http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LM1471/files/Pronunciation/
- How would you define "stress" in your own words? Why is "stress" important to handle for a non-native English speaker?
- How is the rhythm of English?
- What's a thought group?
- Why is it important to learn/teach about blending?
- Pronounce each of the following expressions as a blended unit:
- the plant, the tones, the cars, a name, of the war, the sound of it, of a restaurant, is a question.
- Why is it important to use the right intonation in your speech? Can it vary depending on the context in which you say something?
- In some contexts, speakers may stress words that usually are weak. Why? Look at the following examples:
- He CAN'T SWIM, CAN he?
- YES, he IS SICK.
- Jokes often play on reduced words and linking. Jokes are one way young children who are learning English as a first language become aware of these features of English rhythm. Analyze the following jokes. What words are reduced? What words are linked? Practice telling the jokes with a partner.
A: Knock! Knock! B: Who's there? A: Letter. B: Letter who? A: Letter in. It's cold out here!
Jose 2
A: Knock! Knock! B: Who's there? A: Doughnut! B: Doughnut! who? A: Doughnut worry it is just a joke!
This next joke is just for fun...haha :-)
| Knock Knock! | |
| Who’s there? | |
| Britney Spears. | |
| Britney Spears who? | |
| Knock knock | |
| Who’s there? | |
| Oops I did it again. |
just testing..
ReplyDelete“Stress” is important because we stress the incorrect word, it might be difficult for others to understand it. Also, it can change the meaning of the word.
ReplyDeleteOur intonation affects the meaning of the word, as well as, its purpose. It demonstrates the emotional state of the person speaking.
A thought group is a group of words which form a unit of meaning, like a phrase.
In some context, speakers stress words that are usually weak to emphasize that specific word and its meaning.
In joke #1 the words linked are “Let her in”. (Letter)
In joke #2 the words linked are “Do not”. (Doughnut)
“Stress” is the strongest (louder and longest) pronunciation of a syllable. For non-native speakers it is extremely important to understand this concept and be able to handle it in order to sound more natural. The connection between stress and length of words is called rhythm; when speaking, people don’t make pauses after every word- it would sound choppy and unnatural- so they group words together according to their relation. Blending words help to get a more fluent pronunciation. Using the correct intonation allow the non-native speaker to achieve a pronunciation more similar to the native speakers’.
ReplyDelete(Yendry Torres) To be able to speak a language, people need not only words but also the “method or way” to say them. For non-native speakers, these aspects are a must to convey the real message. In the case of English, one word might be stressed on a sentence, but it might not be stressed in a different sentence because of its “importance” on the sentence. The use of thought groups will make the pronunciation easier because speakers omit some sounds that are not relevant to say what they want to say. Blending helps to sound more natural and fluent when speaking either to a native or non-native speaker. Finally, the idea is to improve the speaking techniques through practice; knock knock jokes are funny and go straight to the point in terms of blending, stress, rhythm, and intonation.
ReplyDelete