The Great vowel shift

In the late-fifteenth century printers began printing books written in the form of London English which had already become a kind of standard in manuscript documents. Between 1475 and about 1630 English spelling gradually became regularized. There are noticeable differences in the look of printed English before the mid-seventeenth century, but after that date it is largely the same as modern English, the major difference being the use of the long s (∫) in all positions except finally.

Pronunciation change and the Great Vowel Shift

By the sixteenth century English spelling was becoming increasingly out of step with pronunciation owing mainly to the fact that printing was fixing it in its late Middle English form just when various sound changes were having a far-reaching effect on pronunciation.

Chief among these was the so-called ‘Great Vowel Shift’, which can be illustrated (with much simplification) from the three vowel sounds in mite, meet, and mate. In Middle English these were three long vowels with values similar to their Latin or continental counterparts [i:], [e:], and [a:] (roughly the vowel sounds of thief, fete, and palm); the spelling was therefore ‘phonetic’.

 After the shift:

• long i became a diphthong (probably in the sixteenth century pronounced [əi] with a first element like the [ə] of the first syllable in ago)
• long e took its place with the value [i:]
• long a became a front vowel, more like that of air to begin with, but later [e:].

A parallel change affected the back vowels of mouth and moot. Hence the mismatch of the long vowel sounds of English with their counterparts in other European languages.

Additionally, during the period a number of sets of vowel sounds that had formerly been distinct became identical, while their spelling distinction was largely maintained, resulting in a further mismatch of spelling and pronunciation.

Important examples are:

• the long vowel a in mane and the diphthong ay or ai in may, main
• the long mid vowel o in sloe, so and the diphthong ow or ou in slow, sow (= cast seed)
• the diphthong represented by u in due and the diphthong ew, eu in dew, neuter.

English is tough stuff

Sometimes English spelling and pronunciation are so absurd that one wonders how we arrived at the particular pronunciation.

Intonation practice

How to get rid of that pesky high rising terminal or in other words that rising intonation at the end of EVERYTHING. Neighbours and Home and Away have a lot to answer for. Some regional Australian accent variations do rise at the ed of every sentence or chunk of speech but really when newsreaders start doing it something has to change!

Try this little exercise which may  help your fluency, vocabulary and pausing as well as trying to understand good ol' Aussie English.

There are many good resources on the Internet and the podcast of the ABC morning current affairs show AM is one of them.

It has the audio as well as the script for each story. You will get a variety of speakers ranging from the presenter, to other journalists to 'Aussies" on site at various new incidents.

The trick is to grab the little moving audio cue and keep moving it back again and again until you get the same intonation as the speaker. Eventually you will be able to read the text at the speed (and with the same intonation) as the speaker.

Intonation practice using AM podcast

Good Luck

Scientist of the Year

I can now pronounce chlorophyll

Min Chen completed a 20 hour pronunciation course with Pronunciation Matters. She is an extremely good communicator. However, she did have difficulty with certain sounds such as /r/ and /l/. This was unfortunate as her main area of research as you can see from the article is chlorophyll - a very difficult word to say. It seems that she has overcome these difficulties and Pronunciation Matters extends our most heartfelt congratulations.

If you are at all interested please go to www.pronunciationmatters.com.au and go to our Resources page to find some /r,/l/ exercises

Inspector Clouseau Accent

The senior police officer accused of being "more like Clouseau than Columbo" over the phone hacking scandal accused MPs today of acting like a "lynch mob" - and said he was discriminated against because of his accent. (London Evening Standard 13 July)

Attitude and assumptions can strongly influence the way we communicate with people. This is particularly evident when you hear a specific English accent or an accent from someone who is speaking English as s second language.. What are your stereotypical reactions when you hear an accent from South Africa, New Zealand, London, Liverpool or when someone from Japan, France or Germany is speaking English.? Many of these accents come with images or characters from film, television or books that lampoon a specific accent. Do you remember Pepe le Pew the French skunk and of course Steve Martin’s bumbling Inspector Clouseau.

