UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum - Pronunciation and Phonetics http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ Discuss questions relating to pronunciation, phonetics and other aspects of speech and accent here. en Wed, 22 May 2013 16:43:06 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/images/misc/rss.png UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum - Pronunciation and Phonetics http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/ American English/British English Pronunciation http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/191155-american-english-british-english-pronunciation.html Tue, 21 May 2013 22:33:15 GMT I was wondering whether some members here consider words said incorrect if it's an American pronunciation over a British pronunciation? (in specific countries)

An example would be 'forum'.

In AmE I believe it's pronounced 'fo-rum' while BrE/AuE it's 'for-um'



Cheers ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics HanibalII http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/191155-american-english-british-english-pronunciation.html <![CDATA[Evaluate my english pronunciation please (I'm Russian)]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/191006-evaluate-my-english-pronunciation-please-im-russian.html Fri, 17 May 2013 22:09:51 GMT Hello everyone. I am a young russian guy, who is studying english mostly on his own. I virtually have no day-to-day english spoken practice. I would be very gratefull if you gave your opinion on my pronunciation. In the vidio encased below you... Hello everyone. I am a young russian guy, who is studying english mostly on his own. I virtually have no day-to-day english spoken practice. I would be very gratefull if you gave your opinion on my pronunciation.

In the vidio encased below you could hear me reading one of the greatest american speeches ever: I have a dream by Martin Luther King jr (i am reading the last, most solemn, part).

The mp3/video: avi 1) - YouTube

The text:
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics AnthonyRussia http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/191006-evaluate-my-english-pronunciation-please-im-russian.html <![CDATA[[A·mer·i·can] why not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ]]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190808-mer-i-can-why-not-me-ri-can-crit-i-cal-not-cri-ti-cal.html Mon, 13 May 2013 10:47:07 GMT Greetings.
Why [A·mer·i·can], and not [A·me·ri·can], or ['crit·i·cal ], and not ['cri·ti·cal ].
Also a syllable is a word, or part of a word, which contains a single vowel sound. True, but why [bi·o'log·i·cal ], not [bi·o·'log·i·cal ]. Another word it seems as if it should have five syllables instead of four.
Thanks. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics celtaflorida http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190808-mer-i-can-why-not-me-ri-can-crit-i-cal-not-cri-ti-cal.html Could you rate my American accent? And also my written English. http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190803-could-you-rate-my-american-accent-also-my-written-english.html Mon, 13 May 2013 08:44:29 GMT I read a lot that it's impossible to adopt the accent of a secondary language, unless you're situated in that specific country and fully immersed, but I want to prove this wrong.

Anyway, here's a short story about me:

I'm an 18-year-old student from a little town in Sweden. I don't really consider myself way above average intellectually, but I would like to believe I have an ear for languages, specifically accents, phonetics and pronunciation. The thing is, I have never set a foot in an English-speaking country, and I haven't really been in contact with an English-speaking population, yet I seem to be able to adapt to many various accounts, mainly the American ones such as the neutral midland accent, but I'm also capable of adopting the typical non-rhoticity Boston accent, and also the usual movie-esque Texan accent. I don't really know why, so I'm creating this thread hoping someone will shed some light on the subject.


First off, my written English:

"Why do we place social stigmas on petty criminals?



When I say petty criminals, I'm not talking about the minor acts of fare-dodging, shoplifting and illegal parking. I'm talking about those who, for example, smoke and sell marijuana to relieve stress or provide for their family. Those who do not harm anyone but are still labeled the scrapings of society. Why do we stigmatize anyone who strays from the current social norms? This could happen to just an average Joe whose harmless intentions and acts are magnified by the media, seen as defilement, pointed out as just another lawless scum by the product of an imaginary perfect society. Yes, this happens in our imaginary ideal utopia full of saints. Our so called perfect cloister of individuals with exemplary characteristics. In our society where any crime regardless of its magnitude, be it murder or smoking naturally grown herbs, is perceived as a wicked sin. But why?




Many would think it's based on psychological factors, but it's actually the product of society, the current paradigm and the sociological behavior of humans. We have been disciplined into a world view that is the exact opposite of what reality really looks like.


