January 9, 2009
The “explosive consonants”
Earlier we said that the vowels are an important factor in hearing a “foreign” accent. But it is not only the vowels. The consonants also must be mastered.
When we say that English consonants are “explosives”, we mean that they are pronounced with a sudden release of air. It is this characteristic that marks the accent of an English speaker when they try to speak your language. You should try to speak like an American and you will be reaching for the American English way of pronouncing the consonant. It is the characteristic explosive nature of the English consonant that is the basis of so many jokes about the pronunciation of the English speaker who is learning other languages.
Pronounce the following sentence with the most exaggerated American accent that you can: “Peter, answer me! Can you talk?”
Did you exaggerate the words Peter, can you talk? If you did, the sounds that sound bad in your language are correct in English.
Most of my students are shy and speak with a low voice because they think that they do not pronounce correctly. In this way, they will never pronounce correctly because they do not exercise the pronunciation. They do not hear their mistakes; they do not feel the effort of reaching for the correct sounds, and worse of all, they begin to say, “Well, they understand me and that’s what counts.”
Don’t be afraid! You have to exaggerate the English sounds now to be able to pronounce them normally later on in your progress with the language.
What are the sounds that give away the English speaker? The explosives. And the mispronunciation of these same sounds is what makes up the foreign accent.
When you pronounce the words Peter, can you talk? in your language you probably don’t use as much force as in English. For the “p” of the word Pedro, Pierre, or Piotr, you close your lips and then you open them for the sound to come out. It is the same with the “t” of the work talk.
However, in English you have to expel a little blast of air to make the sound of the “p” and the “t”; that’s why they call the sounds “explosive”, because they make a litlle “explosion”!
The teachers of Spanish to English speakers have to teach them to NOT expel the air for these sounds. They often make them say words like “pap”, “Toms” etc. with a lit match in front of their mouth. The student has to pronounce the Spanish correctly without blowing out the match.
Your job is the opposite. You have to be able to blow out the match (or feel the blast of air on the back of your hand) when you pronounce the explosive English sounds.
Listen to these sounds!
To hear the sound of the letter “p” http://www.bookslibr os.com/sounds/p.wav
To hear the sound of the letter “t” http://www.bookslibr os.com/sounds/t.wav
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Many protestors, eco-terrorists and liberals who do not quite understand all the issues believe that the World Bank causes misery to so many. And that they are part of a huge conspiracy, yet the World Bank does not molest little kids, run pornography rings, sex-slave houses. The World Bank does not exploit people, sell them cheap machine guns and promote machete wars. The World Bank does not run around putting starting wars. Humans do all that and they do it often. The World Bank has to work around those injustices.
You see, I believe we live in a Machiavellian World and he does the best he can in a world of Controlled Chaos. And with that there needs to be some tough love too. The multi-dimensional chessboard and tri-level game of Risk is constantly in play. There are Tyrants, Dictators, guns, drugs, slave trade and precious gems being used for trade, when money and currency could be much better for all concerned.
It is hard to keep everyone happy in such a world, thus the World Bank often has their work cut out for them and they handle all the variables of the flows of civilizations, cultures and fiefdoms. It is hard to roll in an apple cart on such a bumpy road. Maybe we ought to cut the World Bank a little slack that is hardly an easy job and give them the benefit of the doubt? Consider all this in 2006.
“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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There is a Chinese proverb that says, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”
This is certainly true. How does an infant learn to walk? Frist they crawl, pull themselves up, and then take those first few steps, which open open up a whole new world to them.
They have learned a new skill, a skill that they shall need the rest of their lives.
How as adults do we take steps? Often we are in a hurry and we want the result yesterday. The most important thing is to take action and to be realistic about the timeframe in which what you desire will be accomplished.
If you feel stuck, stand still and focus. State your goals and describe how you can achieve them. We all started as helpless infants and leanred what we needed to learn to live in this world as safely as possible.
We can take one step at a time. If you have a huge project, break it down into smaller compartments or segments and work on one at a time. When you are finished you will look back feeling more confident. You can apply this concept in all areas of your life!
Most people feel a type of energy when they begin moving into a new direction. And remember, your direction does not need to be my direction.
Do what matters to you - go the distance - act - plan - feel - execute. Just as a child struggles to become mobile, so can we make our jouney, one step at a time.
Karlynn Baker is originally from California but moved to Arizona to receive her Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with a specialty in addictions. She owns The Employee Assistance Program of Tucson, Inc. helping contracted employees with mental heatlh concerns. She also shares a positive message every morning on KSAZ 580 AM. She enjoys life with her husband, David, her three daughters, and her two adorable grandsons.
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