Thread: How does it sound?

Originally Posted by Оля

Thank you, ZelyeUrsuli, for such detailed answer.

I don't think you should hide the accent.

I think I should. I'm a perfectionist.

[quote:1sx5yywm]That said, I understood what you said perfectly and I am glad you are using Harry Potter to learn English. HP Rocks!

I'm using many movies for that, and Harry Potter far less than others. In Harry Potter, I only like the Professor Snape episodes...
By the way, here's the original scene Hermione pronounces these words in: (or: . . . in which Hermione pronounces these words:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH3pumi_XeM
I liked very much how she pronounced the word "choice"; I don't know why. (or: . . . "choice", and I don't . . . ) (see Rule 14 explaining "comma splice" here: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp )

HP Rocks!

What does that mean?


P.S. This post was quite difficult to me, so please be kind and correct my mistakes if you find any. Thanks. (or: . . . so please be so kind as to correct . . .) [/quote:1sx5yywm]

Originally Posted by Scrabus

I personally hate as pure Russian accent sounds in English. It's terrible

Actually, I think every accent is terrible, and not only Russian...

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

afaik = as far as I know (= насколько мне известно)

Ну меня вообще-то не столько afaik смутил, сколько первая часть фразы.
Ясно, rocks - что-то типа rules.

Originally Posted by Rtyom

Оля, you rock! Так понятнее?

Так... приятнее.

Originally Posted by Ken Watts

see Rule 14 explaining "comma splice" here: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp

Oh!!! I loooooooooove this rule:

Rule 4. Use commas before or surrounding the name or title of a person directly addressed.
Examples: Will you, Aisha, do that assignment for me?
Yes, Doctor, I will.

Ken, thank you VERY-VERY MUCH for your corrections!

Originally Posted by Оля

Ken, thank you VERY-VERY MUCH for your corrections!

Оля, you're welcome. Here's one that I missed: "This post was quite difficult for me . . . "

Originally Posted by Оля

Actually, I think every accent is terrible, and not only Russian...

У меня несколько другое мнение по данному вопросу. Есть языки, акценты которых звучат очень даже неплохо и лишь добавляют колорита. Для примера, испанский акцент или литовский звучит при разговоре на русском довольно мило. Но тот же сильный английский акцент звучит robotic и лично убивает мои уши)). Если он конечно ярко выражен :P . Вообще, по моему мнению, английский-русский акценты очень плохо совместимы и абсолютно не звучат в "чужеродном" языке.

Originally Posted by Scrabus

Originally Posted by Оля

Actually, I think every accent is terrible, and not only Russian...

У меня несколько другое мнение по данному вопросу. Есть языки, акценты которых звучат очень даже неплохо и лишь добавляют колорита. Для примера, испанский акцент или литовский звучит при разговоре на русском довольно мило. Но тот же сильный английский акцент звучит robotic и лично убивает мои уши)). Если он конечно ярко выражен :P . Вообще, по моему мнению, английский-русский акценты очень плохо совместимы и абсолютно не звучат в "чужеродном" языке.

С тобой согласен. А я бы и не говорил, что русский акцент убивает мои уши, a, вообще, забавно мне. Мой друг не мог установить разницу между словами 'ship' и 'sheep' и потом, сказал ему 'sheet' сказать.

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

Мой друг не мог установить разницу между словами 'ship' и 'sheep' и потом, сказал ему 'sheet' сказать.

I still can't hear the difference. Logically I know that 'ee' in 'sheep' is longer (is there something else?), but it sounds the same to me.

Olya - We would all love to completely rid ourselves of our accents when speaking foreign languages. But even next door neighbors sound different...In trying to get a perfect accent, you sometimes are even less understandable.

Sorry, rocks is like rules, or that something is awesome.

Snape is awesome (Alan Rickman is one of the greatest working actors today)....P.S. I wouldn't emulate Emma Watson's way of speaking (she opens her mouth way too much).


I happen to love accents - especially Russian (I'm weird like that). Though Australian accents are hot!


Anyway, gRomoZeka -

The i in ship and the ee in sheep are nothing alike. The i is closer to ы or the i in ill (I know, I know, ы and i are nothing alike in reality)...

If ship and sheep sound the same, I reckon ill and eel sound the same to you - and there is definitely no way they sound alike...

Then you get words like fir which sounds the same as fur and neither sounds anything like fear (which is said as feer). English is fun...

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

Мой друг не мог установить разницу между словами 'ship' и 'sheep' и потом, сказал ему 'sheet' сказать.

I still can't hear the difference. Logically I know that 'ee' in 'sheep' is longer (is there something else?), but it sounds the same to me.

I suppose it's similar to the -и and -ий endings. Could someone post a real good demonstration of the difference between и and ий?

and btw, Oля, good job. Honestly, I agree with Zelye in the sense that you sound more like a native speaker with a lisp than a Russian. You don't even have a recognizably 'Russian' accent. Вообще, молодец.

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

and btw, Oля, good job. Honestly, I agree with Zelye in the sense that you sound more like a native speaker with a lisp than a Russian. You don't even have a recognizably 'Russian' accent. Вообще, молодец.

Ну тогда понятное дело, что я не смог там ничего внятного разобрать). Говорящие носители обычно сложнее не носителей для понимания сказанного, уж больно тараторят)). Если говорят раза в три медленнее и чётче чем обычно, то понять что-то ещё можно).
___________________________________________

Рустикс, а в моей записи тебе удалось признать выраженный русский акцент? Lisp уж точно мне не свойственен

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

The i in ship and the ee in sheep are nothing alike. The i is closer to ы or the i in ill (I know, I know, ы and i are nothing alike in reality)...

