JOKE OF THE MONTH – Idiom Danger

Posted on May 10, 2011 by VoicetowordBlog

A friend of mine recently told me a story about a former student who had become a police officer.

One day, he was attending a young man who had fainted. Since the young man was unconscious, the officer called an ambulance which whisked him away to the hospital. The police officer was asked to notify the family. So off he went to the address he was given.A middle-aged woman answered and identified herself as the mother.

The officer said: “I’ve been asked to come to notify you that your son has passed away.”

The mother fainted on the spot.

_______________________________________________________________

What was the mistake?

Passed away – means to die

Passed out – means to faint or lose consciousness

Posted in Accent Reduction | Leave a comment

INTONATION – UPTALK!

Posted on January 23, 2011 by VoicetowordBlog

Have you noticed that some people sound less authoritative than others? It could be because they are unsure, hesitant or speaking too quietly for the context. But commonly the reason is the intonation being used – what we call “uptalk.”

Also known as “upspeak,” “rising inflection” or, more officially, HRT – “high rising terminal” – uptalk refers to the repeated use of upward intonation throughout speech. This intonation makes statements sound like questions. And it is becoming increasingly more common in Canada.

The origins of uptalk are uncertain. We do know, though, that it has become increasingly more common in recent decades. Hollywood television has clearly had an influence, where a style of slang which incorporates uptalk, known as “Valspeak,” began to be popularized in the 1980s and 90s and copied by young women all over North America.

For some reason, uptalk is particularly common in Canada. It began with younger women and spread to the younger generation in general. Given such common usage, new immigrants have begun to imitate it in the attempt to learn native intonation patterns.

There is nothing wrong with uptalk and it tends to sound friendly and casual. But if you want to sound professional, it can work against you. The constant upward intonation makes it sound like you are seeking approval and that you are not quite sure if what you are saying is okay.

Try this trick – put a recorder on your desk at work and turn it on now and then throughout the day when you are speaking. Later, go back and listen to it. How often do you use uptalk? If it is occasional, don’t worry. But if you find you are regularly using upward intonation when you are making statements, develop awareness and try to adjust the intonation to what I call the “arc intonation pattern,” which is simply jumping up at the beginning of the idea and getting lower as you complete it. (More about this in a later article.)

A simple adjustment from the downward-upward intonation pattern (uptalk) to a basic jump-up step-down intonation pattern (the arc) will help to increase the authority and professionalism of your speech. I believe the result will be that people will listen more carefully to what you say and, ultimately, your speech will be more effective.

Posted in Accent Modification, Communication, Foreign Accent, culture, tips | Leave a comment

VOCABULARY – The real meanings of “of course!”

Posted on November 11, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

I was on the phone recently getting some tech support. As is often the case, I was talking with someone from India. I wanted to know whether I was doing something correctly and, after explaining it to the technician, I asked if I was doing it in the right way. “Of course!” he responded.

To me that sounded like “Obviously,” which is what it would mean if I used it in that context. My immediate response was, “Don’t talk to me like that. It’s not obvious to me!”

Later I thought about it and realized a few things about the expression. Commonly, there are two meanings for “of course.”

One meaning is: “It’s obvious.” This could also be interpreted as: “You are an idiot for not realizing that.” If someone asks you how to do something and you are irritated with them, say “of course” if you want them to feel like it is totally obvious and they are probably a little slow to not realize it. This isn’t so polite when someone is asking about themselves. But if someone asks something about you, for example if you are really going to do something — as in: “Are you really going to try sky diving?” – you can say “of course” to mean they shouldn’t doubt it. This sounds polite.

The other meaning is the one my tech support person really meant. If I am visiting you and want to take something from the fridge — for example: “Can I get some milk from the fridge for my coffee?” – if you answer “of course,” it would be interpreted as “please, you are welcome to take what you want.” In this case, it has a similar meaning to the first but it really means “of course you can take what you want.” It sounds generous and friendly.

The main thing to watch out for is when someone is unsure about their own knowledge and/or ability. Then you should probably just say “Yes.”

Posted in Communication, culture | Leave a comment

VOCABULARY: Phrasal Verbs

Posted on October 5, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

Phrasal verbs are verbs that are used with prepositions or adverbs, thus creating a different meaning from the original verb. For example, TURN is different than TURN ON (meaning to flick the switch to on, or the more sexual meaning of to excite) or TURN INTO (which means to become or convert into something different.)

One thing to remember is that, with phrasal verbs, we put emphasis on the preposition (technically called a particle for grammatical reasons.) So we say, “WATCH OUT,” making the word OUT louder and higher and longer than we would normally pronounce a preposition. This increased stress is one thing that indicates a phrasal verb.