We've always been told that drug addicts and drug pushers who sell drugs to provide for their families are the lowlife outlaws of our society, while we equal the political hypocrites with saints when they donate stolen money in the name of the government and call it solidarity. Any person who tries to avert such a barbaric fascism is a lawless loser, while the police are viewed as nobel knights when they want to incarcerate - what they call criminals - whoever tries to oppose their fascist agenda. Looking at society from this point of view, I feel trapped, and all I see is a dictatorship, inaccurately called democracy.




We are born into a world with already established laws and rules, written on a piece of paper to claim physical existence, yet being just another abstract entity. The existence of such a thing baffles me, and as soon as we're born into this world, we instantly lose our freedom. We are unwillingly forced to live in a world where rules are already set, and if we do not follow them, we have to take the consequences. Why should I take the consequences of laws I never reconciled with from the very beginning? Can someone show me the social contract that I, or anyone else, have signed in agreement that show our reconciliation for these consequences? Of course not. All of this is just black ink written on a piece of paper.
The word criminal used to be a word for anyone who harmed another person. Today it's a collective term for those who do not reconcile with, and abide by, the thousands of laws and orders issued by a parasitic criminal class. To us, the word crime is also synonomous with sin, which implements that our laws must be of divine descent, of Godly heritage, when they in reality are more related to corruption, filth and death.


We glorify this criminal class as legislators och claim there is no lower form of life than someone who breaks the law; a criminal. But to me, those who break the law, without violating their moral responsibilities, are people who dare opposing the current regime and the politicians; unsung heros. But to other people, they are lowlife scum. Lawless criminals just like those who freed the slaves from the cotton plantations, just like Schindler who helped jews escape from the war machine in the Third Reich, just like the freedom fighters who stood against the oppressors with picket signs and courage and were crushed by the tanks in Tiananmen square.


The comparison:


It's almost unbelievable how a law can turn a lethargic person with bad habits into an untouchable saint, while at the same stigmatizing people who, for example, smoke some marijuana to relieve themselves of stress. Yes, I'm talking about morbidly obese people vs pot smokers. Let us make a comparison here, I think it might be interesting.




In our society it is fully normal to publically scorn, mock and look down on those who commit minor offences, but overweight people are off the limits, even though they immorally ram down tens of thousands of calories down their throats every day, as opposed to the calory intake of a starving child, which would be around 250 calories per day.
These gargantuan bags of lard being pushed around in wheelchairs by their slavishly devoted..."

I didn't finish it yet, but I wrote this essay some days ago for my English class. I haven't been to any classes so I was on the verge of failing, but my teacher told me I just had to prove myself worthy of an A, so I wrote this text touching an, to me, important subject.

This, however, is all formal English, and I know when speakin too formally, you may pass off as a nonnative which gives you away. The weird thing, for me, is I have a good understanding of different sayings, pop culture references, expressions, wordplay and slangs... I'm going to guess I adopted this from excessively watching TV series and movies as a youngster, but a lot of it also derives from my interest in rapping, lyricism and writing my own lyrics. This way I challenge myself, and I am basically forced to use wordplay, expressions, sayings, metaphors and an extensive vocabulary.

Anyhow, I am not trying to brag, I am just trying to give you a profound idea of who I am.


My spoken English:

https://soundcloud.com/azera-1/just-a-test

https://soundcloud.com/azera-1/sylvia-plath-cut


If you need more material, just post it in a comment. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics Azera http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190803-could-you-rate-my-american-accent-also-my-written-english.html <![CDATA[[General] Pronunciation of "mischievous"]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190780-pronunciation-mischievous.html Mon, 13 May 2013 00:56:15 GMT Dear Teachers

I look up the dictionary, and it states that "mischievous" is pronouncedˈ/mɪs.tʃɪ.vəs/, but when I travel around in the New York and London, I heard native English spkears pronouncing /mis.tʃɪ.vi.əs/ instead. So which one is correct?

And, at IELTS speaking, should I avoid saying this word, or which pronunciation should I use?