The London Evening standard reported on the 13th July that The French senior police officer has been ridiculed not just for his accent but for his “Inspector Clouseau” accent.  According to the police officer, this discrimination has influenced the case against him

We are all guilty of mimicking a particular accent. This immediately makes the assumption that our own accent is superior in some way. Different styles of pronunciation or accents acquire a certain status or prestige within our own language, for example in Sydney we talk of a “North Shore” accent or a Western suburbs accent, even an Italo-Australian accent. These terms are very culturally laden with assumptions of higher income/well educated people, lesser educated or coming from a ghetto type background. When you hear that accent those assumptions come into play and affect your attitude towards the speaker.

For an accent to be superior to another there has to be a ‘norm’ that we use as the benchmark. For many years English Received Pronunciation (RP) was considered the norm. Nowadays RP is less likely to be considered the norm and accents from Australia, New Zealand and South African are now found, for example,  on local television by newsreaders. There is now a form of ‘international’ English which has become the norm. Often when listening to a global news story, it can be hard to tell if the speaker is from Australia, England, America or India. When I lived in France I aimed for this “international” accent, more for reasons of clarity and being understood rather than shedding my Australian accent.

English is the global language of business, diplomacy and finance so we hear English spoken with many different accents. If that is the case, in 2011 we should really be over this attitude of lampooning someone because of their accent when they speak English. If we have elevated English to this status we must expect the different varieties of spoken English and make the effort to understand Once I was out with a Canadian girlfriend who ordered a vanilla icecream and the British backpacker working behind the counter could not understand what my friend was saying. I rather pointedly said “She wants a vanilla icecream!” My friend and I looked at each other in disbelief as to why the girl did not understand her. Not only do we need to accept different varities of spoken English but we must make an effort to understand them.

Deborah Corbett from Pronunciation Matters, a consultancy teaching pronunciation to professionals who work in English as their second language says that accents are good and they are part of who you are. “You do need to seek help, however if your speech  is not clear and you are not being understood in the workplace. I often get clients who have a slight accent and complain that no-one understands them at work although their English is perfectly clear”

 I am certain that the French police officer’s case would have been influenced by his accent. I also find this totally unacceptable. If we elevate English to be the global speaking standard then we need to get over our prejudices.

Intonation and vocab work with a nurse lecturer at Sydney University

Every so often you get a client who you really get on well with. This has happened with Tebbin and me. She is a lecturer in the School of Nursing at Sydney University so her English is very good. However, she felt that the students were having a bit of trouble with a bit of left over interference from her first language, Cantonese and especially her lack of appropriate grammar at times and of course vocab.

We have worked on the usual vowels, softening language, assertive language and recently chunking of her lectures to introduce more pausing and stressing of key words. It has had a dramatic effect and the students are much happier.

Today , however we had a great laugh. She ws talking to one of the other academic staff and they were discussing the students. Tebbin said "I really like that student.". The other lecturer raised her eyebrow sand said "What?" Tebbin said that no she didn't mean it THAT way as he was married with children etc.

We discussed today whether the other lecturer interpreted her sentence the wrong way because she only meant that she thought he was a nice person.

We decided that the usual stressing of the  last word in a chunk, that is the tonic stress, was as in example 1, the best way to sound unambiguous. However as in examples 2 and 3 stressing really or like can make the statement ambiguous.

1. I really like that student.
2. I really like that student.         
3. I really like that student.

The main reason we had laugh was over he mis understanding and misuse of a word for many years. In her lecture she was talking about a certain type of care that "Can sometimes be timely."  I said that something either is or isn't timely .It couldn't sometimes be timely. She thought that timely meant for a long time. Then she said "Now I know why this sentence never made any sense to me."

"Nurses must perform their duties in a safe and timely manner."

Fung Koo    Lecturer in Nursing at Sydney University

Intonation teaching can be fun

Trying to fit a pronunciation course into an inflexible national system based on competency assessment is difficult as pronunciation is a skill that fits into every spoken competency. However, if they want boxes ticked I'll do it and chose the competency "Can negotiate a complex problematic exchange". We watched many snippets from Getting it Right at Work by NSW AMES (I worked on the video scripts) and used good models.

