CCSP English Minute 7

CCSP English Minute

Aulas curtas de inglês, duas vezes por semana (2ªs e 5ªs), exclusivamente no Clubeonline

Aula desta segunda-feira, 31 de março

HOW TO FIND YOUR “ENGLISH VOICE”

In general, Portuguese is a more nasal language than English. When I say words like “são”, “coração” and “mamão”, I can actually feel my nose vibrate! On the other hand, when I speak English, normally I feel my voice coming from farther down, closer to my throat.

The way we “place” our voice completely changes how we sound to others. In fact, I often identify a Brazilian who is speaking English by this characteristic nasal sound – even before I hear any differences in intonation or pronunciation. So here is an important hint: if you want to speak two different languages properly, you must use two different voices.

So how do you find your “English voice”?

The best way is to reduce the amount of air that passes through your nasal cavity. You want to place your voice closer to your throat. [Clique no link “Radio” para ouvir uma demonstração.] But be careful! No air going through your nose is as bad as too much air! The trick is to find a balance.

Here is a five-step method to find your English voice.

1) Slowly count out loud from one to ten.

2) Now do it again, this time pinching your nose.

3) What happened? Did your voice change or did it stay pretty much the same? The numbers one, seven, nine and ten all have a nasal sound in English, so they should change. But the other numbers shouldn’t.

4) If you heard a noticeable change in all the numbers when you pinched your nose, you are probably sending too much air into your nasal cavity.

5) If the change was subtle, almost nothing at all, then congratulations! You have found your English voice.

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Conheça o site de Jason Bermingham: www.vozemingles.com