Search results for 'tag:Literature tag:Pronunciation' matching tags 'Literature' and 'Pronunciation'

Need excercises to lessen 'droning' voce quality

Mr Patrick — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 22:01:36 GMT

Hi everyone,

I have two male students (Spanish speakers) who display a very peculiar technique for voicing. Their vocal folds vibrate at very low frequency, producing a very distinct âdroningâ sound. This sound completely interferes with the quality of their consonants, so that âmustâ becomes âmushâ and ârecoveredâ ârecovidâ.

Interestingly enough, it seems to be strongest when they are relaxed and attempting to speak âproperlyâ; when they are more anxious to get a point across, for example in a debate, the effect is much less.

Both of them display the same âdroningâ quality in Spanish, too, but here it is less of a problem because after all Spanish is their mother tongue and it also seems to rely less on the exact production of consonant clusters.

I have been trying to get them to focus more on their tongue and lips, with some encouraging results, but I have noticed that they have only limited control over this feature of their speech. So I would like to find out whether this âconditionâ exists in the literature about the teaching of pronunciation, and whether there are any specific activities to control it.

I should add that these people are future High School English teachers, so it does seem quite an important handicap.

Thanks, Patrick

Need your Help... Pls pls pls

Sushi* — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:06:28 GMT

Dear everybody:

I have a very sticky rpoblem and I need your help.
I am a student in the department of English Literature. My native tongue has always been Arabic. I, everyday in the college, learn new words and vocabs. The problem is, I CANNOT REMEMBER ALL OF THEM. I mean, after I learnt them all by heart. When it comes to either speaking or writing, and I want to recall a spicific word, it just doesn't come across my head. Other times, I get stuck when i want to know the English word for a word in Arabic.
Putting all of these aside, my pronunciation is a huge thing I have to deal with. I can speak American and British accent, but which is which, I cannot serttle on any of them.
Lol, It's too long sorry

Self-Evaluation Essay

Super Sonic — Sat, 19 May 2007 22:54:48 GMT

Hi,

I had my final exam from the writing course as a home take-in, but the type of the essay sounded a little bit weird to me. Here is what my lecturer gave as information:

Writing FINAL

Write an evaluation essay on the following topic

The Self-Evaluation essay is a reflective essay assessing and describing your learning experiences. Write a self evaluation essay considering the guidelines below.
The following are guidelines for your Self-Evaluation Essay:

Include each of your learning objectives,
Describe how the learning objectives were accomplished and the steps used to complete objectives,
For objectives you did not meet, state why not. What did you learn from the failure to meet objectives? (Is this even proper English? )
What else did you learn that was not in your initial objective? Specific examples should be cited. The student should review the learning objectives set at the beginning of the term and assess what growth he or she has achieved during the term."

And here is what I have written (Could you please proofread it considering the notes above?):

This Is Only the Beginning

This is my first year in the Linguistics department of Hacettepe University. I can easily say that this university is not quite what I expected it to be. I was hoping to improve myself in many fields, but this did not happen in the first year, since I had to deal with my courses more than anything else. However, my English dramatically improved thanks to the courses. I would like to evaluate this year in terms of how I improved my English skills (speaking, writing, reading and listening), while doing nothing about the other fields I was interested in (arts and sports).

First of all, I have been able to improve my expressive English skills thanks to a native speakerâs being our lecturer, and having courses on how to express ourselves better in English. Margaret was the lecturer of our writing course. I learned many new words, idioms, grammar structures and expressions in her classes, which would have me state my thoughts in a more comprehensible way in written language. Also, both in our writing and reading classes we had discussions about various controversial subjects that helped me improve my speaking skills. We were having phonetics at the same time, and as a student trying to attend all the classes, I improved my pronunciation. So, I can say that I am grateful for my department to help me meet my objectives in expressing myself both in spoken and written language.

Secondly, my receptive skills have also improved with the help of the courses like reading, literature, and listening comprehension. Even though I did not have much difficulty in reading and understanding course books, articles, reading passages and the like, I was rather poor at literal texts, or in other words, the figurative use of English language. By the help of our literature classes, I got over this problem, and now I can mostly understand what Shakespeare or Hemingway says. My listening skills, likewise, improved remarkably after having taken the listening comprehension courses. I was unable to differentiate between the words that resemble each other like âmateâ and âmadeâ before I took those courses. I can say that listening to someone speaking English has become one of the easiest tasks ever with the help of my lecturers.

