THE IMPROVEMENT OF WORK ON THE RHYTHM IN THECLASSES OF ENGLISH ON THE MATERIALS OF LIMERICKS
Even Englishacquired a status of the third language in Kazakhstan, but it is remained asthe foreign language for majority of people, mastery of which is still problematical.English at high schools sometimes does not come easily to students that theymake unbelievable efforts to catch the sense of the English speech. Who doesnot dream about the easy way of learning English? Because, usually it is ratherlong and exhausting process. It is commonly known, that language learning willbecome far interesting and productive, when the students are involved increative activity.
Interactiveforms of teaching give a chance to develop not only linguistic skills andabilities, but also permit to students using of English as the means ofcommunication, they advance own imagination and memory. All of it raises amotivation to study the language.
One of theeffective modes of motivating students to study the language is the using ofcreative works, such as dramas and composing the rhymes in possessing thelanguage. This technology opens vast possibilities for individual andposition-finding teaching, because here learners apply own unique life experience,own outlook [1]. I reminiscence that the main hero of Paul Maare’s fairy-tale “EineWoche voller Samstage” – das Sams applied the method of composing nurseryrhymes at the school, and his creative lesson pleased pupils, because theywanted him to teach again and again [2].
The givenarticle examines the questions of improving the pronunciation and rhythm by thematerial of limerick or how it is said popularly, of English chastooshka. Limericksis represented integral part of linguistic culture of Anglophonic nation in theworld. Limerick – is a popular form of short humorous poem, built on playingwith nonsense, which is appeared in Great Britain. The origin of the limericksis unknown, though it is considered, that a name descended from the refrains ofthe songs, sang by Irish soldiers-militiamen upon French king Louie XVI. At theparties the soldiers performed the songs, each stanza of which ended with therefrains – Will you come up to Limerick? (or by another version: Won’t you comeup to Limerick?). Therefore, the English word ‘limerick’ is pronounced with astress on the first syllable – like the name of the city in Ireland, from whichthe title is came [3]. It is believed to be existed another hypothesis that theword ‘limerick’ is originated not from the name of Irish city, as majoritythink, but from the Irish words ‘laoi meidbreach’ or ‘a merry lay’, which mean‘a merry song’ [4]. “Thefather of limericks” is considered to be the famous English poet, the king ofEnglish nonsense verse Edward Lear (1812-1888). Lear himself never called hiscomic verses ‘limericks’. The word ‘limerick’ firstly appeared posthumously inprint in 1892. One way or another, after the end of XIX century limericksbecame broadly famous. Many well-known writers and poets as Lewis Carroll,Rudyard Kipling, John Galsworthy, Mark Twain and Arnold Bennett composedlimericks. Pun character of limericks admits the free varying of the linguisticmeans in the frames of harsh rhyme. The characteristics of limerick areintentional play of words, homophony, ambiguity (homonymy), synonymy,polysemantic and the rich stylistic diversity of English words. Limerick playswith curious amusing discrepancy of English orthography and pronunciation,found their reflection in the special form of limerick, which is called‘visual’ or ‘orthographical’. The pet mode of limerick authors – is using ofneologisms. The neologisms and nonsense words of Edward Lear strongly enteredthe English literature and language [4]. The pentameter of the classicallimerick builds by the scheme AABBA, that is, first, second and fifth lines arerhymed, in accordance with third and fourth. Here prevails the size of ananapest, and a quantity of the syllables in the first, second and fifth linesare longer for three syllables, than in the third and fourth [5]. Limericks areconsidered to be the splendid material for the production of correct phoneticorganization of the English speech and especially of its rhythm. So, Englishscientist John Norrish writes about it:
“…. English isa stress-timed language…. Similarly, it is difficult for the speaker of the ‘syllable-timed’language to understand normal English pronunciation…
Way ofovercoming this problem of teaching stress patterns is by using the ‘limerick’,the comic verse from which relies for much its effect on the strongly markedrhythm. Teachers could demonstrate and encourage students to read aloud some ofthese verses:
There `was ayoung `lady of `Niger,
Who `smiledwhen she `rode on a `tiger.
They re`turnedfrom the `ride
With the `ladyin`side –
And the `smileon the `face of the `tiger.
As can beseen, the rhythmic pattern involves the stressed syllables each in the firstand second lines, two in the next two lines and three once again in the final,fifth line. When recited, it is important that the stresses come at regularintervals… As we have seen, thestress timing of the limerick is also a characteristic of English speech. Thisis what makes it a useful teaching tool… such a teaching technique can be usedas successfully for initial teaching of stress as for remedial teaching toeradicate errors” [6].
