English Is Crazy

Peculiarities of English pronunciation, word formation...



I bet many of you agree, English is crazy…

Pronunciation: Linking Words

The importance of sound linking in English

Note: there is no sound at the beginning of the video

 

Idea taken from Luiz Otavio Barros´s blog

Real Conditionals: Poem "If" by Rudyard Kiplin

Rudyard Kiplin´s poem "If" was written for his son aged 12. It is a very famous poem which you can read below (click here for a bigger view) while listening to it magnificently recited by the English actor Sir Michael Caine

And here is an excerpt of the poem read by tennis players Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Do you notice the difference in pronunciation, rhythm and intonation between  the three readings (the one above and the two below)? What suggestions would you give Nadal and Federer to improve their readings?

What Languages Sound Like

One of the weak points of Spanish students when speaking English is the oral part, they may pronounce the words correctly but the intonation and the "sound" of the language is not there and that is just what this girl from Finland has. She (she calls herself "Smoukahontas") speaks several languages in this video but, in fact, she is just imitating how they sound - everything she says is utter gibberish, in her words, i.e., all the sentences are fabrications made to sound like the actual languages. How did she manage to sound like a native - to foreign ears, at least? By listening to the original language a lot, I guess.

The Spanish and Portuguese parts are not the best, in my view, but it is a video worth watching.

If you want to speak English like a native, watch this video. For different posts related to pronunciation, click here.

Thanks to my colleague Fátima for the link!

As her first video became viral, she felt obliged to make the second one; here it is:

)

Pronunciation of Food Terms

Read these food terms; they are all names of foreign origin but used in English. Do you know what they are? how do you pronounce them? 

• pho
• paella
• gyro
• prosciutto
• bruschetta
• gnocchi
• hors d´oeuvre
• flambé
• quinoa
• pommes frites
• Worcestershire
• phyllo dough
• petit four
• foie gras
• gruyère

Now watch the video: read the definition of what each one of them is and check their pronunciation in English; the video is called "15 Common Food Terms That You Are Probably Pronouncing Wrong".

    

Reasons to Learn English

Here´s one more reason for you to speak English well: if you want to be a film director and work in Hollywood, you need to give clear instructions to the staff working for you, or they´ll freak out…

Mexican Alfonso Cuarón won the Golden Globe Award 2014 for best director of his film Gravity. When he gave his acceptance speech, he explained his problems to make himself understood in English - "because of my thick accent," he says- when giving the actors and actresses directions. Try to understand him when he thanks Sandra Bullock for not quitting when he told her "Sandra, I am going to give you herpes" ( he says he meant "I am going to give you an ear piece" - but I still wonder whether he meant "a hair piece")

 

And here´s the trailer of the film, with subtitles in Spanish:

British English vs. American English

English is not an easy language; sometimes not even speakers from different countries, but with English as their mother tongue, can fully understand each other. This may be due to their pronunciation (or "mispronunciation", from the other speaker´s point of view) or to the vocabulary itself - slang, for instance.

Here is a good example of all those things mentioned before: British actor Hugh Laurie is interviewed by American television host Ellen DeGeneres. In this excerpt of the interview, they question each other about different slang words. If you find the interview difficult to understand (their sense of humour may complicate things a little bit as well), click here and you will be able to watch the interview subtitled in Spanish - the part embedded below starts around minute 6:30.

Start the weekend with a smile!

The Importance of Speaking English, According to Our Politicians

Dear Mr Núñez Feijoo, President of "Xunta de Galicia,"

you are welcome to my classes; you could learn two things:

• the importance of rehearsing speeches before delivering them
• the pronunciation of "Chieftains"

While we are at it, you might as well consider increasing the number of hours of English lessons per week: three 50-minute-long periods a week with a ratio of up to 34 students per class is certainly not the way to make our students   fluent in English (judge for yourself)

Let me recommend a great way to learn some pronunciation: singing along while listening to a song. 

