Antionette's page
Hi Antionette, and welcome to your own personal 'voice hacking' page where You and I are going to be exchanging ideas and working on the task of adopting a standard British Accent.
Of course as mentioned, I already think you have tremendous potential and will rock this, so have no doubts about your ability. The only question then is of your effort and dedication.
I would ask that you record the 'Tarantella' Poem and send over for me to add in here as well as the text below titled 'Comma gets a cure'. I ask that after a week of practice and exercises you again record them and send a second time so I can listen to the changes and prepare for our next meeting whenever that may be.
As we move on in the process, this page will get longer and more involved, but all the previous recordings, exercises and worksheets will remain up so we can track your progress and observe the changes made.
Below you can view a video of our meeting, the two texts for recording and the exercises that I'd like you to work on and which are aimed are strengthening your muscles when speaking with the British accent.
Of course as mentioned, I already think you have tremendous potential and will rock this, so have no doubts about your ability. The only question then is of your effort and dedication.
I would ask that you record the 'Tarantella' Poem and send over for me to add in here as well as the text below titled 'Comma gets a cure'. I ask that after a week of practice and exercises you again record them and send a second time so I can listen to the changes and prepare for our next meeting whenever that may be.
As we move on in the process, this page will get longer and more involved, but all the previous recordings, exercises and worksheets will remain up so we can track your progress and observe the changes made.
Below you can view a video of our meeting, the two texts for recording and the exercises that I'd like you to work on and which are aimed are strengthening your muscles when speaking with the British accent.
First session recording
Files for recording
|
| ||||
|
Comma Gets A Cure
Well, here's a story for you: Sarah Perry was a veterinary nurse who had been working daily at an old zoo in a deserted district of the territory, so she was very happy to start a new job at a superb private practice in North Square near the Duke Street Tower. That area was much nearer for her and more to her liking. Even so, on her first morning, she felt stressed. She ate a bowl of porridge, checked herself in the mirror and washed her face in a hurry. Then she put on a plain yellow dress and a fleece jacket, picked up her kit and headed for work. When she got there, there was a woman with a goose waiting for her. The woman gave Sarah an official letter from the vet. The letter implied that the animal could be suffering from a rare form of foot and mouth disease, which was surprising, because normally you would only expect to see it in a dog or a goat. Sarah was sentimental, so this made her feel sorry for the beautiful bird. Before long, that itchy goose began to strut around the office like a lunatic, which made an unsanitary mess. The goose's owner, Mary Harrison, kept calling, "Comma, Comma," which Sarah thought was an odd choice for a name. Comma was strong and huge, so it would take some force to trap her, but Sarah had a different idea. First she tried gently stroking the goose's lower back with her palm, then singing a tune to her. Finally, she administered ether. Her efforts were not futile. In no time, the goose began to tire, so Sarah was able to hold onto Comma and give her a relaxing bath. Once Sarah had managed to bathe the goose, she wiped her off with a cloth and laid her on her right side. Then Sarah confirmed the vet's diagnosis. Almost immediately, she remembered an effective treatment that required her to measure out a lot of medicine. Sarah warned that this course of treatment might be expensive-either five or six times the cost of penicillin. I can't imagine paying so much, but Mrs. Harrison-a millionaire lawyer- thought it was a fair price for a cure. COPYRIGHT & CITATION: Comma Gets a Cure and derivative works may be used freely for any purpose without special permission provided the present sentence and the following copyright notification accompany the passage in print, if reproduced in print, and in audio format in the case of a sound recording: Copyright (©) 2000 Douglas N. Honorof, Jill McCullough & Barbara Somerville. All rights reserved. |
Tarantella
by Hiliare Belloc Do you remember an Inn, Miranda? Do you remember an Inn? And the tedding and the spreading Of the straw for a bedding, And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees, And the wine that tasted of the tar? And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers (Under the vine of the dark verandah)? Do you remember an Inn, Miranda, Do you remember an Inn? And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers Who hadn’t got a penny, And who weren’t paying any, And the hammer at the doors and the din? And the Hip! Hop! Hap! Of the clap Of the hands to the twirl and the swirl Of the girl gone chancing, Glancing, Dancing, Backing and advancing, Snapping of the clapper to the spin Out and in– And the Ting, Tong, Tang of the guitar! Do you remember an Inn, Miranda? Do you remember an Inn? Never more, Miranda, Never more. Only the high peaks hoar: And Aragon a torrent at the door. No sound In the walls of the halls where falls The tread Of the feet of the dead to the ground, No sound: But the boom Of the far waterfall like doom. |
First set of considerations and Exercises
Initially, the sounds which are most inconsistent in your British accent are the linking 'r' sounds, words beginning with 'th' and words ending in 'd'. So as a first set of practice, below are three sets of exercises that work each one individually and that I'd like you to practice daily (perhaps twice if possible) so as to start building better dexterity. As a warm up, however, and before starting the dexterity exercises, I ask you to first warm up and follow along the exercise in the video titled articulation workout below.
Voiced 'th' sounds |
Unvoiced 'th' sounds |
|
Then
They Though Than Lather Worthier Bother Soothe Clothes |
Think
Thought Thin Thread Path Arthur Mathematician North Thousand |
- THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THINK)
- THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT)
- TOO TOH TAW TAH TAY TEE TOW TI
- DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
- OOT OAT AWT ART ATE EAT OWT ITE
- OOD OAD AWD ARD ADE EAD OWD IDE
- THOO THOH THAW THAH THAY THEE THOW THI (AS IN THAT)
- TOO TOH TAW TAH TAY TEE TOW TI
- DOO DOH DAW DAH DAY DEE DOW DI
- OOT OAT AWT ART ATE EAT OWT ITE
- OOD OAD AWD ARD ADE EAD OWD IDE
What a to-do to die today, at a minute or two 'til two;
A thing distinctly hard to say, yet harder still to do.
For they'll beat a tattoo, at twenty to two
With a rat-tat-tat- tat-tat-tat- tat-tat-tattoo
And a dragon will come when he hears the drum,
At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two.
A thing distinctly hard to say, yet harder still to do.
For they'll beat a tattoo, at twenty to two
With a rat-tat-tat- tat-tat-tat- tat-tat-tattoo
And a dragon will come when he hears the drum,
At a minute or two to two today, at a minute or two to two.