perspective in speech is created to a greater extent with the help of accents of different strengths, which are strictly coordinated with each other. In this work, not only the strength itself is important, but also the quality of the emphasis. So, for example, it is important: does it fall from top to bottom, or, conversely, is directed from bottom to top, does it lie down heavily, ponderously, or flies off from above easily and pierces sharply; whether the blow is hard or soft, rough or barely perceptible, whether it falls immediately and is immediately removed or whether it lasts for a relatively long time.
In addition, there are so-called masculine and feminine accents (not to be confused with feminine and masculine endings).

The first of them (male accents) are definite, complete and sharp, like the blow of a hammer on an anvil. Such blows are immediately interrupted and have no continuation. Another type of accent (female) is no less definite, but it does not end immediately, but has a continuation. To illustrate them, let us assume that for one reason or another, after a sharp blow of the hammer on the anvil, it is necessary to immediately pull the hammer back towards you, if only to make it easier to lift it again.
We will call such a specific blow with its continuation “female stress”, or “accentuation”.
Or here is another example in the field of speech and movement: when an angry owner drives out an unwanted guest, he shouts “get out” and points to the door with an energetic gesture of his hand and finger; he resorts to “male accent” in speech and movement.
If a delicate person has to do the same, then his expelling exclamation “get out” and gesture are decisive and definite only in the first second, but immediately afterwards the voice slides down, the movement is delayed and thus the harshness of the first moment is softened. This blow with continuation and delay is “female accentuation”.

In addition to stress, you can highlight and coordinate words using another element of speech: intonation. Its figures and drawings give the highlighted word greater expressiveness and thereby strengthen it.

You can combine intonation with stress. In this case, the latter is colored by the most diverse shades of feeling: now affection (as we did with the word “man”), now anger, now irony, now contempt, now respect, etc.

In addition to sound stress with intonation, there are also different ways highlighting a word. For example, you can put it between two pauses. At the same time, to further enhance the highlighted word, you can turn one or both pauses into psychological ones. You can also highlight the main word by removing the stress from all non-main words. Then, in comparison with them, the untouched highlighted word will become strong. First of all, you need to choose one most important word among the entire phrase and highlight it with emphasis. After this, you should do the same with less important, but still highlighted words. As for non-main, non-selected, secondary words that are needed only for the general meaning, they must be pushed into the background and faded out.
Between all these highlighted and non-selected words it is necessary to find a relationship, gradation of strength, quality of stress and create from them sound plans and perspective that give movement and life to the phrase. It is this harmoniously regulated ratio of the degrees of stress strength of individual words that we mean when we talk about coordination. This creates a harmonic form, a beautiful architecture of a phrase. Just as sentences are formed from words, whole thoughts, stories, and monologues are formed from sentences. They highlight not only words in a sentence, but entire sentences in a large story or monologue.
Everything that has been said about accentuation and coordination of stressed words in a sentence now applies to the process of highlighting individual proposals in a whole story or monologue. This is achieved using the same techniques as accentuation of individual words. You can emphasize the most important sentence by pronouncing the important phrase with more emphasis than other minor sentences. In this case, the emphasis on the main word in the highlighted phrase should be stronger than in other, non-selected sentences. You can highlight a stressed phrase by placing it between pauses. You can achieve the same thing with the help of intonation, raising or lowering the sound tonality of the highlighted phrase or introducing a brighter phonetic pattern of intonation, coloring the stressed sentence in a new way. You can change the pace and rhythm of the highlighted phrase compared to all other parts of the monologue or story. Finally, you can leave the highlighted sentences in their usual strength and color, but shade out the rest of the story or monologue, weakening their striking moments.

Exercise 1
Carefully read the analysis of the text based on intonation patterns and pauses, proposed by K. S. Stanislavsky. Based on this example, analyze any text you choose.

“Like the icy waves of Pontic waters...” he read quietly, relatively calmly, and then explained laconically:
– I don’t give you everything I have inside at once! I give less than I can! We must protect and accumulate emotions!
I fear myself from haste: after the words “water” I make a sound bend! Insignificant for now: for a second, a third, no more!
At the next comma bends (there will be many of them ahead), I will begin to raise my voice more until I reach the highest note!
Vertically! Not horizontally at all! Not just, but with a pattern!
I make sure that the second bar is stronger than the first, the third is stronger than the second, the fourth is stronger than the third! Do not shout!
"In an unstoppable current..."
However, if each measure is raised by a third, then forty words of a phrase will require a range of three octaves! He's gone! Five notes - up, two - draw! Total: only third! And the impression is like a fifth! Then again four notes up and two – pull down! Total: only two notes of increase. And the impression is four! And so all the time. With such savings, the range is enough for all forty words!
And further, if there were not enough notes to increase, increased drawing of bends! With relish! This gives the impression of being strengthened!
“...not knowing the return tide”...
"…go-go
rushing to the Propontis and the Hellespont."
I'm taking a psychological break!
Didn't express everything!
How delay teases and inflames!
And the pause became more effective!
I'm approaching a high note: "Hellespont"!
I’ll say it and then I’ll lower the sound!…
For a new final run!
“So my plans are insidious
They will rush furiously, | and then back
Will never join | and to the past
They will not return, |
And everyone will rush uncontrollably..."
I draw out the bend more strongly. This is the highest note of the entire monologue.
Absolute freedom! And I hold back, tease with pauses.
The more you hold back, the more it teases.
The moment has come: do not regret anything!
Mobilization of all means of expression!
Everyone to the rescue!
Both tempo and rhythm!
And... it's scary to say! Even... the volume!
Don't scream!
Only for two last words phrases:
"...rush uncontrollably"
Last completion! Final!
"...until they are consumed by wild screams."
I'm slowing down!
For greater significance!
And I'm putting an end to it!
Do you understand what this means?!
The point in the tragic monologue?!
This is the end!
This is death!!
Want to feel what I'm talking about?
Climb the highest cliff!
Over a bottomless cliff!
Take a heavy stone and...
Throw him down to the very bottom!
You will hear and feel the stone scatter into small pieces, into the sand!
We need the same fall... vocal!
From the highest note to the very bottom of the tessitura!
The nature of the point requires this.

