Thanks!

Thanks to both of you for your comments!
I will make some changes, with your comments in mind.
I hope more students post comments....I can't wait to hear them :)
Have a wonderful 3 day weekend.

-Anthony

Friday, Oct. 8, 2010

I have been trying to decide how much we should focus on the individual vowel sounds. On Tuesday we reviewed all of the basic vowels. On Thursday we reviewed all of the diphthongs. But what should we do next? I have many ideas, but before I make a decision I want to hear your thoughts.

Please spend 5-10 minutes reviewing Units 3-10 in the textbook. Each unit covers 2 or 3 vowel and dipthong sounds. Would you like to review ALL of these units in class, one by one? Which units do you think we need to review the most? Which sounds are particularly hard for you?

Please respond to this post as soon as you can, and be as blunt as possible. As I said, I already have an idea for the remainder of the course. But I wanted to take your ideas into consideration.
I look forward to reading your comments.

Friday, Oct. 1, 2010

Assignment: Please watch the following clip and answer the questions below...

Before you watch it, here is some background. In this scene, George, Jerry, and Elaine are sitting in the coffe shop on Broadway, just a few blocks from Columbia University. George Costanza is one of Jerry Seinfeld's friends on the show Seinfeld. George is considered a "loser" because he is always making mistakes. In fact, he feels that every decision he has ever made has been the wrong decision. In this scene, he decides to do the opposite of every instinct he has. In other words, if every decision he makes is wrong, then the opposite must be right.

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKUvKE3bQlY

Please answer the following questions:

1. During the first minute, what verb sounds do you hear? As you listen, look at the list of the 14 American verb sounds on the inside cover of our book. Rewrite the scene, replacing the VOWEL letters with the symbols on the list.

2. Do you think George's idea will work? What decisions does he make in the coffee shop? Why does he order a different lunch than usual? What happens when he speaks to the woman sitting at the counter? Please write your answers down and bring them to class on Tuesday.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Please check back at 10pm on Friday night. :)

Columbia Pronunciation Class, Sept. 17-24, 2010

Hi, everyone!

Sorry I did not post a new thread this week until now, and also for not responding to the most recent posts. I check the blog daily, but this week my computer was having issues so I couldn't check the blog.

For this week, please consider the problems that were pointed out to you in class. Also please think about the problems that you had in class. Specifically, what sounds did you have trouble pronouncing? And what about the rhythm and stress lesson from today's class? Was it difficult for you to mimic the Seinfeld clip? Do you find yourself stressing words correctly when you converse with your friends?

I am looking forward to reading your posts. Please finish posting by next Thursday's class.

Thanks,
Anthony

Columbia Pronunciation Class, Sept 12, 2010

Directions: Think about the weaknesses that were pointed out during the assessment on Thursday. Think about and answer the following questions:

1. Did you hear Americans use these sounds? What did you notice?
2. Explain 5 times that you tried using these sounds outside of class during the past week.
3. Did someone have trouble understanding your speech this week? Please provide details, and explain what you did in response.

Please note your response should be at least 200 words. Please read Reiko's post below--it is perfect! You must post on this blog by Monday, Sept. 12 !!!!

If you have any questions, email me at APrato55@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
Anthony

Bronx ESL Class, NYC Botanical Garden, July 2010

Bronx ESL Class, Bronx Zoo, July 2010

Flushing ESL Class, Spring 2010

Flushing ESL Class, Fall 2009