Dialects and accents!

Teani

Hi!

I know some of you are thinking "OMG, not this again..." but the previous files I had from you awesome people doing recordings went poof, and I find myself in a position where my students are asking for some nuanced listening comprehension to better their English. As their teacher, how can I say no to that?!

So, if you are willing to help, and feel that you have some sort of special English accent (or can thicken one) feel free to offer your help!

What does it entail?

- find a short passage of some text. The subject doesn't really matter (could be a fun paragraph from a book or instructions on how to best cook a chicken!).
- record yourself reading it aloud with that fantastic accent of yours.
- find a way to send the file to my email: jessica.ceseika@gmail.com

My students will then listen to the recording and try to understand what is being said. Perhaps I can ask them a question or two related to the text. For example, how long are you supposed to cook that chicken? -or- What does this passage seem to be about? -or- How many people are involved in this little tale?

Anyway, all help is gratefully accepted. Please, when sending your contribution, mark down what kind of dialect you have so I can chart it properly. The material is not needed until just after Easter, so there is time.

If you have questions, shoot me a message or an email!

Thank you!

Teani

Giving this a small bump. I've heard from one person and I figured I'd make it a bit easier for you all if you care to help out with a small idea.

- Pick a small newspaper article from your local paper and read that one. It will bring some of that local flavor into it all.

Send me a message somewhere, so I know if I have to chase down other things instead or can count on this awesome community!

Xandren

I'd love to help, but I admit, I'm not exactly sure if someone from the american core can really help >.>..at least, my accent isn't hard to understand for most, but I try to speak as plainly without one as possible so people can understand what I am saying >.<, I can affect a midwestern accent, and did grow up near the border of mexico, where that accent is prevalent amongst those who don't affect a..more typical accent similar to that of the area in general. Would my accent be of any help?

Teani

@Xandren Everything is of help. These students need to practice listening to different people speaking English and practice their listening comprehension. If you can thicken the accent without making it sound too bad, by all means!

Aryanne

How long do you want us to ramble at you for?

Teani

Not too long. Somewhere between 30 seconds to a minute? Or around that at least. And don't think you need to slow down or anything. They need to listen to people rambling fast too!

Xandren

well..while I work on finding the proper quote.. but for a..rather difficult accent to grab, why not look for more audio quotes of Jin from Yu-Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament arc?

Ps. This guy:

Trager

I'm from California. I don't even understand that.

Teani

@Xandren Yeah, sorry, but it has to be a bit more classy than that. Education, you know? I've even had to forgo some of my own favorite stand-up comedians because of inappropriate language. <.<