Then we looked at the intonation patterns and their associated meaning  from eachclip, such as assertively stating needs or establishing rapport or showing empathy. Like any aspect of training in pronunciation, these were of course drilled and practised independently.

Part of the analysis of the texts was also looking atstressed  keywords as well as pausing and chunking into thought groups.

Finally it was all put together and the students produced wonderful role plays. They all still have pronunciation issues but the way they communicate their intended meaning has improved. The work on chunking and pausing has increased fluency and intonation work has 'softened' their more direct ways of speaking.

One student who has a very direct manner has softened her language and is using upward rising intonation more. She is also putting more emphasis on keywords with a change of pitch and this has had the effect of softening her speech as well. Another has benefited from pausing and intonation which alleviates, to some degree her difficulty with the actual sounds. Another has been helped with his linking problem by grouping words together and focusing on "chunks" rather than individual words. One, who you will readily be able to recognise, has used intonation, expressions and body language to emulate his boss! He sounds like a very laid-back Aussie! (Don't you just love the classroom effect of the snake-like cord)

Listen to Olga, Nanpha, Wassim and Rodrigo negotiate their needs beautifully.

Pronunciation for Science lecturers and Maths teachers

I'm starting a project at Sydney University where I'm working with overseas trained academics in the Science faculty as well as an overseas trained teacher who is Head of the Maths department at a large public school. It seems that our shortage of scientists and maths teachers is leading to work opportunities for talented overseas trained scientists and maths teachers.

Employers need to keep in mind the importance of clear communication for teachers and academics in the science and maths field as these are the educators of our future scientists and maths teachers of which Australia is in desperate need.

I'm back

I am back on the job and very keen to be working with a client from the NSW Fire Brigades. He is of Vietnamese background and in IT. He is now responsible training staff in the implementation of a new very large content management system adopted by the Fire brigades. We are working on his pronunciation problems as well as the language of training.

Continuity with pronunciation training

If you have committed yourself to a pronunciation training course or your employer has committed company funds to your professional development you must try to make it part of your life for the next two months. Continual postponing of lessons will break the continuity and you will not progress.There is a definite progression of skills -it's like a jigsaw puzzle that needs to be fitted together. Once you have the outline and the basic idea the other pieces can be slotted in more easily. Too many gaps mean the need to go over the same areas again and again, which in itself is not a bad thing but in a 10 week course you only really have 20 hours of tuition.
I recommend that when you commit to pronunciation training - even if you find it very difficult and frustrating - keep at it as it only gets easier with practice.

I don't want to include a no cancellation policy as I know people have busy lives with work, children and living in a new country, but maybe i need to just to encourage peole to fully commit to a 10 week program.

Pronunciation training increases confidence

Today one of my clients, who incidentally has missed classes for a number of weeks due to a heavy workload, said that he was much more confident when he gave an important presentation last week. He said that he spoke louder and with more confidence and was able to carry off a very important presentation even if he was still making certain pronunciation errors.
A major benefit of pronunciation training is increased confidence.

Pronunciation courses via Skype

If you live in Sydney the best option for your pronunciation training is face to face lessons.
If you live anywhere else in the world, Pronunciation Matters offers training via Skype.
All you need to do is download Skype (for free) and a buy a webcam then call or email me and I will explain how it all works.
The training follows the same methods as the face to face teaching, that is customised training using the language you need everyday for work or study.

Where do you come from?

A number of my clients have lived in Australia for many years but still have an 'accent'. As a result they are continually being asked, "Where do you come from?", when in fact they have lived in Australia for nearly 20 years.

One of my clients has had enough of being asked this question and has also developed a lack of confidence with his speech because of what he perceives as an 'accent'. He has developed negative feelings about his accent and becomes anxious when he has to speak publicly. I will repeat my mantra "Accents are good". As I have said before they contribute to an interesting world. However when they start to interfere with meaning and comprehension, that's when something needs to be done.

