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#Post#: 8401--------------------------------------------------
How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: Allie Date: October 26, 2018, 10:00 am
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In a recent discussion, we were talking about the English
language and how it sounds (stress-time vs syllable-timed),
which reminded me of this disturbing video I found years ago. It
doesn't have much to do with the subject and it's quite random,
so I am posting it here.
Do you want to know how English sounds to a non-native speaker?
Here it is.
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4Dfa4fOEY
#Post#: 8405--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: SHL Date: October 26, 2018, 1:15 pm
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I saw that video before on YouTube but never understood how they
constructed it or what it was supposed to tell us. Was it that
the sentences were short? Or what exactly? Other than nor being
able to understand what was being said, which is what you`d
expect, what were the producers trying to convey?
#Post#: 8411--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: Allie Date: October 26, 2018, 2:51 pm
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There isn’t much to it, really.
It’s supposed how to represent how English sounds when you don’t
speak it, so you get a general notion of the sounds, some clues
from the expressions and tone of voice and one or another word
here and there.
It puts you in a non English speaker’s shoes.
If you don’t read the title or don’t already know the video and
just watch it, it’s particularly disturbing, because you think
“it’s English, why can’t I understand it?”
#Post#: 8412--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: Truman Overby Date: October 26, 2018, 3:40 pm
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The chemistry between these two is the only thing that I find
disturbing. It seems violent to me.
#Post#: 8413--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: SHL Date: October 26, 2018, 4:05 pm
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@Jerry,
I agree. These two don’t appear to get along much.
I suppose if you don’t know English it probably represents how
English sounds to a non-speaker of English. I perceive that the
words and sentences seem short, muffled and spoken fairly
quickly.
I guess it would take a linguist to tell you more about what
makes the sounds unique.
When I was working at a German supermarket in Braunschweig, none
of the other employees spoke English, and I was only one of two
others there from the US on a work-exchange program, (the
program actually exists to this day and it`s operated by the
same jerk that operated it then. It´s International Cooperative
Education,
HTML http://www.icemenlo.com/index.shtml
but he`s
upgraded it, so he`s got a much more sophisticated choice of
employers to pick from now, and you have to be between 20 and 30
to qualify).We had a break-room, and this other student guy from
California and I were sitting in there once having lunch with a
couple other of the German employees. Natuarally, we started
speaking English, but we were quite and sort of just having a
chat. Then one of the German women said, “Yeah, I can speak good
English with a hot potato in my mouth.”
So, maybe that`s a bit what it sounds like to non-natives. That
wasn’t the only time I ever heard that.
Oh, and I looked at that website I linked to. Can`t believe that
old f*rt is still operating. I guess he`s expanded all over the
world. I have no clue how he did it. He was just a German
instructor from Switzerland at a college in the San Francisco
Bay Area (looks like he`s still there) but somehow made
worldwide contacts. He´s obviously retired from teaching by now.
#Post#: 8414--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: the lost minion Date: October 26, 2018, 4:56 pm
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Those two are just passionate people and you are jealous.
[quote author=SHL link=topic=560.msg8413#msg8413
date=1540587935]
Then one of the German women said, “Yeah, I can speak good
English with a hot potato in my mouth.”
So, maybe that`s a bit what it sounds like to non-natives. That
wasn’t the only time I ever heard that.
[/quote]
Hot potato, huh?
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrFMBIOZm-g
#Post#: 8415--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: SHL Date: October 26, 2018, 4:58 pm
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Sorry to go a bit off-topic, but this guy running this student
work program was such a phony. I`m still mad about him 38 years
later. He selectively takes only people who talk about how great
he is and posts it on his website. And listen to this snotty
remark of his:
“In almost all locations where we place students, there are
nearby internet cafes for infrequent communications with your
friends and family, but our program is not suitable for people
who need to maintain daily contact with people back home, nor is
it suitable for those who feel the need to constantly text and
instant-message their friends. The goal of our program is
immersion in a different culture, not taking the USA with you
via your smart phone. Unlike college professors, most employers
do not tolerate texting, personal emails, or web surfing during
work hours. Even in a developed country, high-speed internet is
usually not available in your apartment or rented room.”
What apartment or rented room? He never bothered helping his
students with finding these “luxuries” when they took part in
his program.
See the attitude? Well, we had no internet or smartphones back
when I did one of his programs, so that wasn’t an issue. But
boy, that´s just the tip of the iceberg. He´d get people placed
in jobs in Europe, then when the students got there, the student
would have a job but no living accommodations. When asked about
this, particularly by the locals, he’d just say “Yes, that is
always a problem.” What an ego-maniac. Then he`d make his little
summer sojourn to see how all the students were doing and
tape-record you. If he heard the slightest complaint or lack of
enthusiasm, he`d reach for the OFF button on his tape recorder
(which he used as his testimonial of all the happy students he
placed to advertise it to the next year`s crowd) and then scold
you for any complaint in the most rude of ways.
I have to laugh a bit in retrospect. Before I went on this
program, we all had to go to listen to this guy`s lecture once
over at the college he taught at, and at the meeting he said,
“One of MY students got stolen away by a vicious American CULT
operating in Europe, called The Children of God! So, be
careful!”
For probably everyone here who doesn’t know, the US has probably
put out the largest number of and weirdest of religious and
quasi-religious cults the world has ever seen. For some reason
they seemed to hit their peak of popularity in the 1970s in
California. One of the strangest was called (among other names)
“The Children of God.” They were started by this wacko
hippie-like middle-aged guy in the early 70s named David Berg,
from Oakland, California.
HTML https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Berg
They spread all over the world and have a bizzare history and
story. I think they are pretty much gone now, but many
well-known people were associated with this group. Recall the
deceased actor, River Phoenix? His parents were in this cult
when he was born. Why so much cockooness has come out of the
USA, I have no idea. Another reason I`d prefer living in
Germany.
#Post#: 8416--------------------------------------------------
Re: How English sounds to non-English speakers
By: SHL Date: October 26, 2018, 5:02 pm
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@Status,
That’s pretty funny.
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