Since you had difficulties reading the name of the Irish band, The Chieftains,  while mentioning they had been awarded the Castelao medal, here´s one of my favourite songs played by this band together with The Corrs , I Know My Love

I Know My Love,  Lyrics

I know my love by his way of walking
And I know my love by his way of talking
And I know my love dressed in a suit of blue
And if my love leaves me, what will I do?

chorus:
And still she cried, "I love him the best,
And a troubled mind, sure can know no rest"
And still she cried, "Bonny boys are few,
And if my love leaves me, what will I do?"

There is a dance house in Maradyke
And there my true love goes every night
He takes a strange girl upon his knee
Well now don't you think that that vexes me?

chorus

If my love knew I can wash and wring
If my love knew I can sew and spin
I'd make a coat of the finest kind
But the want of money sure leaves me behind

chorus

I know my love is an errant rover
I know he'll wander the wild world over
In dear old Ireland he'll no longer tarry
An American girl he's sure to marry

chorus
chorus

Unfortunately, Mr Núñez Feijoo is not the only one who has problems with English; click here and watch the videos

The Importance of your Accent When Speaking a Foreign Language

Listening to the graduation speeches these days has made me think about lots of aspects related to oral production in a foreign language and I couldn´t agree more with the message in the following video - which is part of a longer one called "Expert Advice on Accent Reduction from Paddy Kennedy."

Paddy Kennedy, the Principal of Kennedy Communication Studio, is a communication coach who describes her job like this: I teach people to say what they mean and mean what they say. I teach people to speak to be heard and to write to be read. 

Her speech can be summarized in these four points:

1. Your accent is not the problem
2. Language has rhythm

3. We speak in "sound units"

4. Homework is important: listen, imitate, exaggerate, say tongue twisters, practice

You can watch this video with captions in English

I first watched this video in the blog "Labor English Zone," so thank you, Álvaro!

Click here and here if you want to hear some amazing people imitating lots of different accents

Sofía Vergara´s (Gloria´s) English

Just in case you don´t know, Sofía Vergara is the Colombian actress who plays the role of Gloria in the TV series Modern Family. I have decided to write about her because there are some similarities between my students´ and her problems with English: accent, grammar and vocabulary mistakes and what someone calls "little mispronunciations." Thank God most students don´t have problems with all these things at the same time.

What´s the purpose of learning a foreign language? If you ask most students in high school (i.e., compulsory education), they will probably say they do it to pass the subject (which is not at all rewarding for a teacher, but that´s just the way it is). However, for most people the real purpose is communication and, let´s be honest, your accent should not be an obstacle for that - unless it is a really strong Sofia Vergara´s / Gloria´s accent.

Here is a video made up of short clips of ABC´s Modern Family which shows how Gloria manages to make herself understood, no matter what; these are some of the mistakes you will hear : 

• he boxed with an alligator ( = wrestled)
• its´sended
• we live in a doggy dog world (we live in a dog-eat-dog world)
• blessings in the skies (=blessings in disguise)
• carpal tunnel syndrome (carpool tunnel syndrome)
• a box of baby cheeses / a box of baby Jesus
• undermelting his confidence (= undermining his confidence)
• flood
• ear-rings
• yes
• look / Luke

Self-confidence is really important when you speak a foreign language and Sofía / Gloria is a very good example of a self-confident person ("I have an accent but people understand me just fine," she says; "do you need me to learn you English?," she volunteers); besides, she doesn´t seem to notice the problems people have trying to understand her ("I honestly didn´t get any of that," "I´m so confused right now," say some of the people listening to her).

I wish my students could copy this attitude  and were brave enough to answer back, like her, "You try to speak in another language!"

The next video is an interview with TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres; it is subtitled in Spanish so you will not need to concentrate on understanding her - just enjoy her strong Colombian accent. In fact, this interview shows to what extent your level of English is not that important when there is a combination of accent + beautiful body + pretty face + funny.

Click here to watch one more interview at Ellen DeGeneres´show with no subtitles. Check how much you understand.

The Queen´s English

Here´s a good listening and reading exercise.

The standard accent of Standard English in England is called either "RP" (= Received Pronunciation) or "Queen´s English" and making a pun (=word play) on words, this is the best example of Queen´s English you´ll ever hear: Queen Elizabeth II´s 2012 Christmas speech - read the transcript below, if you need to:

“This past year has been one of great celebration for many. The enthusiasm which greeted the Diamond Jubilee was, of course, especially memorable for me and my family.

