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How to Sound like a Native English

SpeakerJoey Nevarez

CELOP

Speak like a Native!

Pronunciation is not enough!

Thought groups Intonation

Work Stress Discourse Style

Thought Groups

What’s the big idea? Pause at Punctuation Build Basic Blocks: phrase by phrase, NOT word for

word

How do you know where to pause for a thought group? Generally 3-8 words long Use clues from punctuation, grammar, and stressed

content words to help recognize thought groups Take a breath between thought groups! The length varies

Punctuation Clues

Comma = , = basic short pause

Semi-colon = ; = slightly longer pause

Colon = : = slightly longer pause

Parenthesis = ( ) = slightly longer pause

Quotation marks = “…” = still slightly longer pause

Grammar Clues

Identify noun phrases and verb phrase Pause and drop pitch slightly at the end of each phrase

Identify transitional expressions (first, finally, of course, on the other hand)

Identify any clauses, such as “dependent clauses” or “relative clauses”

Example Sentence

“They are an unlikely pair: George is ‘small and quick and dark of face’; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child.” Now let’s practice with humor!

Intonation

Once you have broken up a sentence into thought groups, apply intonation.

Intonation = the rise and fall of your voice when you speak.

Every single language has its own intonation pattern. Some languages have patterns that are closer to

English; others have the opposite

American Intonation Pattern

The staircase model. (neutral -> rise -> fall)

Each phrase/thought group will follow this pattern.

Intonation signals where the speaker should be paying attention.

Let’s Practice!

1. I didn't say he stole the money, someone else said it.

2. I didn't say he stole the money, that's not true at all.

3. I didn't say he stole the money, I only suggested the possibility.

More Practice

4. I didn't say he stole the money,

I think someone else took it.

5. I didn't say he stole the money, maybe he just borrowed it.

6. I didn't say he stole the money, but rather some other money.

Even More Practice

7. I didn't say he stole the money, he may have taken some jewelry.

Up!

Watch this video clip from the film Up! Don’t write anything down. Just listen.

Up!

Now watch again and try to transcribe the clip.

Oprah Gives a Commencement Speech

Skim the transcript for 2 minutes to get an idea of what Oprah is talking about.

Watch Stanford University commencement speech 1:29-2:48 1st listen : follow along on transcript and mark which

words are stressed for emphasis

Compare with a partner: Which words are emphasized the most and why? Does this emphasis result in any change in meaning?

Discourse Style

Discourse – written or spoken communication

Different people speak differently than one another For example...

How are the speakers’ voices different?

Discourse Style Continued…

People speak differently in different situations and for different reasons

Let's hear it for Oprah!

Identify on your transcript the parts where the discourse style changes.

Discuss these questions with your partner: Where does the discourse style change? How do you know? How does the change in discourse style affect the

listener?