Showing posts with label Phonetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phonetics. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

(Avanzado 1 & 2) There are not sex symbols in the band!

Or there are not six cymbals in the band?
Oops, phonetics is important or else you might be saying something rather embarrassing. Do you like the piss and quiet or the peace and quiet? Or someone asks you after the show what you think of the drummer...or the drama? And what you can see over there is a ship or, rather, a sheep? Have you got two uncles or two ankles?
We've just started with phonetics, so don't fret. You'll soon become familiar with those strange symbols.
Whenever you want to hear the sounds of English language you can go to a few pages I recommend- you can get some practice with vowels, diphthongs, stress or intonation in this Cambridge site, in Fenetiks and Antimoon.
For those who are more into getting a very distinctive American accent (a few cases in Avanzado 2 I can think of), you can try this dictionary of American pronunciation.
Also, you can look up in Howjsay the pronunciation of words you don't know the meaning of or you have doubts about how to say it correctly.
I've got a friend who's got a friend who knows someone...well, it was me, I admit it- Once I happened to be in a flat alone and the plumber came over to fix the heater. He asked me for a cloth with a strong Wolverhampton accent and even though I didn't understand what he might need it for I fetched him a...clock! Have you got any other embarrassing misunderstandings, a gaffe you can recall because of mispronouncing? Send in a comment with an anecdote.
See you!