It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago. People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations. But perhaps most striking of all was to witness the strength of fellowship and friendship among those who had gathered together on these occasions.

Prince Philip and I were joined by our family on the River Thames as we paid tribute to those who have shaped the United Kingdom’s past and future as a maritime nation, and welcomed a wonderful array of craft, large and small, from across the Commonwealth.

On the barges and the bridges and the banks of the river there were people who had taken their places to cheer through the mist, undaunted by the rain. That day there was a tremendous sense of common determination to celebrate, triumphing over the elements.

That same spirit was also in evidence from the moment the Olympic flame arrived on these shores. The flame itself drew hundreds and thousands of people on its journey around the British Isles, and was carried by every kind of deserving individual, many nominated for their own extraordinary service. As London hosted a splendid summer of sport, all those who saw the achievement and courage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games were further inspired by the skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes. In pursuing their own sporting goals, they gave the rest of us the opportunity to share something of the excitement and drama.

We were reminded, too, that the success of these great festivals depended to an enormous degree upon the dedication and effort of an army of volunteers. Those public-spirited people came forward in the great tradition of all those who devote themselves to keeping others safe, supported and comforted.

For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first. Those serving in our armed forces, in our emergency services and in our hospitals, whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends, will be missing those they love. And those who have lost loved ones may find this day especially full of memories. That’s why it’s important at this time of year to reach out beyond our familiar relationships to think of those who are on their own.

At Christmas I am always struck by how the spirit of togetherness lies also at the heart of the Christmas story. A young mother and a dutiful father with their baby were joined by poor shepherds and visitors from afar. They came with their gifts to worship the Christ child. From that day on he has inspired people to commit themselves to the best interests of others.

This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ. It is my prayer this Christmas Day that his example and teaching will continue to bring people together to give the best of themselves in the service of others.

The carol, In The Bleak Midwinter, ends by asking a question of all of us who know the Christmas story, of how God gave himself to us in humble service: ‘What can I give him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; if I were a wise man, I would do my part’. The carol gives the answer ‘Yet what I can I give him – give my heart’. I wish you all a very happy Christmas.”

Turkey Day

Turkey Day or Thanksgiving: you do know what we are talking about, don´t you? If you don´t, watch this first video:

Here is an activity to commemorate Thanksgiving; I got it from a page called Community.EFL Classroom so it has been designed with students in mind. I think it is very good for self-study, here´s what you can do:

1. watch the episode trying to understand as much as possible
2. pay attention to the culture aspects of Thanksgiving (or Turkey Day) - food, for instance. Here is a list of typical Thanksgiving food: stuffing, cranberrry sauce, turkey, Brussel sprouts, green bean casserole, marshmallow sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, pie, turduken. Do you know what all those things are? Click here to find out.
3. the episode is divided into parts; after each part of the episode, click here. You will be linked to a pdf. document with different activities for this episode: 

• the transcript (reading)
• information about specific aspects of Thanksgiving in US life
• definition of vocabulary that is used by the different characters in the          episode
• grammar activities related to grammar points emphasized in the episode

This TV series came out in the 1990s in the US; I am sure you´ll notice the difference in everyday life then and now: the way people dressed, the way they related within the family (grandparents, parents and grandchildren), their language... but the pace of their speaking is not at all fast so this will be a very useful activity for those of you who have an "intermediate" level of English.

Happy Turkey Day!