Thirdly, even though there has been a big improvement in my English skills, I have not been able to deal with arts or sports, both of which are my main interests. I was hoping to have art lessons such as painting and music. However, all the courses are academic ones. Another deficit of my department âor of the university in general- is that there are not many sports activities going on. Because of these reasons, I felt rather âantisocialâ in my first year in the university. As a result, not having done anything in these two areas is the only objective that I missed this year, but I am thinking of taking piano and karate courses next year from another university. If only my university gave more importance to these two areas!

Consequently, although I was not very content with the overall situation of the university this year, I must admit that my English skills have improved drastically within this year. I, however, still feel sad about not being able to take any courses from my areas of interest. Who knows, maybe this was only the beginning. Maybe, I am going to like this university better. Only time will show!

Thanks in advance

Re: Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales"

YoungCalifornian — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:41:18 GMT

In my eyes, you are pretty cool. You may ask why. My answer is that everytime I got a headache when I attend the lesson of English literature invloving the old English. It is not easy for us to read and understand the boring old English. However, you can memorize and recite. Do you so really like it that you naturally memorize it in mind or Are you forced to recite to your professor only in order to pass the examination like our Chinese students?

Well thank you for the compliment Levia, but yes, I was indeed forced to memorize the opening as part of my classwork. I would have never been able to learn the proper pronunciation of the text without aid from my professor. Although there was no choice in the matter, I will say that I still very much enjoyed studying The Canterbury Tales. It is hard to overemphasize the impact it had on Western literature.

Re: Native-speaker intuition.

Tam Sadek — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 23:06:04 GMT

One of the main problems is the source of English Grammar.

English Grammar 'Rules' were based on the written forms of English and basically ignored any reference to Spoken forms used by Native Speakers.

There was and it appears still is contempt for the spoken form of English. In fact even the term used to describe the Spoken form, the 'vernacular' has negative connotations to most so-called educated and enlightened people.

So, guess what? Native speakers don't sound like grammar books! Perhaps you're approaching the problem from the wrong source and should be asking the question, "Why don't English grammar books reflect the English language used by native speakers?"

Do you seriously believe "English Grammar" arrived before its speakers?

To even ask why native speakers don't sound like grammar books is to miss the point entirely. Of course they don't, and what's more they never did!

Grammatical analysis has been based on interpreting usage in written documents, novels, plays and trying to promote English to the level of Latin which was the language of Education. It was only when people tried to promote English that they then borrowed terminology from Latin and stuck on to English (usually not very well) that English became regarded as a serious subject.

Ever wondered why the 'verb+ing' is referred to as both a present participle and a gerund? Blame Latin!

French and German were given much higher importance in the Royal family - mainly because the last true-English King died at Hasting in 1066. In fact George I of England is reported to have never even bothered to learn English, and spoke for his entire reign using his first language, German.

Even RP, the/a 'standard' of British pronunciation gets its name from the fact that if you could only speak English, then you would not be 'received at the Royal Court' unless you spoke like that.

And so now our legacy is to have a set of 'Grammar Rules' (for the most part based on Pre-1900 literature) combined with 'Pronunciation Rules' for visiting Queen Victoria (in the 19th Century)... and you wonder why normal native-speakers in the 21st Century don't sound like what exactly?

Re: Past perfect in a museum

Pastsimple — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:35:00 GMT

Grammar Geek wrote:
Not that this is on topic, but I'm intrigued. A posting outside a building is called a label in BrE? What is a sign?

Well, GG, it's in NnsE - Non-native speaker's English! In other words, using label is a sign that you're not a native speaker.

Nice you consider my English BrE! If you are interested, I was taught BrE at secondary school, have some colleagues that are Brits, and visit Britain now and then. However, most films I watch are in "American", my university lecturers were Yanks and I read American literature more than I do British. All in all, those two contradicting sources of influence can indeed create pretty mess sometimes: I use British spelling exclusively but Brits tell me my accent/pronunciation is more American than British. Can't get rid of those R's!

Re: Written English and Spoken English

Nef — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 01:14:14 GMT

Patricklui wrote:

Hello I am new to here. My mother tongue is Cantonese and I like to polish my English.

It's known that English has two different versions : spoken and written. I have been learning English since I was a child and my written English is not too bad because this is what I have to master in order to pass most exams. However, when it comes to speaking in English I often don't know what to say and struggle for words. Though I am in a city where many Englishes live and work in, I hardly make any native friends, what means, I lack an language environment. My problem is:

How can I learn more about the spoken version of English - the way that natives speak? Can you suggest some free online material focusing on spoken English?

Looking forward to your reply.