Please advise

Regards

Anthony ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics patran http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190780-pronunciation-mischievous.html Plosive and Stop http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190774-plosive-stop.html Sun, 12 May 2013 20:49:26 GMT My teacher said actually there are significant different between plosive sound and Stop sound. But, I missed his explanation. Please help me. Thanks:-( My teacher said actually there are significant different between plosive sound and Stop sound. But, I missed his explanation. Please help me. Thanks:-( ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics aprilliana.t http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190774-plosive-stop.html Could you please evaluate my example pronunciation? http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190658-could-you-please-evaluate-my-example-pronunciation.html Fri, 10 May 2013 12:34:42 GMT I'm trying to write songs in English, and playing songs with bad accent isn't fun anymore. So could you listen to this video and point to my accent problems? Thank you very much!

]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics pagejimmy http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190658-could-you-please-evaluate-my-example-pronunciation.html could you evaluate my speech example? http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190506-could-you-evaluate-my-speech-example.html Tue, 07 May 2013 21:16:35 GMT Dear all,
I am sorry for this selfish request, but there's no one I could ask now, except for people in the Internet.

Could you listen to this video and evaluate my accent? What sounds are my biggest problem? I need expert advice.
Accent tag. Accent identification request. - YouTube

Could you also recommend a text which I could read for a video? There probably are some texts that are used by specialists to diagnose pronounciation problems.

And based on my current pronunciation where is it easier for me to move - to an American pronounciation or British or which one?

Thank you very much. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics barbecuete http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190506-could-you-evaluate-my-speech-example.html <![CDATA["... followed her (...) every ..."]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190206-followed-her-every.html Thu, 02 May 2013 15:16:51 GMT
Quote:
When to Rely on Your Wife
Sarah’s Courage: Lesson 2
By Chana Weisberg

"In other words, Rashi explaining that every time Pharaoh or any member of his household wanted to come close to Sarai in inappropriate way, she would instruct the angel to strike him and her personal angel followed her ... every ..."
When to Rely on Your Wife - Sarah?s Courage: Lesson 2 - Sarah's Courage
Will you please tell me what comes after the word every? It is at (04:38). Checking OnLook Dictionary and found this word bidding, but I am still not sure. Also, if it were at every bidding, did Weisberg utter at here?

]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics Odessa Dawn http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190206-followed-her-every.html <![CDATA[I feel hard to pronounce "not the (parameters)." Is "not the" read as /nɔ ðə/ here?]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190171-i-feel-hard-pronounce-not-parameters-not-read-n-here.html Thu, 02 May 2013 01:31:10 GMT Context: They want to be known simply as “followers of Jesus.” They are far more concerned about the plight of Haitians than the age of the earth. They want to talk about social justice, *not the parameters *of biblical inspiration. Context:
They want to be known simply as “followers of Jesus.” They are far more concerned about the plight of Haitians than the age of the earth. They want to talk about social justice, not the parameters of biblical inspiration. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics NewHopeR http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/190171-i-feel-hard-pronounce-not-parameters-not-read-n-here.html <![CDATA[How do you pronounce "ATECS"?]]> http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/189885-how-do-you-pronounce-atecs.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:56:14 GMT Hi there.

"ATECS" is an acronym for our laboratory in the university. I've been wondering how it's better to be pronounced (grammatically or in social norms):

/eɪteks/ or /əteks/ or /æteks/

Thanks in advance. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics itecompro http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/189885-how-do-you-pronounce-atecs.html Pronunciation/Translation App http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/189777-pronunciation-translation-app.html Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:52:10 GMT Hi All,


We have released a Pronunciation/Translation App for beta testing here:


https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...aypu.com&hl=en


The App enables you to convert text written in foreign languages into SaypU spelling, whether the foreign language uses non-Roman characters (e.g. Arabic word ‘كلمة’ would be ‘kalima’) or Roman script (e.g. French word ‘chat’, which means ‘cat’ in English, becomes ‘sha’ in SaypU).


In addition, you can convert English text spelled phonetically into the traditional spelling (e.g. ‘frend’ --> ‘friend’).


Also, you can use the EngSMS language to convert English words into shortcuts (‘good’ --> ‘gd’) or to convert shortcuts into English words (‘gd’ --> ‘good’)


It is very easy to learn the SaypU alphabet using examples from popular English words (e.g. ‘very’ --> ‘veri’), by clicking on Menu, then Alphabet.


If you could test on various devices and forward any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. ]]> Pronunciation and Phonetics SaypU http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/pronunciation-phonetics/189777-pronunciation-translation-app.html