A Case of You by Canada’s Joni Mitchell is one of my most favourite songs, especially this version which see sings with her older, more mature voice. The reference to drinking “a case of you” refers to drinking a case of beer – which we also...
In writing, we often mark phrasing with punctuation. In speech, we mark phrasing with intonation and pausing. If it is not done correctly, you might be misunderstood! Take a look at the following examples: WHAT IS IT? Let’s eat Grandma… OR… Let’s eat, Grandma....
In Music & Accent-Part 1-Transitioning between Sounds, I discussed how learning to adjust your accent is very similar to learning to play an instrument. I focused on how to create smooth transitions using a technique commonly applied to music studies. This posting...
One day my daughter was trying to tell me something but, as teenagers are prone to do, she was mumbling so badly, I couldn’t understand half of what she was saying. I said with a smile, “You should join my pronunciation class.” Her response was to speak with extreme...
Have you noticed that some people sound less authoritative than others? It could be because they are unsure, hesitant or speaking too quietly for the context. But commonly the reason is the intonation being used – what we call “uptalk.” Also known as “upspeak,”...