Thus, thestructure of the limericks is the same, which very helps the students to readthem easy and with the intonation. For instance, the variant created thehumorous effect on the first line can correspond with the intonation of LowRise, the intonation of the second with Low Fall. Further, the intonationsample repeats Low Rise in the third line, Low Fall in the fourth. In the lastline there is the final lowering tone of the Low Fall. Gradually falling andslipping melodic scale has emotional-neutral character. Not infrequently beforethe last line, which has an outcome, we may sustain a long pause. The givenvariant of an oral implementation characterizes rapid tempo of thepronunciation [7].
During theauditorium lectures the limericks are read aloud by keeping their rhythmicalform and by underlining the strong parts in each line. For the clear rhythmproduction I recommend to use a metronome, the strike speed of which can bechanged in accordance with the given tempo – from the fast to the slow (lento,lentissimo > allegro, allegrissimo). We can pronounce the limerick byourselves, then whisper, and at last, aloud, accompanying the pronunciation withthe knocking on the stressed syllables of the lines. On the final stage of theworking on limericks the students are offered to learn by heart and recitethem, to put to the music and sing, to dramatize. The interesting type of the work istranslating the limericks. The secret of translating is consisted in saving therhyme, poetical size of the limerick, and not to lose their funny essence.Frequently, to keep the poetical form and the pan, the translators have tochange proper names and ‘geography’ of the limerick. Given examples oftranslation by O. Astafyeva clearly shows an interpretation of the limericks inRussian.
Original [8]:
There was anold person of Dean,
Who dined onone pea and one bean;
For he said,‘More than that
Would make metoo fat’,
That cautiousold man of Dean.
(Edward Lear).
Translation byO. Astafyeva:
Одинокий старик из Туниса
На обед съедал зернышкориса.
«Больше есть я не смею,
А не то растолстею», –
Объяснял он друзьям изТуниса.
Here we cansee that the translator had to change the name of spot ‘Dean’ into ‘Tunisia’,as well as the peas and beans transformed into the rice. It is common case,when the translators change the proper names to keep the main sense of thecomic verse. Also, there is another example which was made by two translatorsand shows the strict and unchangeable frames of the limerick rhyme.
Original:
As a beautyI’m not a great star,
There areothers more handsome by far,
But my face, Idon’t mind it,
Because I’mbehind it –
‘Tis the folksin the front that I jar.
(AntonyEuwer).
Thetranslation close to the original (unknown author):
По красоте я вообще незвезда,
Есть люди симпатичнееменя.
Но не против лица я –
Ведь не вижу себя я,
Плохо лишь тем, кто видитменя.
The translationby M. Lorie:
Я красотой не блисталникогда,
Я не роза, скорей лебеда.
Это мне не обидно –
Мне себя ведь не видно.
Вот для встречных так,правда, беда.
Thetranslation by M. Lorie is distinguished with the freedom of theinterpretation, but they keep the rhyme of English limerick. The second variantfrom the pen of unknown translator does not possess the perfect form, butcorrectly sends the humorous sense of the limerick.
Thus,limericks are considered to be the great material for working on the correctphonetic organization of English speech and its rhythm. The rhythm of theEnglish speech presents enormous difficulty to the Russian, as well as to theKazakh auditorium. The isochronous form of English rhythm requires especiallyaccurate work on it. Of course, English limerick permits to polish the goodtechnique of the rhythm. The little limerick compactly and organically coupled anoriginality of a plot and the rhythm of the lines. Everyone will estimate atquaint humour of English nonsense verse true worth, who loves good laughter,play of intellect, witty words and sounds.
REFERENCES
1. Tambulatova T.K., Using of creativetasks in foreign language, Foreign languages at school. 8 (2008), P. 28 – 31.
2. Maar P. Eine Woche voller Samstage. Hamburg, 1973.
3. Razheva Y.I., Limerick:non-transferable play of words or transferable play of forms?, Foreignlanguages at school. 2 (2008), P. 107 – 109.
4. Vishnevskaya G.M., Working on therhythm of English speech by the materials of limericks, Foreign languages atschool. 4 (2005), P. 79 – 86.
5. Yermakova I., Limericks. www.google.ru,2009.
6. Norrish J. Language Learners andTheir Errors. London, 1983.
7. Vishnevskaya G.M. Methodicaldirections for the working on the rhythm of English speech by the materials oflimericks. Ivanovo, 2001.
8. Demurova N.M. The Topsy-Turvy World(English humour in rhymes). Moscow, 1974.