Thread: my attempt of speaking in English

Here's my attempt of speaking in English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwrwGaXWkjk

Don't pay attention to the picture - I just attached the audio track to some video file so that youtube could recognize the file as a video.

So, guys, what do you say about me speaking English?
My especial question is: how would you characterize the accent you hear in the track? Does it sound Russian?

Originally Posted by Оля

Here's my attempt of speaking in English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwrwGaXWkjk

Don't pay attention to the picture - I just attached the audio track to some video file so that youtube could recognize the file as a video.

So, guys, what do you say about me speaking English?
My especial question is: how would you characterize the accent you hear in the track? Does it sound Russian?

I am VERY impressed!! I had to listen to it only twice to understand all of your words. The first time I had trouble with the "Sherlock Holmes," yet when I listened to it again, it was clear as a bell to me.

As for how you sound, there are some letters and words that come across "Russian" sounding or just not "American" sounding. Such as: "love" "was" "world" "as a lover" "spoke"

On the whole though, if you were to be in the States and ask someone for directions or have a conversation, you would do fantastically. You would be understood and be able to get your point across just fine. I NEVER again want to hear/see you say you can't speak ENGLISH missy!!!

Originally Posted by rockzmom

I NEVER again want to hear/see you say you can't speak ENGLISH missy!!!

He he. To "speak" and to read some text from a book after a lot of training (and yet making a native to hear it twice to understand all the words ) is not the same thing.

But, to be honest, I assume that the words you mentioned ("love", "world") could sound just British. Well, at least I HOPE so.

It’d be great if any or all of you our native English speaking friends showed us how that monologue should sound in a genuine native speaking fashion.

Originally Posted by alexB

It’d be great if any or all of you our native English speaking friends showed us how that monologue should sound in a genuine native speaking fashion.

I also think that some more comments from other native speakers would be great, but it seems that... Well, like always. This forum section is too "far".

Originally Posted by alexB

It’d be great if any or all of you our native English speaking friends showed us how that monologue should sound in a genuine native speaking fashion.

I will accept that challenge; however, I may not be able to do it until Monday!
Olya, will you be a dear and post the script for me so that I don't have to transcribe it?

Also, Olya... I had older daughter listen to you... She said that you have a beautiful voice and that you speak better English than some people she has heard who have been here 20 years!!!

Sounds quite good, Оля. I'll leave the vowels for the British members to comment on, but otherwise the most noticeable accent (по-моему) is on the Rs, as in "reasoning and observing" and "world," for example. But the Rs in "sneer" and "particularly" are spot-on!

Originally Posted by Оля

My especial question is: how would you characterize the accent you hear in the track? Does it sound Russian?

You don't sound strongly Russian to me. Knowing that you are, though, my guess would be that you're perhaps somewhere east of European Russia... but it's a pretty wild and uneducated guess so I hope I'm not too embarrassingly wrong.

Originally Posted by alexB

It’d be great if any or all of you our native English speaking friends showed us how that monologue should sound in a genuine native speaking fashion.

I don't know how "genuine" my American English is for Arthur Conan Doyle, but here you go. Hopefully a Brit will step up and give us a proper rendition!

Once natural speed, once slower and more articulated:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/tdvhnu...al%20speed.wav

http://www.mediafire.com/file/m2jjmi...a%20slower.wav

Originally Posted by Оля

So, guys, what do you say about me speaking English?
My especial question is: how would you characterize the accent you hear in the track? Does it sound Russian?

I would never have guessed that you're Russian with that British accent. Sorry, I don't have the technology (a microphone and recording software) to do recordings.

Originally Posted by sperk

I would never have guessed that you're Russian with that British accent.

Thank you.

Since it's practically impossible to find a British English speaker on our forum, I asked a Brit on another site. He told me that I sound like a French who has been living in England for a long time.

I also wonder if I could trick Americans telling them I'm from England. :"":

I agree with your friend. I understood everything you said, but you sound French. I think it's your intonation as much as your pronunciation.

