Teachers pass on their knowledge primarily through speech, so it would seem self-evident that in studying their discipline they would also obtain knowledge of the specifics of oral communication (although this is sadly not the case). From teachers of Slovene language and literature in particular we expect a cultivated way of speaking or mastery of different speaking skills. A particularly demanding form of speech is the reading aloud or interpretive reading of a literary text. Through the spoken presentation of a piece of literature the teacher wishes to stimulate the pupils’ individual experiencing of the text, develop their receptive skills and accustom them to active engagement with literature. This can be achieved only through a quality reading that is not the result of improvisation, based on intuition, but rather of thorough preparation, based on knowledge, in particular of the spoken language.
This paper presents a three-step model for the preparation of the interpretive reading of a literary text, which must be preceded by analysis of the text’s content. During the first step (slow silent
reading), the reader makes a note of the vocal patterns in the linguistic structure of the text; in the second (speaking notes) the text is equipped with graphic symbols for speaking; and in the third (trial reading aloud) the reader tests the suitability of her speaking notes, becomes famliar with the vocal image of the whole text and monitors her individual speaking idiosyncracies. The model is open to
creative adaptation in relation to a specific text.
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