Here’s an example of how confusing a phrasal verb can be. “Mary RAN INTO her old friend Hassan, who is visiting from Pakistan.” A non-native speaker could be forgiven for wondering whether Mary physically collided with her visiting friend – the use of the verb “to run” is misleading, if read literally. But, in day-to-day meaning, this phrasal verb could be used to describe an unexpected, chance meeting.

Here’s another phrasal verb that can connote something unexpected: “I thought that Mary would still be out of town last weekend, but she SHOWED UP at the party.” For non-native speakers who are familiar with the common use of the verb “to show,” the use of a phrasal verb like this might sound confusing.

One more example: “Mary wanted to come to the concert last night, but she CAME DOWN with the same cold virus that Hassan caught on the weekend.” Obviously, in context, the use of “to come” or “to come down” does not depict the arrival of someone or something, nor does it illustrate a descent. Rather, “come down” is used to describe the act of contracting, catching or developing something, like an illness or a case of nerves. Naturally, for non-native English-speakers, this phrasal verb lays a potential trap for confusion or misunderstanding.

Despite the endless variations of phrasal verbs, paying attention to the stressed preposition or particle will help you to identify its presence. Then you can ask or look it up to see what it means.

Posted in Accent Modification, Communication, Foreign Accent | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

SPEAKING CLEARLY: Communication as a Two-Way Street

Posted on August 11, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

By Heather Chetwynd

Many of us know the English idiom, “It takes two to tango.” This saying applies very much to communication between native and non-native language speakers – especially in a multicultural, immigration-rich society like Canada.

It is common for non-native English-speakers to feel that any misunderstanding is due to their errors with English. This perception often drains confidence. Most people tend to feel that it is the non-native speaker who needs improve his or her communication skills, and that the native-speaker doesn’t need to do much.

Yet, this is hardly a unidirectional process: oftentimes, native English-speakers overlook what they can do to clarify their oral communication. Here are four ways that native-speakers can help their non-native conversation partner understand their speech:

  • Speak more slowly
  • Enunciate more clearly
  • Use less idioms and phrasal verbs (turn into, turn on)
  • Verify that you have been understood

Speaking slowly and clearly is a matter of attention and just needs a bit of practice. Monitoring the terms and expressions you use is a little more difficult. After all, in everyday speech, native-speakers take various conventions and idioms for granted. When speaking with fellow native-speakers, this is okay, because most native-speakers understand the contextual meaning right away. But non-native speakers often miss idioms and confuse phrasal verbs.

There is a famous story of a police officer who, after attending to a young man who fainted on the street, informs the mother, saying, “I’m afraid your son has passed away.” I imagine the mother would not have thought to clarify whether he had intended to say “passed out” instead!

In the end, take the time to verify that your conversation partner has understood you and clarify any confusing information. In this way, you can prevent many potential misunderstandings. Many non-native speakers are reluctant to ask, afraid that they will be judged as incompetent or face an annoyed reaction. Help them by taking the initiative yourself and showing your willingness to make sure they understand everything clearly.

Heather Chetwynd is the director of Voice to Word Consulting, a Toronto-based company dedicated to helping non-native English-speakers improve their communication skills. For more information, you can contact Heather at: 416-535-VtoW (8869) and at VoiceToWord.ca

Posted in Accent Reduction, Communication | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

JOKE OF THE MONTH: A Canadian Breakfast?

Posted on May 22, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

A guy walks into a bar. He’s relatively new to Canada and he likes beer. So, he orders his favourite imported beer. As he finishes his beer, he asks the bartender a question.

“Next time I visit your bar,” says the new Canadian, “I’d like to order a Canadian beer. What is the most popular beer here?”

The bartender smiles knowingly and, with a sweep of his hand, gestures to all of the domestic-brand bottles on the shelf behind him.

“Well, my new Canadian friend,” says the bartender, “we have many fine beers in this land. But, if you ask me, the favourite one in this establishment is one called Molson Export.”

The new Canadian smiles, looking curious.

“Maybe I’ll have one now,” he asks the bartender. “One Molson Export.”

As he finishes his Export, the bartender leans over to him.

“You know, fella, here in Canada, we just call it an ‘Ex.’ As in, ‘I’ll have an Ex.’”

So the following day, the same new Canadian walks into a different bar, this time with his girlfriend. They sit down and wait for the waiter.

“We’ll have two Ex, please, with some fries on the side.” he said.

The new Canadians sit at the table for about 15 minutes — still no beer. He waves to the bartender, and he makes a drinking gesture. He’s slightly impatient

“Don’t worry,” the bartender says, looking puzzled, “they’re on their way now.”

Two minutes later, a young woman comes to the new Canadians’ table with a plate full of… food. But, no beer.

