Hello World! Presenter: Justin MurrayRepresenting: RealLife English

Unconventional Approaches to Accent

Reduction: Music, Mimicry, and Sound

Morphing

Where are you from?

English Connects the World

• Communication & Information• Expands your perspective (you see the

world AND your country with new eyes)• World Citizens – Beyond borders

Overview of This Presentation• Introduction• About me & RealLife English• Pronunciation Awareness• A Few Techniques• Sound Morphing, Shrinking & Linking• Content vs Function Words• The Mimic Method• Reverse Accent Mimicry• Listening Strategies• Bringing it Together

Knock Knock Jokes

Knock Knock Jokes Warning: Knock Knock Jokes Are CHEESY Humor (CHEESY & CORNY = poor quality, poor taste, cheap)

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: PoliceYou: Police who? Me: Police let me in. It’s cold out here!

Please let me in. It’s cold out here!

More Cheesy Knock Knock Jokes

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: HarryYou: Harry who? Me: Harry up, It’s cold out here!

Hurry up, it’s cold out here!

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: NanaYou: Nana who? Me: Nana your business!

None of your business!

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: Scold (name)You: Scold who? Me: Scold enough to go ice-skating out here!

It’s cold enough to go ice-skating out here!

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: Orange (name)You: Orange who? Me: Orange you gonna let me in? It’s cold out here!

Aren’t you gonna let me in. It’s cold out here!

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: ClaireYou: Claire who? Me: Claire the way. I’m coming through!

Clear the way, I’m coming through!

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s there? Me: JennyYou: Jenny who? Me: Jenny’d any help opening the door?

Did you need any help opening the door?

About Me

• I was born in Washington State (near Seattle), United States.

• I’m 34• Moved to Colorado and went to

university• Humanities (philosophy, English

literature)• Have lived 8 of the past 10 years

outside of the United States in……Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, now

in Brazil

My Teaching Background

• Volunteered in the U.S. a few hours a week (2004)

• Taught for a few months in Mexico (2005)• Taught English Literature at a bilingual

American high school in Colombia (2007-2009)

• Moved to Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2010, where I currently live

• Co-founded RealLife English in 2011 • My best teaching insights come from my

language learning

What’s your native language?

How many languages do you speak?

What language(s) are you learning?

• English speaking parties (2011)

• RealLife English Blog (2012)• International English Parties

(2013)To inspire, connect, and empower people all around the world to learn English

the fun, natural and RealLife way.

RealLife English• Inspire/Motivate Teachers & Learners

(Self-Development)• Use your life to improve your English,

your English to improve your life (World Citizenship)

• Make English fun, natural, convenient by practicing with things you like

• 2 Unconventional Ideas for this presentation…

Transcend and include• Sometimes

convention/rules prevent us from being our best

• But we must recognize and respect why they are there in the first place (but not be limited by them.)

• This is applies to language learning and teaching (use grammar to help you but don’t be a grammar Nazi.)

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like

an artist.” –Picasso

The 80/20 RulePareto Principle

• 80% of the land owned by 20% of the population• 80% of the sales come from 20% of the clients• 20% of your relationships produce 80% of your value• 80% of the successful learners come from 20% of the

teachers• 20% of the activities produce 80% of the results• Does this apply to pronunciation/accent reduction

training?

For many events, 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

The Fluency Gap• Native speakers speak differently than most people

learn in school, seemingly faster, words together• Incomprehensible, confusing for most learners• We speak in chunks, we cut and shorten certain

words, we morph our sounds, we shrink and link• Few people are learning the musicality of the

English language (rhythm, stress, intonation) that guides the way natives speak

• Few teachers are giving students a framework to deal with this and respond.

My objectives when I teach this:1. Build awareness: learners should be aware of this

fluency gap from early on in their learning process2. Develop the tools to respond when they don’t

understand by teaching the fluent use of survival phrases- lower affective filter/ proper attitude

3. Simultaneously teach the grammatical structure and comprehension of these sound chunks in a systemized and intuitive way.