Exercise 2
Highlight the stress in the following sentences. Sort them by comparison.
Slender, tall, athletic girl.
Blue, deep, rough sea.
Restless, stubborn, complex character.
Gentle, fragrant baby soap.
Loud, intrusive, unpleasant music.
Dirty, sticky, sad road.

Exercise 3
Listen to audio recordings of the theater at the microphone - poems, poems, stories performed by famous actors. Recommended list:
Bernard Show. Village matchmaking. Performers: V. Gaft, E. Koroleva.
Margaret Mitchell. A wife for half a crown. Performers: E. Evstigneev, A. Papanov, A. Georgievskaya, E. Vesnik.
Miguel Cervantes. Salaman cave. Performers: L. Kasatkina, A. Khodursky, O. Aroseva, G. Menglet, A. Nikolaev.
William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Performers: A. Batalov, A. Dzhigarkhanyan, E. Gerasimov, I. Kostolevsky, A. Borzunov, N. Karachentsev, S. Yursky, N. Drobysheva, A. Kamenkova, N. Tenyakova, S. Bubnov, A. Bubashkin, G. Nekiforov, G. Sukhoverko.
Jean-Baptiste Moliere. Scapin's tricks. Performers: Z. Gerdt, E. Vesnik, A. Papanov, V. Etush, M. Kozakov, K. Protasov, G. Anisimova.
If you are unable to get hold of any of these recordings, listen to an excerpt from the teleplay (listen, not watch). Analyze the passage, note how pauses are placed, where stressed words are emphasized. How would you place pauses and highlight words?

Exercise 4
In the given passage, mark the feminine and masculine accents.

Homer.
ODYSSEY

Pallas Athena answered him indignantly:
“Woe! I see now how distant Odysseus is to you
I need to lay my hands on the shameless
aliens.
If now, having returned, he stood in front of the door
brownie
With a pair of spears in hand, with his strong shield
and in a helmet, -
How I first saw the hero at the time when he
In our house at the feast he was having fun, sitting at the cup,
Coming to us from Efira from Ila, Mermerov
son:
Odysseus also visited there on his ship
fast;
He was looking for poison that was deadly to people, so that he could
spread
Your copper arrows. However, Il refused
Give him poison: he was ashamed of the soul of the gods
immortals.

Exercise 5
Find the main stressed word in these sentences and highlight it, removing the stress from all minor words.
The heavenly beauty of our language will never be trampled upon by cattle. M. V. Lomonosov
As a material for literature, the Slavic-Russian language has an undeniable superiority over all European ones. A. S. Pushkin
There are two kinds of nonsense: one comes from a lack of feelings and thoughts, replaced by words; the other is from the fullness of feelings and thoughts and the lack of words to express them. A. S. Pushkin
Our beautiful language, under the pen of uneducated and inexperienced writers, is rapidly declining. Words are distorted. Grammar fluctuates. Spelling, this heraldry of the language, changes at the will of one and all. A. S. Pushkin
A person's morality is visible in his attitude to the word. L. N. Tolstoy
In fact, for an intelligent person, speaking poorly should be considered as indecent as not being able to read and write. A. P. Chekhov
To handle language somehow means to think differently: approximately, imprecisely, incorrectly. A. N. Tolstoy
A dictionary is the entire internal history of a people. / N. A. Kotlyarevsky
Not a single spoken word has brought as much benefit as many unspoken ones. Plutarch
Language is an image of everything that existed, exists and will exist - everything that the human mental eye can embrace and comprehend. A. F. Merzlyakov
In literature, as in life, it is worth remembering one rule: a person will repent a thousand times for saying a lot, but never for saying little. / A. F. Pisemsky
Only literature is not subject to the laws of decay. She alone does not recognize death. M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin
Reading ability good books is not at all equivalent to knowledge of literacy. A. Herzen
Speech must comply with the laws of logic. Aristotle
Language is the confession of the people, His soul and way of life are native. P. A. Vyazemsky