Information Structuring

Focusing on a key processing skill in interpreting in the listening stage: information structuring.

Information Structuring

• Two dimensions
  • Separate into different parts based on major ideas
  • Differentiate the value of information of each part and make the structure hierarchical
    • The value of information
      • The lower level information units largely hinges on its corresponding higher level ones
        • e.g. 1.6 billion & 6.1 billion
    • Hierarchical structure
      • Primary information
      • Secondary information
      • Next level information
  • Demo
    • 1. Supporting low carbon technologies in developed countries
      • a. Long complicated process
      • b. Not a leaner process: feed back, rethink
      • c. Not a specific group of people
      • d. Technology and policy are required in innovation
    • 2. The links between developed countries and developing countries
    • Main idea: Policies to support innovation in two ways
• "Cloudy" speeches
  • Definition
    • Boundaries between ideas are not marked by connectors
    • Features
      • Hard to figure out how one idea proceeds to the other
      • Difficult to decide how different parts are connected to realize the general goal of the whole speech
  • There are more cloudy speeches in Chinese, why?
    • a. Chinese is a more reader responsible language; English: writer responsible
    • b. Chinese speech composition is more inductive; English: deductive
  • 2 Tips
    • a. Resort to the speaker’s intention to predict the destination
    • b. Intentionally make the links between ideas explicit
• Basis for memory expansion