Hello Patricklui,

I work in an ESL program, and I know that your situation is very common. Some students speak better than they write or read. Some read, and often write, better than they speak. Some are more or less at the same level in everything, but these seem to be rare.

I'd suggest listening to English on the radio and watching some English television, if possible. (Be careful which programs you choose. For one thing, given your location, it may make more sense for you to listen to British English than to listen to North American English. For another thing, some shows aren't much like real conversation.)

Also, when you can, listen to people speaking English around you (possibly on a bus or while you are having something to drink or reading a newspaper someplace.) Do you think these speakers sound like you sound? Do they abbreviate things you might not abbreviate? (example: Want to go? or even Wanta go? versus Do you want to go?) Do they use different inflection (raising and lowering the pitch of their voices) than you usually do? Would you understand a lot of what they said if they slowed down?

**My strongest suggestion is to take a class in conversational English, if you can. Look for a class that focuses on practical communication.** An intensive conversational class (one that meets frequently and for fairly long amounts of time) would be good, if you could manage it. Again, try to find a class that focuses on conversation (not on writing, not on reading, not on reciting long passages, not on learning about literature, not on a combination of these things). Talking, listening, understanding, using, asking questions, learning more.

Another possibility (perhaps hard to find and not cheap) would be a class that focuses on pronunciation. (This is more specific than a class that focuses on conversation.) Still more specific would be working with a speech coach or therapist who focuses on accent reduction. You might not need either of these two. Try other things first.

Spend some more time on this forum, particularly in the areas where you think you need help. I think Www.eslcafe.com is another good forum. See what other people are doing to improve their speech.

If possible, ask a few proficient English-speaking acquaintances for feedback and suggestions.

Practice saying common phrases the way you have heard proficient English speakers say those phrases.

Good luck!

Re: Is American English lazy English?

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 21:12:17 GMT

Hello Mike in Japan-

Arguments claiming American English to be a âdumbed downâ or âlazyâ version of British English are based on the erroneous premise that American English is a perversion of British English. Any real linguist will tell you that modern British and modern American English BOTH evolved from a common source, the pronunciation of which was quite different from either modern variant. Your argument seems to claim that British English is somehow standardized and has not changed over the years when in reality that today it is just as different from the pre-colonial English as American.

In fact, most scholars point to a phenomenon known as âretentionâ in which the colonies actually retain the linguistic styles of the period of colonization while the original homeland, because of international influences, changes rapidly. There are many examples of grammatical structures and vocabulary that are very common in the US that are considered archaic and old-fashion in the UK. For example Americans use the past-perfect form of âto getâ, which is âgottenâ, a conjugation that has not been used in England in almost two centuries.

You must also remember that English is very different from other languages in that it is used by several extremely influential countries. In contrast, although the former French colonies do produce notable literature, almost all cultural expressions in the French language come from Franceâwhich is why French can claim to have one standard. In the same way, Japanese can claim one standard because Japan is the only real source of Japanese literature and culture. But because both the USA and the UK produce vast amounts of literature and film, thus generating substantial cultural accomplishments in both linguistic variants, it would be impossible to dub one or the other as incorrect.

Another thing to remember is that English, while it does have its variants, is much more uniform than other international languages like Arabic or Spanish, which can differ greatly from region to region and even have entirely different verb conjugations.

In conclusion, I would argue that you must take into account that English has official status in 6 very influential countries, each of which can claim a substantial body of literature, and therefore cannot be compared to Japanese which is only spoken in 1 country and thus can claim one standard.

Carl

Re: Inferior dialects?

Crux_online — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:50:03 GMT

Randy_Tam wrote:
I am only taking Mandarin as a complusory second language credit course, my L1 being Cantonese Chinese, now considered a 'dialect' for no justifiable reasons, as there has never been a clear distinction drawn between a 'dialect' and a 'language': do the 2 not share the very same traits of a 'language' (a consistent grammar embedded so that an L1 speaker can tell whether an expression is acceptable in his language)?

The distinction between a 'language' and a 'dialect' seems to me to be so wide and so gray as to be almost arbitrary. In the case of Chinese, it is my understanding that Cantonese is considered a dialect of Mandarin because of the "Official Status" of Mandarin as the official language of the PRC. Such a governmental promulgation automatically relegates any other variants as either undesirable, or at the very least, secondary to the preferred variant.

Of course Cantonese is a language and has all the halmarks of a language. Perhaps if the capitol of the PRC were in Hong Kong, Cantonese would be the language and Mandarin would be the dialect.

