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Stop Robotic Speaking – Try This Trick

Posted On: April 4, 2014

Let’s take a moment to compare the vowel sounds of Indian languages vs. American English. 

Indian Languages:     

1. Have symbols representing short and long vowels in written word 
2. The symbol [typically] always represents the same sound 
3. We know if the vowel sound is long or short both in written and spoken language 
4. If a short and long vowel sound are interchanged, in most cases it becomes a new word 

English:

1. Does not have symbols for long or short vowels, only different kinds of vowels  
2. The vowel letter doesn’t always have the same sound
   For instance, the letter O sounds different in boss vs. of vs. or.
3. We know the vowel is long only in spoken language. Making it long is part of rhythm and part of adding emphasis or feeling.
4. If the short and long vowel are interchanged, which is a rare occurrence, it doesn’t change the definition, but it may change the tone.
   For instance, let’s look at the sentence I want to go to the party. If we take the word party and make the a long and say, “I want to go to the paaaarty,” does the definition of ‘party’ change? The literal dictionary definition remains the same, so no. The tone or figurative meaning does change. Elongating that vowel means, “I want to go to the party, not the mall, home or grandma’s house!”  

Elongating the vowel sounds will cause vibrations in your body as vowel sounds reverberate. Do you feel it? Do you hear it? This should also help inculcate resonance (as in this post).

This video can also be used in conjunction with the lesson on talking about walking around at Hoover Dam, found at this link.

Check out this video that demonstrates a cool trick to get the right pacing in English with a rubber band.

Thank you for spending your time here. Jennifer Kumar helps Indians to speak with more clarity in delivery with their US counterparts. To contact her, click here. 

Related Posts: 
How many words to say in a breath? Read about thought groups. 
Getting the right flow to Spoken English – Listening and Shadowing Activities 
Listen and repeat these simple sentences about India in an American style  
Slow down without sounding like a robot