Theocratic Aid To Kingdom Publishers

Lesson 11

ORAL EMPHASIS

Oral emphasis is the very life of speech. On the right management of emphasis depends the whole life, spirit and meaning of speech. If no emphasis is placed on any word, not only is the talk lifeless, but the meaning is rendered

ambiguous. If the emphasis is misplaced (that is, given to the wrong word or words) the meaning of the sentence is distorted; and if the right word is given too much or too little stress, a statement becomes either a bombastic exaggeration or a feeble understatement.

Emphasis is also properly termed sense stress. It means stress of utterance or greater force of voice given to one or more words of a phrase in order to impress the hearers with their significance, also in order to color ideas or emotions to be conveyed. Emphasis is the chief means to bring out the meaning of an expression. This is done either by primary stress only or by primary and secondary stress; that is, heavier or lighter stress on particular words of the sentence. How may one know where to place the emphasis and the right amount of it? The rule is very simple. Study the full meaning and weight of every statement to be made, then emphasize the word or group of words that carries the principal thought.

That is not difficult to do if one has made the material his own and put it into his own words. In everyday speech there is no uncertainty as to the meaning or weight of one's expression, and no uncertainty in one's mind regarding the right thought-containing words to be stressed, and with how much stress, whether heavy or light. The fact is he gives no thought whatsoever as to the words to be stressed. He does it automatically, subconsciously. That is why every normal person, even the small child, manages emphasis without any difficulty in his everyday speech. Entirely different is the situation when one has to quote what others have written. In such a case he must make himself so familiar with the text that it becomes as his own. Then he can read it or speak it as his own thoughts, and have no difficulty whatsoever as to what to emphasize and how much. Then, and then only, can one convey the correct meaning by proper emphasis and proper degree of stress.

Every sentence has in fact but a few really important words; the rest are merely connectives or modifiers and are entirely subordinate to the principal thought. The speaker's thoughts center around these important words and by proper stress he focuses the attention of the listeners on the important words to make them grasp the import of each statement. If he fails to use such selective emphasis he will be monotonous and sleep-inducing.

After one has ascertained the full meaning of a sentence in his reading or speaking material, he might underline the words that receive the primary emphasis. This will make the delivery much easier and safer and, above all, clearer. More than anything else does the placement of emphasis reveal whether a reader or speaker fully understands what he is saying. If he misplaces the emphasis it is a sure sign that he is either ill-prepared or understands little or nothing of the material he is presenting in reading or speaking.

Stress often governs meaning. A simple illustration will clearly show how the emphasis placement can alter the meaning. Jesus said: "Thy word is truth." If the word thy is stressed, it means Jehovah's word, and not another's, is truth. Stress word, and attention is focused on that as the expression of truth. If someone had claimed that God's Word is not truth, then emphasis might well be placed on is: "Thy word is truth." Again, "Thy word is truth." Here the speaker strikes stress on truth, emphasizing that God's Word is not falsehood or lies. Or, the speaker might hit every word with voice stress, "Thy word is truth." There the entire thought expressed in the words is enforced by the voice. There is not a shadow of doubt regarding its truthfulness. So the stress placement depends upon the setting. What word did Jesus probably emphasize? In this prayer to Jehovah he said: "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17) He had spoken of Jehovah's truth as a sanctifying force, then identified

the expression of that truth by adding: "Thy word is truth."

From this it is seen how one can convey in a short sentence many different meanings merely by placing the emphasis on different words. Just think how many shades of meaning could be thus given to a twenty-word sentence! It illustrates that there are no ironclad rules for emphasis. It all depends; it is a matter of meaning. How will one know which of the many words to emphasize if not by first ascertaining the meaning of the author? If they are one's own words he knows what words to emphasize, because he knows the meaning he has in mind; but if the words are not his own, then he has to ascertain the meaning from the context. Only thus will one be able to emphasize the right words.

Oral emphasis can be given by various means. By greater volume, by greater force or intensity, by changed pitch, by slow and deliberate expression, and sometimes by rapidity. The most forceful manner of making a word or phrase of unusual importance stand out is by a pause before its utterance, thus creating expectancy, or by pausing after its utterance, which permits the thought to sink in; and sometimes the speaker may pause before and after, which is doubly emphatic.

The importance of emphasis cannot be overemphasized, because it is the very backbone of meaningful speaking and reading. Therefore give heed to sense stresses. Only then will one talk sense.