4. Fluent comprehension and use of these in appropriate and meaningful contexts. (integrate them into class)

What is our role as teacher?• Coaches- inspire, motivate,

guide• Facilitators- flipped classroom,

blended learning• Psychologists- help them deal

the psychological challenges• Mentors – give them guidance• Trainers- help them develop

the technical skills

1. Develop awareness from early on in the process

For Both Listening Comprehension AND Pronunciation Training

Building Awareness: How much does pronunciation

affect fluency? • How interconnected are listening

comprehension and pronunciation? • Do you need to have a huge grammar base

before you start teaching or learning pronunciation?

• At what point in the process should you start to teach and learn pronunciation?

• How interdependent are accent/pronunciation and comprehensibility?

Do we need great pronunciation to be fluent?

• Yes and No• Let’s look at

both sides

Argument 1: No, pronunciation is not that important

• Communication is the key to fluency• We all have accents• Your accent is a representation of where

you are from• Foreign accents are cute ;0) • Any other reasons?

Argument 2: Yes, pronunciation is very important

• It makes communication easier • It increases comprehensibility• It improves confidence• It improves social integration

More arguments for improved pronunciation

• With effective practice, improvements can be quick and dramatic • 80/20 principle • A lot of learners believe it’s important

Do we need great pronunciation to be

fluent? • We need our accent to be at least

comprehensible • The better your pronunciation, the more likely

you will be comprehended (greater depth too)• People will have to make less of an effort to

understand you• People will perceive you as more fluent and

feel more comfortable talking to you• Not exactly, but it can be of great help

Some Aspects ACCENT

• Accentedness: “Degree to which the pronunciation of the utterance sounds different from an unexpected production pattern’” (Munro, Derwing & Morton)

• Comprehensibility-“The listeners ability to understand the meaning of an utterance in its context.” (Smith, Nelson, Jenkins)

• “Quase-independent” relationship between comprehensibility and accentedness (Munro & Derwing- 1995,1997)

N. Arizona Accent Training Study

• 12 hours of accent training over a 6 week period (2 hours per week)

• Learners of mixed levels • 47.7% INCREASE in comprehensibility among

learners (native speaking judges)• Suggests 80/20 rule – 80% of the effect comes

with 20% of the effort

Why aren’t more people teaching this?

• A lot people don’t have awareness of the root causes of this fluency gap

• Most teachers don’t have much training in their own learning (and teaching)

• There haven’t been a lot of resources up until now

• Because there is a tendency to spoon feed our students grammar rules rather than showing them how to respond and use their English in authentic, meaningful contexts

Spoon Feeding Our Students• By not speaking enough English in class• By not giving them the tools to respond when they

don’t know.• By not showing them how English is really spoken

Technique #1- Knock Knock Jokes

Objectives: (1) Relax, (2) have fun, (3) Recognize the sounds behind the worlds (aren’t vs orange)

Me: Knock KnockYou: Who’s thereMe: OrangeYou: Orange who? Me: Orange you gonna let me in?

The Huge Importance of Confidence“Fake it until you make it.”

• Fear is the first and biggest barrier to learning (affective filter)

• Students have this idea that they need to be perfect

• Mistakes are a natural part of the process

• It is our job to teach confidence

Technique # 2: Survival Phrases

Objective: (1) lower affective filter, (2) give students tools and confidence to respond in any situation

• Sorry/ pardon/ excuse me?• Can you repeat (slower) please? • What does ________ mean? • How do you say _______ in English?

(pronounce, spell)• What do you mean? (What do you mean

by______)

(3) develop pieces/chunks of fluency through repetition and integration into everyday use.

Application1. Learn the phrases (memorization, repetition)2. Put the words together until they come out3. Imitation/mimicry of native pronunciation until

they are fluent with these phrases

• Sorry (Pardon, excuse me), Can you repeat (slower) please• What does ________ mean? (“wha-duz _____ mean?”)• How do you say? (“how-da-ya say ________?”) • What do you mean? (“wha-da-ya mean by _______?”) • (Extra) Do you know what I mean? (“know what I mean?”)

