A very interesting phenomenon has hit the @VirginiaBeowulf channel: deaf-mute and hard-of-hearing people have specific defects in rhetoric and grammar.
The phenomenon of deaf-mute and hard-of-hearing communication underscores the diversity of human linguistic experiences. It serves as a poignant reminder that language is not confined to the spoken word but encompasses a myriad of modalities, each with its own intricacies and nuances.
So, what implications does this hold for language learners and educators? It underscores the importance of a holistic approach to language acquisition, one that integrates listening and speaking skills alongside reading and writing. By fostering active engagement with spoken language, learners can enhance their communicative abilities and deepen their linguistic proficiency.
In essence, the cognitive mechanics of language acquisition are far more nuanced than initially perceived. Listening to speech serves as a cornerstone for both writing and speaking proficiency, weaving a intricate tapestry of linguistic development. By embracing this interconnectedness, we can cultivate a more inclusive, empathetic, and enriched linguistic landscape.
The comprehensive guide focusing on improving English fluency through mastering pronunciation. The presenter emphasizes that pronunciation is often overlooked in traditional language learning methods but is essential for fluency, contributing to around 80% of language proficiency.
Importance of Pronunciation: The presenter highlights how working on pronunciation can significantly enhance overall fluency in English, even for those with limited grammar and vocabulary skills. They use personal experiences and examples, including their mother’s language learning journey, to illustrate this point.
Practical Tips for Improving Pronunciation: The video provides a variety of tips and techniques for polishing pronunciation, such as:
Listening and imitating native speakers through movies and podcasts.
Using pronunciation apps for personalized feedback.
Leveraging online videos and tutorials, particularly on YouTube.
Recording and analyzing one’s own speech.
Phonetic exercises and learning the phonetic alphabet.
Practicing with tongue twisters.
Reading aloud from books or newspapers.
Singing along to songs in English.
Watching oneself speak in a mirror.
Speaking slowly at first then gradually increasing speed.
Engaging in shadowing exercises.
Focusing on problematic sounds.
Joining online forums and language exchange websites for interaction and feedback.
Promotion of Lingoda: The video features a sponsored segment promoting Lingoda, a language school offering flexibility in learning languages, including English, with options for group or individual classes. The presenter offers a discount code for Lingoda.
Benefits Beyond Pronunciation: The presenter explains that focusing on pronunciation also sharpens listening skills, increases confidence, enhances effective communication, aids in understanding language nuances, and facilitates cultural engagement. They stress that repetitive practice is crucial.
Learning Methodology: The presenter advocates a natural approach to language learning, similar to how children learn, which prioritizes listening and imitation before moving to grammar and vocabulary. This method is supported by the presenter’s personal experience and their mother’s success story.
Balance with Grammar: While emphasizing pronunciation, the presenter acknowledges that grammar is also important and should not be completely neglected. Improved pronunciation will make learning grammar easier and more intuitive later on.
The video concludes with encouragement to persist and be patient in the language learning process, highlighting that improvement can happen suddenly after consistent practice. The presenter invites viewers to subscribe and engage with the channel for more content.
Today’s entry unveils a unique technique that caught my attention during my exploration of the Skyeng English speaking course. It introduces a fascinating concept: projecting the phonetics of Russian words into our native English accent. While it may seem like an unorthodox approach, the rationale behind it struck a chord with me, revealing a valuable strategy for enhancing pronunciation skills.
The essence of this technique lies in the idea of making language learning more accessible to our subconscious mind. By projecting Russian words through the lens of our native English accent, we create a bridge that facilitates associative connections (similar as in KESPA method). This process taps into the familiarity of our native language, making it easier for our subconscious mind to navigate and adopt the nuances of Russian pronunciation.
What initially seemed like a straightforward exercise proved to be a profound exploration into the synergy between languages. Pronouncing Russian phrases with an English accent becomes a deliberate act of merging two linguistic worlds. This not only serves as a practical tool for mastering pronunciation but also fosters a deeper understanding of the phonetic intricacies inherent in both languages.