“Where is my beer?” he asks.

“What beer?” asks the waitress, as she sets the plate down in front of him.

“My Ex,” says the new Canadian, visibly upset.

“They’re right here,” says the waitress, pointing at the plate. “Your eggs.”

________________________

* This is based on a true story! What’s the confusion? The difference between Ex and Eggs is primarily related to vowel length. We say Ex with a very short E and eggs with a drawn out E.

Posted in Accent Modification, Accent Reduction, joke | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

JOKE OF THE MONTH: Yogic divers?

Posted on April 22, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

So, a woman walks into a yoga studio to ask about their classes. She sees a class in progress and asks the administrator who it was for. The administrator smiles confidently, and answers:

“It’s a divers’ group.”

The woman is confused.

“Divers?” she asks. She also wonders how many divers there could be in the town? And why would divers be so interested in yoga?

“Why divers?” she asks.

“Because this class is for anyone,” she says. “We have specialized classes for specific groups — but this one is divers.”

That’s when the woman catches on, and realizes the misunderstanding.

“Oh,” she thinks to herself. “A diverse group. Of course!”

___________________________

Explanation — This is an issue of syllable stress. The word DIVERS is stressed on the first syllable whereas the word DIVERSE is stressed on the second syllable.

Posted in joke | 1 Comment

TIP OF THE MONTH: Websites of interest

Posted on February 25, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

‘SOUNDING ENGLISH’
This is a great link. Although it’s American, the pronunciation is close enough to Canadian to make it very useful. The cross-section diagram of each mouth sound will help you visualize the ‘mouth gymnastics’ required for each sound. There are also videos to accompany the diagrams: they demonstrate various mouth sounds with head-on and side-view camera angles.

‘VOICE GUY’
This is an ideal resource for voice warm-ups. This site looks at what goes into making different sounds. The webmaster, Eric Armstrong, is a York University professor with the theatre department. He focuses on helping students do voice warm-ups, such as how to relax muscles and lower breath. There are video and audio exercises to guide you through.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

SPEAKING CLEARLY: Tips on pronunciation

Posted on January 14, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

Here are some things you can do on your own to improve your pronunciation:

• Speak more slowly — This is the best way to clarify your speech. Often, this simple change will greatly help people to follow what you are saying. It gives them time to process what they hear. And you also have more time to make the sounds clearly.

• Open and move your mouth while speaking — If you watch yourself in a mirror, it should look comfortable, even though it may feel uncomfortable until you are used to it.

• Learn how to pronounce the individual sounds; make sure you pronounce the endings of words — Although native speakers may drop endings, there are subtle ways in which we make the sounds understood. It is usually easiest for non-native speakers to clearly make all the sounds that are normally pronounced. You can use an online audio dictionary and pronunciation guide as a reference.

• Watch stress and intonation — Make sure that you learn correct syllable stress, and practice exaggerating it. Also, learn which words we stress in sentences: generally, all nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Intonation also carries a lot of meaning. Try to copy people in order to internalize common intonation patterns. Watch out for “up-talk”: many people raise their voice at the end of every sentence. This is a new speech pattern becoming common in Canada. However, it doesn’t sound very professional.

• Watch people’s faces to see if they understand; or you can ask if they understand what you’ve said — You may need to repeat what you said, or even change some vocabulary, in order for the meaning to be clear. If the person is looking at you when you speak, it will be easier to understand you.

Posted in tips | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

JOKE OF THE MONTH: Cat Salad?

Posted on January 14, 2010 by VoicetowordBlog

So, a woman walks into a grocery store to pick up food for a dinner party. She’s running late, and has to get home to start cooking. She’s stressed. Fortunately, she finds everything on her shopping list in short order. Well, almost everything.

She wants to make fruit salad for dessert. But, will she have time to make it? Then she remembers that some stores sell prepared fruit. So, she approaches a store employee in the produce section.

“Do you have any cut fruit?” she asks.

The employee scratches his head, squints and stares.

“Well, sure, ma’am,” he says. “Follow me.”

He leads her across the store, out of the produce section, and over to the pet food aisle.

“Here you are, ma’am,” he says, handing her a can. “Cat food.”

________________________

Explanation — How did the woman in this joke end up with a can of cat food? Well, you see, it was all a matter of stress. Let’s take a look at those two compound nouns: “cut fruit” and “cat food.” How are they different?

1. Different vowels: CAT– æ vowel (black) and CUT– л vowel (mustard)

2. Different stress: CUT FRUIT has two fairly equal stresses whereas CAT FOOD is stressed like a compound noun, more heavily on the first and lightly on the second.

3. Vowel length: FRUIT has a short vowel whereas FOOD has a long vowel

Posted in joke | Leave a comment