Genre and Stylistic Features of the Modern Audiobook

Modern technological conditions make it possible to create, quickly replicate and use audio books conveniently. Audio books are one of the fastest growing segments of the global publishing market. Informative issues of creating audio books, not technological ones, are in the research focus of the article. The content of an audiobook is a voiced text that refers to the “auditory literature”. Assessments of the quality of the auditory literature are polar. On the one hand, it is considered secondary to the original literary text; on the other hand, it is a self-contained artistic phenomenon with its own aesthetic nature. In this article, an audiobook is considered precisely in the aspect of its artistic value, which is highlighted when speaking about the genre nature of the voiced text. The genre features of the voiced text in this study are identified taking into account the communicative features of its formal-stylistic features. The communicative nature of the audiobook genre is associated with two types of reading, which reflect the opposite positions of the two participants in communication. On the one hand, this is an expres-sive reading aloud, which can also be defined as staged reading. Genetically, this type of reading is associated with public performances of artists and initially assumed live reading. Further, this type of reading is transformed into the genre of radio plays, called “theater at the microphone”. In modern communicative practices of creating and repli-cating audio content, including one related to the actor’s readings of works of art, there is no binding to time and place. On the other hand, this is auditory reading, a modifica-tion of which is audio reading in modern technological conditions. If auditory reading is the first reading practice of a child mastering books from the voice of a parent, then audio reading is the choice of an adult who can read. The acoustic representation of a literary work is associated not only with the performance of elementary technical characteristics of sound, but also with the introduction of a certain aesthetic value into it. The creative translation of a literary text from verbal to acoustic should preserve its value in the aesthetic plane, without reducing it to a purely pragmatic one. Actualization of the aesthetic value of an audiobook outside of its paper format is associated with the principles of its directing and editorial preparation – the principles associated with the implementation of the stylistic characteristics of the genre form of an audiobook. Translation of a verbal literary text into an audio one is carried out as a result of comparing reading a book to dramatic action. In this case, the forming element of the genre becomes the sounding text itself. In the case of audio books, the reader’s voice as a performer’s instru-ment and the musical noise accompaniment of the text read is a style-forming genre element. The article traces the publishing strategies for the embodiment of the formal-stylistic features of the audiobook genre in the context of modern audio cultural practices.

A Study of the Instructional Media Used by the English Teachers in Teaching English

This study was a descriptive qualitative which intended to investigate the types of instructional media used and the implementation done by the English teachers. The instructional media used to become the best solution to overcome the learning problems faced by the teachers. The subjects of this study were 5 English teachers at SMPN 2 Melaya. The data were collected through observation during the teaching and learning process and interviews with the teachers. The data analyzed descriptively. From the overall findings, the English teachers used eight types of instructional media, such as; real objects or models, slides, pictures, video, web, audio, books, and the boards. The teachers had different ways to implement them, such as they used LCD Projector and speakers as the tools to show the material and the school environment as the realia. The lack of facilities became the main problem in implementing them. Moreover, the teachers tend to use the same instructional media for the other topic since they do not have enough time to prepare.

Use of Mobile Devices for Accessing E-books by Medical College Students in Karnataka: A Study

The present paper assessed the usage of technical tools offering updates in medical information through various medical devices, database, apps, etc. The advancement in learning process aided by newly designed tools, viz. various devices, applications and databases are now within the reach of students. The new trend of dealing with e-books, audio books, etc., is an asset to the spectrum of education. Especially, students pursuing professional courses like medicine, etc., should make the maximum use of these new peripherals in technology. Nowadays, a change in reading pattern has been observed – a shift from traditional books to e-books and audio books. This paper significantly brings out the usage pattern of various mobile devices, database meant for medical education and various apps for e-book reader and audio books. The data from 1150 students belonging to 16 medical colleges in Karnataka were obtained through questionnaire, interview and observation techniques and the findings were elaborated with the help of suitable statistical techniques.

Aurality

The author recounts her history as an aural reader and argues for her preference for the synthesized voices of text-to-speech technology over analogue recordings of human voices. Legally blind since the age of 11, she developed habits of good listening, which served to elevate her aural reading from the passive reception of oral language to a more active practice of aural discernment. Now, with the widespread popularity of audio books and the ubiquity of synthesized voice technologies in mainstream electronic devices, she perceives progress toward greater social inclusion for people who are blind and visually impaired.

Performanz in der Briefkommunikation und ihre editorische Repräsentation

Letters as a form of communication gain their meanings not least by performative practices hints of which are clearly shown in their materiality. Vice versa, the paper discusses the possibilities of performing and making a film of correspondences using the example of Paul Celan and Ingeborg Bachmann (published 2008) and its film version Die Geträumten (‘Dreamed people’, 2016). The performative aspects of letters may also be represented by audio books or picture books. Yet especially digital letter editions should examine the phatic and conative functions of letter communication supplying specially designed kinds of metadata and their visualizations. The ‚Jenaer Romantikertreffen‘ (‘Jena Meeting of Romanticists’) in 1799 serves as a final historical example.

„Bajki samograjki”, czyli o słuchowiskach i książkach do słuchania w rozwoju mowy dziecka

The article describes selected possibilities of using radio plays and audio books in the course of speech therapy and it shows what competencies and skills are shaped during the reception of audio works.

How to … assist residents living with visual impairment

Many older people will have a degree of sensory impairment. Adrian Ashurst talks about how the care home can make sure all areas are safe for those living with visual impairment or sight loss. He also discusses the benefits of audio books.