I think I'm beginning to understand what you're talking about. Interesting... I think I use 'ee' everywhere instead of 'i'.

If ship and sheep sound the same, I reckon ill and eel sound the same to you...

I guess so. Not that I had an opportunity to talk to native speaker about the eels.

Thanks for your examples. I kinda understand the difference now. It's a major breakthrough for me.

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

I suppose it's similar to the -и and -ий endings.

Хороший пример.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

I suppose it's similar to the -и and -ий endings.

Хороший пример.

Не знаю, "и" и "ий" совсем не похожи... Не только по "длительности звучания", но и по своей сути.
А наглядную демонстрацию Русту могу провести запросто, только отосплюсь). Ну и примеры нужны похаризматичней).

gRomoZeka - I'm not a linguist at all, so I can't say how much of this is my own subconscious differentiating between i and ee, but...

I get what you mean when you say ih (the sound for the i in ill) is like a short ee. But it's not really the ee sound shortened, it's really the first part of the ee sound.

Something I realized about English (at least American English) is our vowels are much more like diphthongs.

For example, the word pay...the vowel is like the French

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

Я с тобой согласен (or "согласен с тобой", if you want to omit "я"). А я бы и не сказал, что русский акцент убивает мои уши, a, вообще, забавно мне. Мой друг не мог установить разницу между словами 'ship' и 'sheep' и потом, сказал ему 'sheet' сказать (эта часть фразы не совсем понятна).

and btw, Oля, good job. Honestly, I agree with Zelye in the sense that you sound more like a native speaker with a lisp than a Russian. You don't even have a recognizably 'Russian' accent. Вообще, молодец.

Спасибо тебе большое!

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

she opens her mouth way too much

Я понимаю, что эта фраза значит "она слишком широко открывает рот", но не могу понять, что тут делает слово way. Кто-нибудь может мне объяснить?

Anyway, gRomoZeka -

The i in ship and the ee in sheep are nothing alike. The i is closer to ы or the i in ill (I know, I know, ы and i are nothing alike in reality)...

Thank you once more, ZelyeUrsuli, that was very helpful for me, too!
I've made a record with these two words, could you hear it please?
http://www.mediafire.com/?xdd4tecnuez

P.S. Do you say in English lke that - "Thank you once more"?..

[quote=ZelyeUrsuli]gRomoZeka - I'm not a linguist at all, so I can't say how much of this is my own subconscious differentiating between i and ee, but...

I get what you mean when you say ih (the sound for the i in ill) is like a short ee. But it's not really the ee sound shortened, it's really the first part of the ee sound.

Something I realized about English (at least American English) is our vowels are much more like diphthongs.

For example, the word pay...the vowel is like the French

Originally Posted by Оля

I've made a record with these two words, could you hear it please?
http://download101.mediafire.com/ut4tuj ... p_ship.WAV

P.S. Do you say it in English lke that - "Thank you once more"?..

Wrong link.

Hey, Olya - both of your words sounded exactly like ship. The ee in sheep is more like и. The whole word is like шип...

And my comment about her opening her mouth too much - "Way too much" just adds more to "too much." It emphasizes the word "too." Ex: That building is way too far from here.

"I've made a record with these two words, could you hear it please?" --> I have recorded these two words. Could you listen, please? (Made a record, to me, sounds very old-fashioned, since we don't use records anymore. Also, hear is what your ears do, involuntarily. Listen is what you do voluntarily. If you hear noise, it means that you are in the vicinity of noise. If you listen to noise, it means you are consciously opening your ears to that noise.)

P.S. Do you say in English lke that - "Thank you once more"?.. We say, "Thank you again/Thanks again." Maybe even "Thank you once again." Thank you once more sounds odd to me, but makes sense.

Scrabus - your first one sounded perfectly like ship. But your sheep is in limbo between ship and sheep. See my note to Olya.

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

The ee in sheep is more like и. The whole word is like шип...

I think, it's vice versa!
You know, how the Russian шип sounds? The и isn't actually и after a hard hushing sound.
Here's a record I said the words "шип" and "щип" (well, there is no such word, but supposing it's a substantivized noun from the verb щипать) in; and then I tried to say "sheep" and "ship" again.
Well, maybe at least шип and щип will sound ok to an English native speaker?
http://www.mediafire.com/?q059u9xywn0
(It supposes to be шип, шип, шип / щип, щип, щип / sheep, sheep / ship, ship)

And, thank you very much for your corrections and the "way" explanation.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by xRoosterx

Мой друг не мог установить разницу между словами 'ship' и 'sheep' и потом, сказал ему 'sheet' сказать.

I still can't hear the difference. Logically I know that 'ee' in 'sheep' is longer (is there something else?), but it sounds the same to me.

*long rant about allophones skipped*
It's like explaining the difference between so-called soft and hard consonants. Do they sound absolutely indistinguishably do they?
ps. According to *pedia, [i] in ship is like unstressed 'е'/'и' in Russian, 'ee' is like stressed 'и', for what it's worth.

Originally Posted by ZelyeUrsuli

Hey, Olya - both of your words sounded exactly like ship. The ee in sheep is more like и. The whole word is like шип...

Yes, I agree with Оля). It's not really Russian "Шип". "И" in Russian "шип" version will sounds like "шЫп". So it's hard to pronounce >,<
I tried to do my best - http://www.mediafire.com/?zmauksyyyum
I don't know how good it sounds to comparing to a previous version and at all... Is it better?

Olya - your "ship" was perfect for the word. щип was actually closer to ship...and шип doesn't sound anything like English.

I realized after I posted that шип is more шЫп, and was going to make a note that you should say the и as an и, not a Ы.

Is шъийп closer? Looks funny, doesn't it?