Depending on your view of the role of prescriptivism in language, it may be good or bad that one variant is chosen over another as the primary, base, standard, or official language, leaving all others to languish in their subordinate status. Often, it seems to be either the literary class--those looked upon as authorities on the subject--who don the mantle of setting the rules, or it is the language of the area in which the capitol or cultural center lies. As an example, I submit that American English--spoken by far more people than Oxford English (I believe this to be the generally accepted standard)--is considered my many to be the dialect, so to a great extent geography and time (among other things) have roles in this as well.

I personally consider Cantonese to be a separate language from Mandarin because of the enourmous differences in the tone model, the pronunciation of the words, and the phonetics (mind you, I am not an authority on such things). Clarify something for me: if one were not to have been taught Mandarin in school, would Mandarain and Cantonese be mutually intelligible?

Randy_Tam wrote:

...Putonghua was 'designed and standardized (by a committee of linguists... sadly enough), where the lexicon and pronunciations are fabricated according to the dialects spoken around the northern provinces, to be the common language of the entire Chinese population'....

Case in point, perhaps. The word 'fabricated' is actually used!? Wow.

Randy_Tam wrote:

As a language is used in daily discourse, deviations related to 1. the phonemic form 2. syntactic constructions 3. pragmatic uses 4. stylistic variations 5. logical interpretations and the like, make language change inevitable. I quote again the examples I came across earlier: 1. the use of 'er' being more flexible these days (as more non - L1 speakers of Putonghua now communicate in that language, whereas the use of 'er' is simply insane in their native language, Cantonese for example) 2. the more flexible use of the '5th tone' (probably brought about by intercourse between Mainlander Chinese and Taiwanese Chinese) 3. words borrowed from other Chinese 'dialects'. All these blur, if not make impossible, the precise definition of the shape of a language. It is for this reason that even though Putonghua was intended as a prescribed language for the entire population, speech variations nevertheless take place (Though asserted as 'wrongs', Chinese linguists have devoted much effort in addressing 'common errors' of a particular group of speaker, a prelude to 'language variations') and eventually prevail over such prescriptions.

Absolutely right! I can see that you are very passionate about your view! And maybe a little offended, as well.

All this begs the question: What is the role of prescriptivism?

Well, as Julielai pointed out, such prescriptivism creates a framework for learning. But if that is all it does, then the inevitable change will render the framework useless. Fortunately, it is not all it does.

Prescribing rules for syntax, usage, and grammar is often required to conduct business on a meaningful level; the world economy is based on the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. Without rules (read: communication protocols), such communication would be virtually impossible and the economy of the world (as an aggregate) would very likely falter or fail.

As with anything, those in power make the rules and you likely will not hear street slang in the board room. Whether this is good or bad is a matter for debate, but rest assured that if street slang were to become the standard, something else would take its place as the variant considered contemptible or quaint among the new elite.

It is clear that languages change--constantly, inexorably, and in different simultaneous ways. There is no Language Tree, rather there is a Language Web (of sorts). The degree to which a language remains constant is in great part reliant on the liturature extant in that language. The more literature there is, the more stable the language, meaning that the language is more resistant to change. But again, liturature doesn't do this alone. What if no one reads? Education in reading such liturature stabilizes the language as well, but that means the prescription of rules.

All this circularity is simply meant to point out that--without sounding like a spineless egalitarian--both change and stability are required. Therefore, both prescription and innovation are required in order for a language (or dialect) to thrive. Linguistic genocide, as you put it, should be a crime against humanity because it restricts the degree to which people can communicate. Languages should never be deliberately extinguished, rather they should be more fully embraced within the context of the importing language. Where would English be without the Spanish word machismo? There's no English equivalent (it must be defined by a phrase rather than a word). What would you call the internet if you couldn't use new technical words? But then, how would you be able to make your case in this forum without rules of usage and grammar?

Re: I want to help someone learn English!

Paula_g — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 04:00:39 GMT

My name is Paula. I am a qualified and experienced English language teacher. I hold a BA degree in English Literature from the University of Oxford as well as the Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign (Second) Language (TESOL). My private lessons are offered in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. My students come from all over the world to improve their English language and awareness of the British society and culture. As the lessons are tailor-made for your particular needs, you can expect great advancement within a short period of time, and focus your study on any aspect of the language.

I teach all levels from Beginners to Advanced as well as for specific tests. Your first lesson can be used to assess your level of English and what type of lessons you need to have.

Your private lessons can include:

Grammar
Pronunciation and Accent Reduction
Reading and Writing
Speaking and Conversation
Vocabulary building .

My per hour rates are $6 .

Please contact me at paula_g125@hotmail.

Thanks.