As I embraced this approach, I noticed a subtle transformation in my perception of pronunciation. The act of projecting Russian phonetics into an English context became a cognitive exercise that engaged my mind on multiple levels. It wasn’t just about mimicking sounds; it was about building a bridge of comprehension that spanned the linguistic gap.
This technique challenges the traditional boundaries of language learning, encouraging us to view our native language as a valuable ally in the pursuit of mastering a new one. It’s a journey that empowers us to leverage the familiar to conquer the unfamiliar, making the intricate dance of pronunciation a more intuitive and enjoyable experience.
In conclusion, projecting phonetics into our native language unveils a pathway to efficient language acquisition. It’s a tactics that not only aids in pronunciation, but also deepens our connection to the rich tapestry of linguistic expression. Here’s to the exciting journey of exploring new linguistic territories and unraveling the mastery of pronunciation.
This outstanding English phonetics course is not only top-notch but is also open accessible on YouTube. The author’s talent is nothing short of extraordinary, and the fact that р’re sharing this wealth of knowledge for free is truly admirable.
The video starts with a question many may ask: Why bother getting rid of an accent? The presenter argues that different accents carry different social statuses, and improving your accent can elevate you on the social ladder, potentially leading to increased income and better opportunities.
The exploration begins by defining what an accent is. An accent is not just about pronouncing individual sounds differently; it extends to how someone from a specific ethnic or social group articulates words. The presenter illustrates this with examples from Russian, English, and even touches on the variations within the English language, such as British and American accents.
The video goes on to explain how accents involve not only the pronunciation of individual sounds but also the rhythm and melody of speech. Examples in English demonstrate how syllable stress can vary, affecting the way certain words are pronounced.
To differentiate between accent and dialect, the video provides clear examples. While accents involve nuances in pronunciation, dialects encompass entirely different words and expressions for the same concepts. For instance, buying a sweater in London may involve different terminology than purchasing the same item in Los Angeles.
The video also has a lot of funny comedic inserts about stereotypical Russian accents
Diving into the ‘Mastering English Pronunciation‘ playlist by @Oxford Online English has been a game-changer for my language journey. 🎧 Each lesson feels like a personalized guide, helping me navigate the intricacies of English pronunciation with newfound confidence.
From dissecting the subtle dance of syllables and word stress to embracing the challenge of perfecting vowel sounds, this playlist is a treasure trove of insights. The lessons, presented in a friendly and engaging manner, have this incredible way of making complex concepts feel approachable.
What I appreciate most is the diverse range of topics covered. Whether it’s understanding the Schwa sound, unraveling the mysteries of sentence stress, or even exploring the nuances between British and American pronunciation, every lesson adds a layer to my linguistic toolkit.
The best part? It’s not just about mimicking sounds; it’s about truly understanding the ‘why’ behind each pronunciation nuance. The lessons on reading IPA and weak forms, for instance, have been eye-openers, giving me a deeper appreciation for the mechanics of language.
As someone on the journey to articulate thoughts more clearly and sound more like a native speaker, this playlist has become my go-to companion. It’s not just about sounding right; it’s about feeling confident in expressing myself authentically.
In some songs, especially when the melody or rhythm needs to flow smoothly, artists might alter the pronunciation or even skip certain words to maintain the musicality or fit the lyrics into the song structure. In this case, “to” is often skipped in the interest of maintaining the rhythm and cadence of the song.
Check it out: Could you find a way to let me down slowly Kud-yu fayn-u-wey-e let-me-dawn slowlee1
In this particular case, the word “to” has been omitted for smoother pronunciation and to maintain the rhythm of the song.
Also here we can hear that Alec Benjamin does blend the words together a bit differently to match the melody and rhythm of the song.
It’s a stylistic choice in singing where words are connected or slightly altered in pronunciation to fit the musical flow. This alteration helps maintain the song’s tempo and emotional delivery while still conveying the intended meaning of the lyrics.
Unraveling the Brain’s Intricacies: Insights from Neuroscience
For native speakers or those accustomed to listening to music, blending words together or slightly altering pronunciation to fit a song’s rhythm is quite common and often well-received.
The phenomenon of reconstructing the intended phrase or sentence is related to how our brains process language and utilize context and patterns to understand and make sense of what we hear, even in cases where the pronunciation might differ slightly from the conventional spoken form.
