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
13 comments:
Hi, Anthony. This is Reiko. Thank you for your amazing first class yeasterday! I was completely taken in with your opening joke... Although I am a SIPA student for two years, the main purpose to be sent here, is to improve my English and understand America inself for my future career as a diplomat. I'm sure my English will be improved with your lessons and practice.
Here are the answers to the questions.
1.
:I can hear Americans use “R” and “L” every day. However, it is sometimes difficult for me to distinguish “R” from “L” only by sound. I often guess which sound it was from the word or the context in which those sounds were included. I suppose I will not be able to distinguish those sounds by ear until I acquire the accurate pronunciation.
2.
1)“Cleaning”: I decided the order of cleaning with two roommates last week.
2)“Retreat”: I am going to the 2 days retreat of my program from now! I discussed with my classmates whether there is a shower at the accommodation where we will stay. I strongly hope so.
3)“Laundry”: I asked my roommate whether she had any laundry when I went to the laundry room. I succeeded to be understood on the first time!
4)“Recitation”: We have recitation classes for Economics and Statistics, and we complained about the heavy workload. I have more difficulty to pronounce “R” in the top of a word than one in the middle or the last of a word.
5)“Milk” ”Sugar”: I always order my coffee with milk, and without sugar. It is good chance to practice those pronunciations.
3.
:When I tried to ask my roommate whether she had “glue”, I was not understood though I repeated it for several times. Although I learned later that paste is more popular word than glue, I think the main cause for this trouble is that I couldn’t pronounce “L” correctly. Only after I showed how to use glue with gestures, she finally understood me (but she said she didn’t have!).
Reiko:
What a superb post...thank you. I personally think that "glue" is a more common word than "paste." Where is your roommate from? Maybe he/she prefers paste because of that... Anyway, we will practice L/R in class on Tuesday, along with the different T sounds. Again, thanks for your post and for being such a great student. Have a great weekend!
-Anthony
Hi Anthony
This is Eiichi. Nice to meet you. I've been staying in NY for 2 yers and will go back to Japan in December because of my work. That's why I took this class to brush up my English skill, especially pronounciation before leaving.
These are my answers.
1. "Th" sound. This is the hardest for me. Their tongues went out from their mouths. Incredible!! I can't do it unconsiously...
2. three, this, these, thesis, think
3. Someties, I have trouble saying something in English because I can't remind the word in a short time. In such case, I have to translate it from Japanese to English. It takes time and difficult to convey my thinking fluently.
Eiichi:
Nice post. Actually, we will work on the TH sound next Tuesday (not tomorrow, but the following week). And I think Thursday's activities will help you speak more freely and swiftly in English.
Please continue to post on the blog so we can communicate and I can prepare the lessons correctly.
Sincerely,
Anthony
Hey, this is Yi-Hsun. Glad that I am not the latest one to post :P.
1. According to my brother (well, since his American peers often mistake him for an “ABC” by his native accent and very American life style, it seems that I better buy his comments…though he was actually born and raised in Taiwan as I were…sigh), I usually have some sounds too heavily (or in his word-weird) such as “ask” or “that” (as Anthony has pointed out in the last class). And, some of my friends have told me that I sometimes speak too fast (…I am just trying to hide my crazy nervousness in using a language so unfamiliar to me!!) with wrong or unclear linking sounds, making them unable to understand me. Be honest, I did not realize that I have abovementioned problems until they got me corrected. Greatly thank them for bringing up those weaknesses to me, though I am still unable to completely quit making those weird sounds by now. But, at least I could correct my pronunciation of specific words as soon as I found people unable to understand me with those words again since I’ve known where the problem lies in.
2. 3. Since I just got back here last Sunday, being seriously jet lagged in effect prevents me from having any long speech with anyone but sleep. The only long and normal speech during the last week I can recall now may be that with a customs officer when I transferred at Anchorage. The whole conversation actually went not that bad as the mess I had last year, at least it seemed that the officer and I had a mutual understanding this time and he was pretty satisfied with my answers except one. Our conversation went like this:
Mr. Customs Officer: “Are you a student?”
Yi-Hsun: “Yes (aren’t you holding my I-20…).”
Mr. Customs Officer: “So it seems that we got a lot of students here today. Then what’s your school?”
Yi-Hsun: “Columbia (aren’t you holding my I-20…everything is on it!).”
Mr. Customs Officer: “COLUMBIA!! WOW!! So what’s your major? ”
Yi-Hsun: “(so I have a curious customs officer today…) East Asian study…”
Then I was continuously being asked about what I study this for, what I have planned to do with this in the future, what does a cultural and creative industry mean, and what my major was during college and so on. Finally here came the end.
Mr. Customs Officer: “It sounds cool. So can I ask how much you pay for the school?”
Yi-Hsun:”….well, you should ’ask’ my dad about ‘that’.”
Mr. Customs Officer:”What?”
(My first “what” of this conversation showed up eventually…)
Yi-Hsun:”…maybe you should ask my dad about that (with lighter ‘ask’ and ‘that’).”
Mr. Customs Officer: “Ha! Yes, you’re right (blink).”
Sorry for combining the question number2 and 3 into one answer, I am struggling with recalling any longer speech I had recently. And, ps. please do not get me wrong with my playful words. The Mr. Customs Officer was a very nice man actually. I like him and greatly appreciate his wishes :).
It seems that my posting is too long so that I am forced to split it into two sections. Sorry about that.
This is Francesco.
As the vast majority of the other students I'm taking this class, because a better pronunciation can be helpful for both my everyday life and career.
1) A weakness that was pointed out last week is they way I pronounce some vowels. In the last days I paid attention on the way Americans produces the correct sounds for those letters. Clearly, I have to work on that.
I've also noticed and some Americans have told me that my "r" sound a little bit strange.
Also somebody told me last week that the way I say "I don't remember" sounds everything but American.
2) I tried to practice on those sounds that I was (and probably I'm still) pronouncing wrongly. Honestly, I didn't exercise as much as I wished. When I talked to other people I correct my pronunciation a few times and also I was thinking more consciously to produce more correct sound
3) This morning I had a brief conversation with my roommate, a Canadian. She told me that my breakfast was disgusting. I replied her "Should I comment on what you are eating". She didn't understand. The reason was that I used a wrong stress on "comment".
Hi, this is Wang.
It is so nice to take your class.
I am glad to learn in your class.
Well, the goal for me to take class is that, I want to figure out what is wrong with my pronunciation and I am eager to figure out and correct them. So, in short, I have no idea what is wrong with my pronunciation which sound noisy to listener and I want to let listener's comfortable.
Thanks a lot.
Hello, everyone.
I am Ruxian, a graduate student from Columbia Engineering School. Sorry for my late response since I was on the class waiting list last week. I just found this class forum, which is very helpful for us to ask and answer questions after class. Thank you Anthony for creating this.
1. I have difficulty in pronouncing “th”, like three, mother, thank you. I know when we say “th”, our tough should come out and be together with teeth, but I am unable to make it. After practicing many times, I can say a single word in a right way, but when I make a sentence, I come back to the old way, which is wrong. I think I need more practice.
2. Another difficulty for me is to say “ex”, like excuse me. Although I say it many times every day, I cannot say it as fluently as Native Americans.
3. I cannot tell difference between “a” and “e”. For example, when I say bag and beg, I am unable to clearly differentiate them.
4. When I say some words like “Henry”, others think I am saying “Hery.” Sometimes, I skip “n” when it is in the middle of a word.
Thank you Anthony, I will keep practicing and I believe my English will be much better soon.
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