Of course if your confidence is low something can also be done about that.

If you really want to lose that 'accent', it can be done with a lot of hard work or 'yakka' in the Australian vernacular, from you.
Pronunciation Matters's courses can improve your confidence and make you love your own sound!

New year started with a bang

I started the new year with a major computer crash and unfortunately lost some data. Instead of mourning the loss I'm being very 'Pollyanna' about it and looking at the whole experience as a means of starting afresh and redesigning many of my resources.

The crash is a blessing in disguise as it means that my resources will incorporate all the little problems that I have discovered over the last two years of delivering pronunciation training.

At the moment I have a number of clients who need to give high level presentations which cause a lot of stress and anxiety for them. Delivering presentations in your first language can be daunting let alone in a second language. One of my clients is a university lecturer and even though his speech is quite clear a number of students had complained that it was difficult to understand him sometimes.

We have been working on 'thought groups' or 'chunking' and intonation. This has slowed down his speech a lot. The other main feature that is important in giving lectures or presentations is the use of appropriate discourse markers or 'listening signposts'. These make it easier for the listener to follow the speaker's intentions and assists in reading any visuals that the speaker may be using.

Taking stock and planning for 2009

I know it's the end of the year and all you want to think about is holidays or Christmas lunch if that is what you are celebrating. I know I am looking forward to my first summer swim in the rolling surf at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.

However, it is a good time to take stock and think about next year. I have a new client starting this week - an academic from a Sydney university who has a lot of time before class starts again in 2009 so has wisely booked in for classes over the summer break.

Get in early and plan ahead and you will have your pick of the best timeslots. Pronunciation Matters is very flexible with hours and many people want their classes after work or on the weekend.

2008 has seen a steady increase in the need for customised pronunciation training.
Pronunciation Matters clients came from such diverse areas as electricity distribution, environmental engineering, finance, the insurance industry, pharmaceuticals, the IT industry, academia and the food industry.

2009 is shaping up to be even more exciting. I wish you all the best for the holiday season and those in the northern hemisphere I hope you can one day enjoy the charm of a hot Christmas day.

/mεrɪ ĸrіsmǝs/ from Pronunciation Matters
http://www.pronunciationmatters.com.au/

Interrupting fluency

Most of my clients are professionals and work in positions such as business analysts, accountants, teachers, IT professionals or engineers. They all are very skilled and have been employed because of their professional knowledge. Their English has reached a high level of fluency even though pronunciation errors still occur.

Pronunciation training can change all this for a while. I always forewarn my clients that there will be a period when they feel they are getting worse before they get better. This is because they are becoming aware of their 'mistakes' and developing self correction strategies which of course interrupts fluency.

This is part of the process and will change in time. However it can be very frustrating. I also tell them that they are very skilled to be working at such a level bilingually but unfortunately pronunciation training often focuses on what they can't do rather than what they can do. It will often seem as they are still doing many things 'wrongly' when in fact they have made huge improvements in their clarity of speech.

As I said before, it is a continual and very gradual process and change will not happen overnight. My mantra still holds true - practice, practice and more practice. I also try and get my clients to 'be in the moment' for five minutes every day at work. This means that they should try and be completely aware of their pronunciation for five minutes every day as a means to assist the transition from classroom work to every day speech.

One-on-one or pronunciation class?

Does anyone really benefit from pronunciation training? My answer is yes or I wouldn't be trying to make a living with my consultancy.
people can benefit from pronunciation training if they:

• take an intensive one-on-one course
• practise
• make an effort to apply the strategies at work

it does take time, usually longer than the 10 week course which after all is only 20 hours of tuition. However, all of my clients have received feedback taht their speech is clearer and that they have improved their English.
I also teach a pronunciation class at the University of NSW. This is a class for overseas trained professionals. Currently I have 15 in the class. They are all very keen and a number of them practise regularly. The problem here is that there is little individual attention. By the end of the course they know what their problems are but most of the work still needs to be done. Of course, this option is a much cheaper option and there are other benefits such as gaining a nationally recognised cetificate and the use of the university resources.
One of my students in this class is from Sri Lanka and English is virtually his first language but people find it very difficult to undertand his 'accent'. He would benefit from individual tuition as little can be done for him in a large class.A lot of the workfor this student would be trying to change the pronunciaton of vowel sounds which can be very difficult and takes a long time.
So yes something can be done about your pronunciation. All you need to do is contact Pronunciation Matters!