Fluent Survival Phrases Protect The Learner and Give them Tools to Respond

When They Don’t Understand

Immediate effect of fluent use of survival phrases

• Increased confidence in native speaking situations (it’s a huge psychological step) + cultural fluency

• Pronunciation paradigm broken• Students more comfortable with the use English in

the classroom (affective filter lowered)• They will naturally start to listen and imitate (“what

does _________ mean?”) • These phrases promote a curiosity for the language

that enables them to investigate and experiment

Technique #3: Greetings & Goodbyes• How are you doing? (“How-ya-doin?”)• How have you been? (“How’uv-ya-been?)• It was good to see you. (“it was good-a-see-ya”)• Thank you, I appreciate it (“I apprecia-dit”)

• We use these all of the time (start/end every conversation with confidence)

• Repetition, functionality, small bits of fluency• Gives students something to work w/ from day 01.

Start and End Every Conversation with Confidence

Technique #4: Tour of the Tenses Fluency Exercise

Framework for to learn the conjugation of tenses through repeated use in meaningful context. Native-like pronunciation training

Example 1: Future Simple-

Going to (“gonna”)

Context: At the end of class (talking about weekend). Give it lots of structure with first application

Question: What are you going to do this weekend? “whad-ur-ya gonna do this weekend?”

Answer: I’m going to ____________“I’m gonna watch the soccer game”

Objectives of this ExerciseRepeated use in meaningful contexts to teach

(1) Grammatical competence(2) Lower and remove affective filter(3) Fluency chunks & Scripts(3) Imitate native pronunciation

Example 2: Simple Past (A)-

Did

Context: at the beginning of class, first class of the week.

Question: What did you do on the weekend? “What-dju-do on the weekend?”

Answer: I watched a movie, I did my homework, I hung out with my friends.

Continued Application

• Use it to teach listening comprehension, mimicry/imitation (pronunciation), and reinforce the survival phrases

• Gradually remove the training wheels until it becomes a quick, natural, and fluent conversation

• Introduce, practice, and learn both written and spoken (formal writing)

Example 3: Present Perf. Cont. I Have been ____ing

Context: Beginning of class / Middle of the week

Question: What have you been doing (lately, this wk, etc)“What’uve-ya-been doin’ lately“

Answer: I’ve been _________ing“I’ve been ______ing”

Tour of the Tenses Objectives• Integrate each tense into meaningful and

repeatable classroom routines that serve as continual practice.

• Gradually teach each student to relax and comprehend at normal speed and rhythm in sound chunks.

• Systematically teach appropriate (formal and informal) use of verb tenses through writing, speaking, and pronunciation practice

Why Natives Speak Different Than You Learned in School

1. Sound Morphing 2. The Hidden Rhythm of the English

Language (Shrinking and Linking)3. Discourse Markers

1. Sound Morphing

How native speakers cut, shorten, bring

together, and leave out words and sounds in the

English language.

Most Common Examples• Examples: Gonna, Gotta, Wanna

• I Want to = I Wanna*• You’ve Got to = You Gotta*• I Want to = I Wanna*

• Three are just the most tangible examples• This is just the tip of the ice-berg

*all of these are used in informal writing (NOT formal)

More Classic Examples

• Kind of = Kinda* • Sort of = Sorda• Let me = Lemme• Give me = Gimme • I don’t know = I dunno*• Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda*• A lot of = A-lah-du

Formal vs Informal• Native speakers use sound morphing in spoken

English in both formal and informal contexts• Native speakers are usually not conscious of

this• Formality/Register is expressed in the

intonation of speech • We should certainly focus on learning to write

properly (don’t use morphs)

Should You Use These?• At least understand them• Teach students to understand them• Teach formal writing of this• Play around with them before using them• Music is a great way to implement them

Let me call her tomorrow morning.“Le-me call-er-da-morrow morning”

If you see him before he gets home would you ask him?“if ya see-im before-e gets-home wuh-dja ask-im?”

There are lot of people who are not even going to come .

“there’r a-lah-du of people who-r nod-even goin-da come.