And here are other activities related to this celebration: 

1. You are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving is an interactive exploration of the facts and myths associated with the story of the First Thanksgiving. Students can explore the facts and myths through the eyes of a Native American child or through the eyes of a female Pilgrim. Through the eyes of each character students discover the culture of giving thanks in the Native American and English cultures. My favorite part of the investigation is "The Path to 1621" in which students hear the perspectives of Native Americans and Pligrims about events prior to 1621. 
2. Thanksgiving game: click here
3. Thanksgiving vocabulary game: click here
4. Do you like cooking? Would you like to learn how to make a pumpkin pie? Rachel is a teacher of American English who focuses on pronunciation in her videos and blog, called Rachel´s English

  5. And after a heavy meal, people need to do some exercises so what about "the gratitude dance" following The Gratitudes. Here´s how they introduce themselves and their dance: 

We started the Gratitude Dance out of moment of celebration at a coffee shop in Victoria, BC while writing our book on Manifesting Awesomeness. Out of this little jig came the idea to film it and put it on Youtube. Little did we know that it was just the beginning of our journey of understanding the power of gratitude and the power it has had on our lives.We are Matthew Ashdown and Brad Morris, known globally as "The GratiDudes" hanks to a guy who gifted us with this name. We are the originators of the silly Gratitude Dance that's spreading across the world!   

Mathew and Brad are thankful for: 

My Friends and Family, music, the Ocean, every penny I have, Law of Attraction, a wonderful world of opportunities, dancing, delicious food, the roof over my head, my health, my freedom, my talents and gifts, the Sun, Moon and the Stars, LOVE, the experiences that make me who I am, Learning new things, my bright future, Peace, Magic, Giving and Receiving, Energy, my Life, Rain Forests, Meditation, the Universe, Hugs and Kisses, my Coaches and Mentors, ME, books, computers, wisdom, smiling, entertainment, Planet Earth, and the Gratitude Dance!

What are you thankful for?

Pronunciation of -ed

This post is copied from Denilso de Lima´s blog Ingles na Ponta da Língua. It is a podcast and I think it is really good to practise the pronunciation of -ed, which is what we are working with in 1º BAC these days.

Click to listen to the audio and read the transcript at the same time. 

Hi, this is Kristen Hammer again with a new post. This post is about pronunciation. Today I’ll be talking about the suffix –ed.  This little guy seems to cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding.

Many words in English have an –ed ending. Mostly we see this with verbs that are in the past tense. So, in this case, the infinitive verb “to paint” becomes “painted”(They painted the chair). We also have the past participle form of the verb “to paint”, which is also, “painted.” (The chair was painted yesterday). And finally, we have the participle in the adjective form (The painted chair is beautiful).  

n all my time teaching English in Brazil, I have found just a handful of people who correctly pronounce the –ed endings on words. Believe it or not, there are actually THREE different ways to pronounce the –ed suffix. There is the  /ɪd/ sound, which adds an extra syllable to the word. This is the one Brazilians always seem to use! We have the /t/ sound.  And lastly, there is the /d/ sound.

There are three main rules that you should know in order to pronounce these endings correctly (I am copying these rules from a website I found):

1. If you add –ed to a word that ends with a /t/ or /d/ sound, then the –ed sounds like /ɪd/ and is pronounced as an extra syllable. Example: faint-ed.
2. If you add –ed to a word that ends with voiceless consonant sounds, then the –ed sound is like /t/ and is not pronounced as an extra syllable. Example: forced – pronounced /fɔːrst/
3. If you add –ed to any other word that does not fit the above rules and has voiced consonant sounds, or ends with a vowel sound, the –ed is pronounced with a /d/ sound, and also has no extra syllable. Example: waved is pronounced /weɪvd/.

[If you don’t know what a voiced sound is, there is a very simple exercise to find out:  put your finger on your voice box (vocal chords).  Now make the sound. If you feel a vibration, then it is a voiced sound. If you do not feel a vibration, it’s an unvoiced or voiceless sound.]

So now I’m going to read the words in this list. Pay attention to the correct sound ending.  Is it a /t/?   Is it a /d/?   Or is it an /ɪd/?

Before you go on with the audio, classify these words according to their pronunciation following the rules mentioned above - which are those we explained in class. Reading the words aloud will help. Then listen to the audio and check:

• exited                
• collapsed 
• crawled
• faded
• grasped
• scanned 
• heeded
• faxed
• sealed
• aided
• trapped
• stared
• jaded
• gripped
• aimed
• riveted
• focused
• realized 
• anticipated
• increased
• rolled
• tilted
• looked
• pictured
• protected
• faked
• fumbled
• entrusted
• locked
• crumpled 

(It’s important to note that it’s the sound that is important on the ending of the word, not the letter or spelling. For example, the word “fax” ends in the letter “x” but the sound is /s/.  And the word “like” ends in the letter “e” but the sound is /k/.)