Originally Posted by Lynn

I don't know how "genuine" my American English is for Arthur Conan Doyle, but here you go. Hopefully a Brit will step up and give us a proper rendition!

Once natural speed, once slower and more articulated:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/tdvhnu...al%20speed.wav

http://www.mediafire.com/file/m2jjmi...a%20slower.wav

I’m not sure about what the real problem is but my download manager says that there’re no requested files at the server.
Maybe it’s that usual thing where Russia is shunned by the outside world and all those bears habitually roaming the Red Square make western servers suspicious of us as to not letting us have our share of their precious secret packed files?

Originally Posted by alexB

I’m not sure about what the real problem is but my download manager says that there’re no requested files at the server.
Maybe it’s that usual thing where Russia is shunned by the outside world and all those bears habitually roaming the Red Square make western servers suspicious of us as to not letting us have our share of their precious secret packed files?

Oy, I checked again and it downloaded okay for me so, yeah, it's probably the bears.

Does this work?
natural speed:
http://rcpt.yousendit.com/732532795/fbd ... 820fa63637
slowly:
https://rcpt.yousendit.com/732533137/37 ... 6b31e589e0

If that doesn't work, maybe we should try microfiche like in a Cold War spy novel...

It's been pointed out to me that the yousendit links aren't working either, at least in Russia, so one more attempt:

http://ifolder.ru/13753511

http://ifolder.ru/13753501

Hmm the mediafire links worked just fine for me. I guess the bears in my part of Moscow aren't quite as as scary as those in other places.

Originally Posted by translationsnmru

Hmm the mediafire links worked just fine for me. I guess the bears in my part of Moscow aren't quite as as scary as those in other places.

It does not work for me: "The page cannot be found "

Originally Posted by Lynn

Does this work?

No glitches on yousendit and ifolder, all worked fine, keep the microfiche up your sleeve for a more special occasion then. Thanks for your trouble.
Once more I have mistaken someone on this forum for a person of the opposite sex, in case yours is female, that is.

Originally Posted by Lampada

Originally Posted by translationsnmru

Hmm the mediafire links worked just fine for me. I guess the bears in my part of Moscow aren't quite as as scary as those in other places.

It does not work for me: "The page cannot be found "

You must have brought your personal bears with you to the USA!

I just saw this now...
You sound charming!
Well done!

Sure, you've got an accent, but it's not ugly.
I can tell that it's a Slavic accent, but that's all.
You definitely have a pleasant voice. The more you practice the better you'll get.

Your intonation is exceptionally good I think.
One of the biggest problems that the Russian speaking people on Livemocha seemed to have was that they emphasised the wrong word in the sentence when they read in English. I don't know why, but it can make sentences sound very strange. You do not make this common mistake.

I did not hear any words that you pronounce wrongly.

You sound a little bit like the Russian woman who reads the "Michel Thomas Advanced Russian" course. She is speaking both Russian and English in the recording, and she speaks English with a British/Russian accent. Her voice including the accent is very pleasant. You can listen to her here: http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/pro...BK_MICH_000062

Eventually I am sure you will sound just as good!



PS - If you're ever desperate for a British English female recording, pm me with the text. I sound English with a standard accent (people ususally do not notice that I am not English). Only trouble is where to upload the recording to... It'd have to be Rapidshare or something...

I've drifted away, for awhile, but will try to attend more to my Russian.

Oля, I must agree with Johanna and rocksmom, you sound charming and your accent is very light.

Trying to put my finger on exactly where it is, I think that, primarily, you still have a Russian "XO/ O;" it's fuller than an English or American one (I've always liked the sound, actually), as in "whole" and "love," "would." Your mouth and cheeks should be fairly flat, don't hold air in your cheeks at all.

The accent is extremely light, though, and in America you would be thought mysteriously exotic.

Thank you all for your opinions. Actually I hear now that I pronounced the word "spoke" very very badly. It's even surprising because usually I can pronounce that word and that sound very very well.