Blog posts in December 2016

Here we've got ideas, observations on ELT, including Mark's Pronunciation Blog and loads of conference and speaker reports...

Long jumper

Friday - December 9th, 2016
Posted by: 
Mark Hancock
Long jumper - hancockmcdonald.com/blog/long-jumper

"My sister went out with a long jumper". Here's a claim with two meanings, and reading it, you'd never be sure which was intended. But hearing it would clarify things, because the speaker has a way of communicating the intended meaning. It's the vocal effort known as 'stress'. "Long jumper" (athlete) is two words acting as a single lexical item.

  • Listening
  • Pronunciation

Surreal Soundscapes

Monday - December 5th, 2016
Posted by: 
Mark Hancock
Blog - hancockmcdonald.com/blog/67

In a language where "What's your address?" can become a homophone of "Watch or a dress?", there's plenty of scope for misunderstanding, even for what you might call 'native listeners'. For learner listeners, the situation is many times more perilous. For them, listening can be like wandering in a surreal soundscape.

  • Listening
  • Pronunciation