There are exceptions to these rules. Aren’t there always exceptions!?  So, we have some adjectives like aged, blessed, crooked, naked, wicked, ragged, learned, etc.  Some examples of these adjectives in a sentence are: “The aged man walked across the street” or “The professor was a truly learned man”.

However, when used as verbs, the normal rules apply. So we have, “Wow, Bruce Willis sure has aged quickly!” or “The students really have learned the material well”.

I found a short story online that uses a lot of –ed endings. I’m going to read the story with the correct pronunciation. If you would like to do this exercise first, before listening to the correct sounds, pause the audio file and fill in the answers.  Put “T” if it should sound like /t/, “D” if it should sound like /d/, and “ID” if it should add a syllable, and sound like /ɪd/.

Once again, do the exercise on your own before playing the audio:

The bear jumped (   ) out of its cage and into the crowd. She must have realized (   ) that this was her best chance to escape. The bear’s trainer looked (   ) as though he were about to faint from the terror of it all; it seemed (    ) like his worst nightmare come true. He scrambled (   ) to his feet and started (   ) waving his hands and shouting to get the bear’s attention. She stopped (   ) her wild rampage only for a moment at the sound of her trainer’s pleas. She quickly turned (   ) back to the crowd and resumed (   ) knocking people to the floor. The trainer suddenly had an idea. He reached (   ) into his pocket and pulled (   ) from it a large chocolate covered (    ) treat – a known favorite of the bear. He shouted (   ) the bears name once more and she turned (   ) to face him. She saw the treat and ran in full gallop towards him. He threw the treat into the cage and the bear followed (   ). He locked (   ) the door behind her and fell to the floor in relief. Apparently, the bear valued (   ) food more than freedom.

Ok! So I hope that clears thing up a bit.  Not only will this help your pronunciation of the English language, but also, native speakers will have a better understanding of what you are saying!  Pronunciation really is important.  I offer classes online via Skype for anyone who might be interested.  See you later!  Bye! [MP3]

Our World

Survival International has launched a campaign to persuade the Minister of Justice in Brazil to send away the invaders -loggers mainly- who are killing the very few Awá people who still remain in the Amazon.

The campaign's goal is to persuade Brazil's Justice Minister to send in federal police to clear out the invaders.On the "Survival International" website, visitors can send a pre-coordinated message to the Minister of Justice in Brazil or share the information on their social media pages.

According to National Geographic the Awá are one of only two nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes left in Brazil. This unique tribe has a profoundly warm relationship with their forest, which provides them with food, shelter and spiritual solace.

The Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth supports this campaign; this is his speech in the video below:  

Many Awa remain uncontacted, they are the most threatened tribe in the world. Their forest is being illegally cut for timber. When the loggers see them, they kill them.When the loggers see them, they kill them. Their bows and arrows are no match for guns. And at any other time in history, that's where it would end. Another people wiped off the face of the Earth, forever. But we're going to make sure the world doesn't let that happen.Here´s the plan

One man can stop this: Brazil's Minister of Justice. He can send  in the federal police to catch the loggers and keep them out for good.But But right now it's just not his priority. We have to change that before its too late. We need enough people to message him so that he takes notice: you, me, our friends, our families, everyone counts. But we don´t have much time, when the rains stop, the loggers will be back. This is our chance right now to actually do something. And if enough people show they care, it will work.

Here´s a piece of advice for you to practise your pronunciation: 

• watch the video once (listening exercise)
• play it a second time while reading Colin Firth´s words above; pay attention and make sure you get the message. 
• Then play the video again and read the speech at the same time as Colin Firth: imitate his pronunciation and intonation. You could´t have a better teacher than the one who helped the King of the UK with his speeches. Click here  to watch the trailer of "The King´s Speech" in original version with English subtitles. By the way, you can borrow the film from the school library...