2. Shrinking and LinkingInfluenced by Jason Levine

Intonation/Stress

A. I didn’t say he stole the moneyB. I didn’t say he stole the moneyC. I didn’t say he stole the moneyD. I didn’t say he stole the moneyE. I didn’t say he stole the moneyF. I didn’t say he stole the moneyG. I didn’t say he stole the money

Content vs Function WordsRachel Smith (Rachel’s English)

The Rhythm of the English

Language

• English Stress timed language • Stressed Sounds are Content Words• Content words are longer, more emphasis• Unstressed Sounds are Function Words• Function words Shorter, flatter, quicker

Unstressed Function WordsDoes he think I’ll come today? “duz-e think all come da-day”

I think we’ll have to help them later tonight“I think will hafta help-em la-der danight”

He can have a cat and dog, but he can’t have a horse“he-cun-ave a cad-n-dog, buh-de cannav-a-horse”

Discourse Markers Dynamic group of words or phrases that serve

as linguistic mechanisms to fill, pivot, give space and rhythm to your speech and conversation.

• Like (kinda like)• You know?• Well• I mean• You see?

Using vs Not Using Discourse Markers

“I’m not totally fluent in Italian, but it’s similar to Spanish. They aren’t exactly the same, but they have similar grammar.”

“So, look, ya see, I’m not like todally fluent in Italian, ya know? Bud-its-kinda-like Spanish, know wha-di-mean? Well, I mean, they arend-exactly the same but they have kinda like similar grammar you know?”

Justin Bieber Says Like A Lot

The Application of Discourse Markers

• Don’t abuse them (you’ll sound like an adolescent)

• Experimentation is good, play around with them• Observe native speech (TV shows might not

always give you this, but interviews, youtube, etc)• Start integrating them into your English

Techniques Review1. Knock Knock Jokes2. Survival Phrases3. Greetings/Goodbyes4. Tour of the Tenses

5. Imitation of Rap Music6. Reverse Accent Mimicry

Language Learning Heroics: Idahosa Ness Raps in 8 Languages

www.mimicmethod.com

The Mimic Methodwww.mimicmethod.com

• Using RAP music to learn a foreign language• Language is not a sequence of words, but a

sequence of sounds• Master the sounds of the target language before

mastering the meaning• The majority of phonemes (distinct speech sounds)

exist in several languages• What makes each language different is its FLOW or

rhythm

Rhythmic Phonetic Trainingwww.mimicmethod.com

• Teaches the flow of the language by perfecting their accent while singing

• Uses rap music- far superior than melodic/pop• More vigorously highlights rhythms and sounds of

a language• Develop muscularity, articulation w/ rap music• Then pronunciation is on auto-pilot when

speaking• The flow of connected speech cuts the syllables

Mimic Method Put to Use• He is developing a product for English speakers• My experience with it• Free audio editing program • Audacity (audacity.sourceforge.net)• Slow the song down• Record yourself, compare• Rap music, rhythm & flow• Conscious rap music• Fluency MC’s rap music

Reverse Accent Mimicry Laurence M. Hilton: Speech Language Pathology

• “Humans possess an innate biological capacity to hear, differentiate and mimic fundamental prosodic and phonological characteristics of any language.”

• Story 1 – Walking in France / Children making fun of him

• Story 2- French Actor Speaking English• You need to imitate a native English speaker

speaking your language with a thick accent

Application

• Identify or provide a desirable reverse accent model (real people, youtube videos, movies)

• Trigger holistic mimicry effect on L1 – Direct mimicry of the person in your native tongue

• Transition into L2 Reverse Accent Mimicry

Conversation, reading aloud, written scripts

• Guided Use and Generalization Teacher/ clinician ideal, Lengthen time period

• Some feedback mechanism

Active & Passive Listening • Native Podcasts / EFL programs• TV shows-movies-video games• Music (Rap and any type of music)• Immerse your life in English- English For Life• Daily exposure • Convenient moments• Natural as possible• As relaxed as possible• Integrate it into your life, into who you are

Conclusion • Build Awareness• Build Confidence • Don’t Spoon Feed Them• Try new things, make it fun• Experiment With Your Own Learning• Take Advantage of Available Resources