Our brains are remarkably skilled at processing language and understanding context, so in the case of music, the melody, rhythm, and emotional tone of the song help listeners interpret and understand the lyrics even when words are slightly altered or blended together.
Similar to how our brains can infer the correct meaning from misspelled words in text due to contextual cues and familiar patterns (a phenomenon sometimes referred to as typoglycemia), when listening to music, our brains use context, melody, and familiarity with language to comprehend the lyrics even when there are alterations in pronunciation or blending of words.
Typoglycemia (a portmanteau of typo and hypoglycemia) is a neologism for a purported discovery about the cognitive processes involved in reading text. The principle is that readers can comprehend text despite spelling errors and misplaced letters in the words.
This phenomenon is partly due to our brain’s ability to fill in missing information based on context and prior knowledge. In the context of a song, listeners often focus on the overall emotional and musical experience rather than the exact pronunciation of each word, allowing for some flexibility in how lyrics are delivered while still conveying the intended message and feeling.
Great phonetics lessons from the LinguaTrip team. The lessons are short and focus on key pronunciation basics, which is great to integrate into any daily English learning routine.
The teacher in the video is Bridget Barbara, she studies Russian and teaches English.
0:00 Intro 1:00 How to practice shadowing 2:38 My Embarrassing Ballet Story 4:20 What I learned from my story 5:28 My advice to master English sounds 5:46 Amazing American Accent Sound Bank course 7:25 Feedback & reminder 7:49 What I use to slow down the story audio
Clear the air You guys need to clear the air It is time to clear the air
Trial and error a way of solving a oribken by trying a number of different methods and learning from the mistakes that you make
(to be) at odds over/with to disagree or be different from something My siblings and I are at odds over the family estate (disagree). I’m at odds with his version of the story.
beyong (a shadow of) a doubt expressing certainty that something is true I think it’s beyond a shadow of a doubt that the earth’s climate is changing beyong a reasonable doubt (law) the argemnet presented shows someone ia guilty and must be accepted as fact We have shown the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
play it by ear to decide how to deal with situation as it develops, rather than acting accordin to plans made earlier Let’s just play it by ear. We have a plan, but we can make changes if neccessary. We’ll just play it by ear.
go with the flow to do what other people are doing or to agree with other people because it is the easiest thing to do
to put (one’s) foot down to use your authority to stop something happening
down the drain refer to work or money that is waisted All that work down the drain!
to come under fire to be criticized the government has come under fire after the failed response
jump to conclusions to guess the facts about a situation without having enought information
out of (one’s) depth not having the knowledge experience, or skills to deal with a particular situation or subject
do (someone/something) justice to be accurate or fair by representing someone or something as that person or thing truly is The book is so much better than the movie. The movie doesn’t do it justice. The Grand Canyon is breathtaking. Pictures don’t do it justice.
The video is an insightful discussion on improving speaking skills, drawing from Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of achieving excellence and mastery. It emphasizes the importance of deliberate practice, using examples like musicians and athletes who attained greatness through relentless practice rather than innate talent. The speaker suggests a practical exercise: recording three-minute sessions daily for ten days to articulate ideas, explain concepts, or share personal values, culminating in defining a value for a good life on the tenth day.
The crux of the message revolves around the analogy of a pottery class: one group focused on producing numerous pots for evaluation based on weight, while the other group aimed for a single perfect pot. The former group, consistently engaged in hands-on practice, produced the best pots. Similarly, the video urges consistent speaking practice — experimenting, trying different approaches, and not just aiming for perfection but embracing the process of improvement.
Ultimately, the key takeaway is the necessity of consistent, deliberate practice in speaking to enhance skills gradually over time, highlighting that improvement in speaking comes through active practice, not just passive learning or consumption of information.
Key ideas:
Mastery in speaking comes from deliberate practice, not innate talent.
Dedicate three minutes daily for ten days to record and practice speaking.
Consistency and experimentation are crucial—trying new things and not aiming for perfection immediately is essential for improvement.
Analogies from music, sports, and a pottery class emphasize the importance of continuous effort over time.