Tailored pronunciation courses

Pronunciation Matters teaches pronunciation by using the language relevant to each student's work. For example I am currently working with an engineer from an environmental engineering company so we are using the language she needs everyday when negotiating with clients and getting information from them to develop her projects. She needs to use complex technical words and she often misplaces stress on words such as 'environmental'.
The type of exercises for each student are similar such as:

• working on specific sounds
• linking
• rhythm and stress activities

Their problems may also be similar and the text types may be the same, for example:

• gathering information by asking questions
• giving descriptions
• negotiating
• giving advice
• giving updates
• solving problems

However the content is always unique.
So a pronunciation teacher can become knowledgeable on such things as:
quantum physics,giving tax advice,software development,electricity transmission, maths teaching,payroll information, marketing.

Correct stress is crucial

One of my current students is the chief financial officer of a large global company. He is a very energetic person and can communicate his message quite well even though his pronunciation of English does interfere with his message.

We were practising language from one of his financial presentations and he was reading figures, for example 70,650 and 80,124. As I am a language person and not a number person I was having trouble keeping up with his reading of the spreadsheet because I kept hearing different numbers to those I was following on the spreadsheet. In fact what I was hearing was 17,650 and 18,124. The issue here was of course misplaced word stress.

It is very important that people practise words that they need at work and know where the stress is placed on these words. A lot of miscommunication due to pronunciation can be traced back to misplaced stress.

With the above mentioned student we then worked on the stress of numbers such as:

'seventy, seven'teen

'eighty, eigh'teen

'fifty, fif''teen

One of the methods I use at the beginning of a course is to brainstorm as many work words as possible and work on the appropriate stress.

I was working at Oracle, a large American software company . I was working with Japanese and Korean employees. One of them kept saying what I heard as Orakarlay. I couldn't work out what this particular student was saying as she said it often. Finally I realised she was saying Oracle with the stress pattern from her first language. She was actually talking about the company she worked for and I couldn't understand what she was saying!!

A lot of work was needed to get the correct pronunciation of Oracle - word stress, use of the unstressed vowel sound (the schwa) and the final syllable finishing with and /l/ sound.

Why pronunciation matters 2

Jo’s mother had suffered a number of strokes and was undergoing an assessment to see if she needed to be institutionalized. The doctor asked her a number of questions then asked her to spell what she heard as ‘W E L L’. No said the doctor. She tried again – once spelling W I L L and then trying W O O L, both times to be told she was wrong. Jo was angry as she had heard the same word and thought her mother’s spelling correct. Finally the mother took a guess and spelt ‘W O R L D’ which was correct. Jo was very angry and spoke with the doctor’s supervisor. The consequence of this doctor not pronouncing the ‘r’ nor the final consonant ‘d’ could have been serious.

Doctors and their employers need to be aware that clear communication is essential, particularly in cases such as this one. In Australia, doctors who have achieved the right to practise have worked hard to get through the compulsory exams. After registration there is still a duty of care responsibility to make sure that communication is not impeded by factors such as pronunciation difficulties.

This is especially the case in the area of psychiatric medicine.

Related to this area of communication difficulties is the ability of overseas trained doctors to understand colloquial language. I heard a radio interview with a doctor who on his first day on the job in a country town was puzzled when his patient said, "I think I've got a nasty wog."

Most Australians will know this to mean, "I think I have a bad case of the flu."

Pronunciation Matters training provides customised, specifically designed courses and researches the needs of each participant.