Saturday 7 July 2012

ə pɒliɡlɒt miːtɪŋ


lɑːs θɜːzdeɪ aɪ met ʌp ɪn rəʊm wɪð tuː ɪtæljən pɒliɡlɒts. ðeə neɪmz ə Luca Lampariello ən Luca Toma.

Luca Lampariello (pɪktʃəd left) ɪz θɜːti-tuː əŋ kʌmz frəm rəʊm. ɒn ɪz blɒɡ, ðə pɒliɡlɒt driːm, wi riːd ðət hiz bɪn lɜːnɪŋ læŋɡwɪdʒɪz fər ɔːlməʊst twenti jɪəz. əpɑːʔ frəm ɪtæljən, hi spiːks ɪŋɡlɪʃ, frentʃ, spænɪʃ, dʒɜːmən, dʌtʃ, swiːdɪʃ, rʌʃn̩, pɔːtʃuɡiːz, tʃaɪniːz, ən ɪz ɪn ðə prəʊses əv "əkwɑːrɪŋ" (əz i kɔːlz ɪt) dʒæpəniːz ən rumeɪniən.

hi kleɪmz ðəʔ læŋɡwɪdʒɪz kænɒʔ bi tɔːt, ðeɪ kən əʊnli bi lɜːnd:

"ɪn ðə lɑːs tuː jɪəz aɪ hæd sm̩ sɔːt əv revəleɪʃn̩. aɪ əd ɔːlwəz bɪn əbzɔːbɪŋ læŋɡwɪdʒɪz wɪðaʊʔ rɪəli wʌndrɪŋ waɪ wɒt aɪ dɪd wəs səʊ ɪfektɪv. aɪ dʒʌs dɪd ɪt. ðen aɪ stɑːtɪd 'kɒdʒɪteɪtɪŋ', θɪŋkɪŋ, ən aɪ endɪd ʌp lʊkɪŋ fər ɪnfəmeɪʃn̩ ɒn ðə 'læŋɡwɪdʒ lɜːnɪŋ' ɪʃuː frəm ə saəntɪfɪk pɔɪnt ə vjuː. ðə mɔːr aɪ red ðə mɔːr aɪ fɪɡəd aʊt ðəʔ əʊnli wʌŋ kəŋkluːʒn̩ ɪz pɒsəbl̩: læŋɡwɪdʒɪz kænɒʔ bi tɔːt, ðeɪ kən əʊnli bi lɜːnd".

luːkə hæz ɪz əʊn juːtʃuːb tʃænl̩ weə hi pəʊss vɪdiəʊz ɒv ɪm spiːkɪŋ ɪn sevrəl læŋɡwɪdʒɪz. ɪn wʌn əv ðəm hi kəm bi hɜːd ɪntəvjuːɪŋ Richard Simcott, ə feɪməs pɒliɡlɒt frəm ðə junaɪtɪd kɪŋdəm. ɪn ənʌðə, hi tɔːks əbaʊt ɪz əmerɪkən æksn̩t: wɒʔ dju θɪŋk əv ɪz prənʌntsieɪʃn̩? dəz i saʊnd kənvɪntsɪŋ?

Luca Toma (pɪktʃəd raɪt) ɪz θɜːti-sɪks jɪəz ɒʊld əŋ kʌmz frəm ðə saʊθ əv ɪtəli. əz wi lɜːn frəm ðɪs blɒɡ pəʊst, luːkə ɡrædʒueɪtɪd ɪn dʒæpəniːz læŋɡwɪdʒ ən lɪtrətʃə əʔ ðə Ca' Foscari juːnɪvɜːsəti əv venɪs ɪn tuː θaʊzn̩d. sɪnts ðen, hi əz bɪŋ kəmbaɪnɪŋ ɪz pæʃn̩ fə trænzleɪʃn̩ wɪð ɪz kwest fə njuː meθədz fə tiːtʃɪŋ fɒrən læŋɡwɪdʒɪz. hi wɜːks əz ə trænzleɪtə frəm dʒæpəniːz ɪntu ɪtæljən ən lɪvd ɪn təʊkiəʊ fər əbaʊʔ ten jɪəz. hi əz ɔːlsəʊ wɜːkt əz ən ɪtæljən læŋɡwɪdʒ tiːtʃər ɪn təʊkiəʊ ənd əz ən əsəʊʃiət lektʃərər ɪn dʒæpəniːz ən ɪtæljən ət ɒksfəd brʊks juːnɪvɜːsəti. 

aɪ hɜːd ɪm spiːk ɪŋɡlɪʃ: hɪz prənʌntsieɪʃn̩ ɪz ɪtæljən-æksentɪd bət i hæz ən eksələnʔ kəmɑːnd əv ðə læŋɡwɪdʒ.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 

Next posting: Saturday 4th August.

3 comments:

  1. Funny accent. It's nice to see someone write in IPA.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I wonder what Pedro means by 'funny accent'. It's a funny comment he shd explain to us.
    Anyway, Alex
    I wonder who you think reads your blog and what for. I suspect that teachers and students of English to a pretty high level are a large proportion of your followers. I note that the pronunciations you use are very much exactly how you'd say things yourself. The problem is that your expertise is so great that I can't even remember one occasion when your transcriptions contained anything that a native speaker woudnt say. However, as examples of what to learn to say they sometimes have distinct disadvantages for the learner to copy.

    Where that is so I suggest that you shd, sometimes at least, add notes after your transcriptions explaining what wd be a better model for learners than something you habitually say. A case in point in your current blog occurs at "aɪ hæd sm̩ sɔːt əv revəleɪʃn̩". Another one is "əkwɑːrɪŋ" the didactics of which was the main topic of my recent blog #412 which was in fact suggested to me in part by your transcription /dɑːmənd/. Other items that cd be used for useful teaching points are your versions of 'wəs səʊ ɪfektɪv, weə hi pəʊss vɪdiəʊz ɒv, prənʌntsieɪʃn̩, θɜːti-sɪks jɪəz ɒʊld' and the word 'been'.

    At any rate, whether or not you care to provide any of the sort of glosses I've mentioned, you might well consider adding a cautionary note before your transcriptions warning teachers and their students that you woudnt necessarily recommend them to adopt or actively teach certain of the pronunciations that are habitual for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jack,

      Thank you so much for your comments (and the kind words!!!).

      "I suggest that you shd, sometimes at least, add notes after your transcriptions explaining what wd be a better model for learners than something you habitually say."

      That is definitely something I should consider adding and probably will in my future posts.

      Delete