Use YouTube to improve your English pronunciation

Post by JonathonW » Tue, Oct 31, 2023, 3:23 AM UTC

anadalakra wrote: post #119

As a non-native English speaker, the "randomness" of English pronunciation has been a source of frustration for me for many years. I realized there are two types of issues: 1. Some sounds in English don't exist in other languages and you have to learn them "from scratch". For example the "flap T" in butter. Or the particular American "r" (constrast it to the Spanish rolled r for instance). 2. Certain sounds I DID kno…

Post by zephrx1111 » Tue, Oct 31, 2023, 3:45 AM UTC

Post by rebryk » Tue, Oct 31, 2023, 4:10 AM UTC

Post by lacrimacida » Tue, Oct 31, 2023, 4:31 AM UTC

avgcorrection wrote: post #108

But why would I want to sound like a native? - English accent: monocle vibes - Australian accent: Crocodile Dundee (badass but I can’t embody that) - Standard American accent: incredible “twang” (sounds like all wovels are sent through a wah-wah pedal)

Post by owl57 » Tue, Oct 31, 2023, 4:35 AM UTC

idoubtit wrote: post #96

inanutshellus wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

aaand that reminds me of "Torpenhow Hill". > When the Saxons arrived and asked the Welsh the name of that hill, the Welsh said “pen” which means "hill" in Welsh. So the Saxons used their word for hill, “tor,” and called it Torpen (hill hill). > > Then the Norse arrived and the same process added the their world for hill “Haugr”. So now it was Torpen Haugr (Hill Hill Hill). > > Later, the English called it Torpenhow H…

This is a fun hoax that was invented 70 years ago, in 1953. It was debunked at least 20 years ago, but it's still more popular than facts. There is a Tarpenhow place in the UK, but it has no hill. So Tarpenhow hill does not exist . No mention of Norse either in the Oxford Concise Dictionary which describes the word as "Torr pen", top of the hill, from the Welsh "pen", and Old English "hoh", ridge.