English Audio: Speech and Pronunciation

Re: Berlusconi's English

CalifJim — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:55:07 GMT

If you're lucky, you might be able to find a native speaker willing to "tutor" you (i.e., just talk to you) an hour a week -- cheaply, hopefully!

It's surprising how just a little contact each week over six months, say, can improve your fluency.

Re: Berlusconi's English

Kooyeen — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:08:58 GMT

CalifJim
On the other hand, fluency also has to do with being able to speak fairly fast for long periods of time without constantly stumbling around trying to find the right word -- that sort of thing. There should be a sort of automaticity about it that only comes after long practice -- most likely living in an English-speaking country.

Yeah, do you know how difficult that is? Ok, I know you know, that was a rhetorical question. You need to practice speaking a lot, and that's basically only possible if you move to an "English-speaking environment", as you said.

CalifJim
P.S. Rutelli's English is better, but as you point out, there are some small problems, most of which you could probably point out better than I. The lax i and lax u are always a problem for non-natives.

Heh, yeah, I just said I think that English is perfectly "decent" if the aim is to communicate. He could make himself understood (at least in theory, because someone has probably told him what to say before, and he might not know much English after all ). As for the accent, yes, the vast majority of Italians don't have a clue about any English vowels, so "bit" and "beat" are exactly the same. Maybe I'm too pessimistic, but Rutelli's English sounds much better to me than what I would usually expect to hear from Italians.

Re: Berlusconi's English

Jhumjhum — Wed, 14 May 2008 03:16:44 GMT

While learning languages I have watched that:

1) Some people have very stiff tongue that they even can not pronounce properly even their own languages.

2) Some people cannot adopt other languages except the languages they had to start learning from early age.

3)Some people do not have any aptitude for languages .So with a lot of effort they can only learn to a certain extent.

4)After a certain age adoptability of brain also reduces.

At present the leader of our ruling party is an Italian woman(Sonia Gandhi).Now she speaks Hindi wery well.Of course her accents are not proper but it is clear that she has worked hard for learning Hindi

Re: Berlusconi's English

CalifJim — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:55:46 GMT

Kooyeen
What do you mean by "fluency"? Using good and understandable grammar structures, and common mainstream vocabulary? I think that would be the most important thing when being understood and communicating effectively is the main goal.

You got it! In two words, be idiomatic. Use the same (usually simple) grammatical structures, word order, and vocabulary that the native speakers use.

On the other hand, fluency also has to do with being able to speak fairly fast for long periods of time without constantly stumbling around trying to find the right word -- that sort of thing. There should be a sort of automaticity about it that only comes after long practice -- most likely living in an English-speaking country.

P.S. Rutelli's English is better, but as you point out, there are some small problems, most of which you could probably point out better than I. The lax i and lax u are always a problem for non-natives.

Re: Berlusconi's English

Kooyeen — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:55:53 GMT

I didn't understand everything that Slovakian minister said... it even took me a little to figure out that "vee veel" was supposed to be "We will", lol.

CalifJim
The surprising thing I think, for those of you who are not native speakers of English, is that these men can be understood.

Yeah, English is not my native language, so I can't know whether a certain accent is difficult or not to understand for a native speaker.

CalifJim
So concentrate on fluency, and don't beat yourselves up if you don't have a perfect accent!

Well, then I have to ask you... What do you mean by "fluency"? Using good and understandable grammar structures, and common mainstream vocabulary? I think that would be the most important thing when being understood and communicating effectively is the main goal. If I said "Today I have been to the market" with a bad accent, many would probably understand anyway, but if I said "I am market today before"... hmm.
Rutelli's English is very good compared to the others. He's got an Italian accent, but it's perfectly understandable. (Rutelli is another Italian politician).

Re: Berlusconi's English

CalifJim — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:18:34 GMT

The surprising thing I think, for those of you who are not native speakers of English, is that these men can be understood.

They don't have the best accents -- that's obvious -- but if you can speak English with at least this degree of faithfulness to the standard accent, you will be understood by most English speakers most of the time.

So concentrate on fluency, and don't beat yourselves up if you don't have a perfect accent!

On the other hand, if this is the best you can muster, please don't become part of AT&T's help desk abroad!!!

Re: Berlusconi's English

Lawyee — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:00:46 GMT

Still, Mr, Berlusconi appears to me as a native speaker when comparing him with the Slovak minister of economy:

Please, do not think that we Slovaks all are this level of English

Any other nominations for "English Oscars"?

Re: Berlusconi's English

Tanit — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:43:19 GMT

Francesca
I even laugh at Berlusconi's Italian pronunciation

I couldn't have put it better myself, Fran!

Re: Berlusconi's English

Francesca — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:03:02 GMT

Well Jhumjhum, I even laugh at Berlusconi's Italian pronunciation

Re: Berlusconi's English

Jhumjhum — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:51:39 GMT

Berlusconi and Bush! Listen to Berlusconi's English, that's a good accent, isn't it? Whahahah whuahuahuha, oh, geez, I hope the Italians find this funny

If Mr. Bush had to speak Italian ,Italians would laugh at his Italian pronuncuation.

Re: Berlusconi's English

Pucca — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:34:58 GMT

nona the brit
Feeling bored? Try this. I'm stuck on question 40 and I have to use 2 'skips' to get there. I think you'll like it....

http://www.notdoppler.com/theimpossiblequiz.php

Hey Nona, use the bridge!

If you make it to 43, let me know how you passed level 42, okies?

Re: Berlusconi's English

Tanit — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:13:44 GMT

LOL that's so embarrassing!
Unfortunately, English is not on top of the "most-embarrassing-things-that-come-to-my-mind" when I think about him ...

Re: Berlusconi's English

Francesca — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:03:33 GMT

Berlusconi and Bush ...what a couple

That quiz posted by Nona is not insane, it makes ME insane

Re: Berlusconi's English

Kooyeen — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:29:19 GMT

LOL!!! That quiz is totally insane! I don't think I have time to make it to the 40th question though... It is kinda off topic, but it's so funny, lol. Thanks...

Re: Berlusconi's English

nona the brit — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:02:04 GMT

Feeling bored? Try this. I'm stuck on question 40 and I have to use 2 'skips' to get there. I think you'll like it....

http://www.notdoppler.com/theimpossiblequiz.php