The Coming of the Fall Season

Well, its almost fall.   Its been a while since I updated this blog.   I was working a lot and doing a lot of music--I'm also a musician--but now its getting on towards fall and people get to thinking about ways to improve themselves--accent reduction is a great way to improve yourself, if you are a  nonnative English speaker, and people have difficulty understanding you.

Here's a little tip--in America, we discuss politics a LOT.   We are very politically opinionated.   People often say not to discuss religion or politics, but the reality is you shouldn't discuss politics with people you don't *know* well.   But among friends, or close colleagues at work, we discuss politics all the time, even when we disagree.    Also, you may find that Americans lampoon our politicians to an extreme degree (lampoon means "to make fun of" or to "satirize"--for instance in political cartoons in newspapers.)   We do this with all kinds of people--politicians, CEOs of large corporations, all kinds of well known and wealthy people.

In America, we have the concept of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States--what it essentially means is that we have a virtually unlimited right to say whatever we want to say in public and the American government will not stop us from saying it.   There ARE certain things we cannot say--we cannot engage in seditious speech (courts have generally put very narrow limits on what is considered 'seditious'--it has to  be pretty bad.),  nor can we do things like yell "FIRE" in crowded theatre (inciting to riot), or make threats against people, nor can we tell lies in public about private individuals (this has generally been interpreted narrowly by courts in terms of reputation destroying speech).   Generally, that's the extent of it.  Everything else is fair game.  In America, we believe that people have a right to say whatever they like and the truth will float to the top.

If you have any questions about the American culture of free speech and what topics are good to make small talk with your colleagues about (and which ones are taboo) give me a call at (732) 807-5424 or check out my website at David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training.  Also subscribe to my American Idiom of the Day Twitter Feed. I give lessons to help you reduce your accent, make American style small talk, improve your American English vocabulary and grammar and generally become more comfortable with the English language.

How to Make the s Sound and the ʃ Sound

Hi everybody!  This is your friendly neighborhood ESL and accent reduction tutor, with a new short instructional video on how to make the /s/ sound as in sigh and the /ʃ/ sound as in shy.

I hope everybody had a really excellent Thanksgiving.   Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that makes people feel truly American.  (That and the Super Bowl!)  Many of my students have told me that they really did not feel that they had "made it" in America until they were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey and stuffing and all the fixins. 

Thanksgiving is a holiday when everybody has a celebratory meal to thank Providence or G-d, or good fortune or Fate for what they have, and their good fortunes in the previous year.   Nearly everyone can find *something* to be thankful for.   Myself, I am thankful for my family, friends, and loved ones, for the gift of music that G-d has given me to give to other people, and for all the blessings in the previous year.

Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of the Holiday Season in the US--Christmas and New Years.  Typically, most people who put holiday lights on their houses do so the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Its also the weekend many people go to Christmas tree sellers (often found at roadside stands on major highways or in the parking lots of supermarkets) and select their perfect Christmas tree, which they bring inside and string with lights and popcorn and ornaments.   Traditionally a Christmas tree is topped with a star, representing the Star of Bethlehem, or an angel.

The Jewish festival around this time is the eight-day festival of Hannukah--the Miracle of Lights and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd Century BCE after the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire.

A more modern holiday typically celebrated by African American intellectuals is called Kwanzaa--Kwanzaa is of modern origin, modeled after African harvest festivals (Kwanzaa is Swahili for "first" meaning the first fruits of the harvest).

Pretty much the entirety of the United States gets into the Christmas spirit, although some religious sects do not celebrate it.  Muslims likewise do not celebrate it, although many of my Muslim clients enjoy it quite a bit.  Its a festive season; people are happy and in the spirit of brotherhood.   It would be a great thing if we could dedicate ourselves to the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood with our fellow mankind on all days of the year.  At Christmas, we try to consider that idea.

If anyone has any cultural questions about Christmas, Hannukah, Santa, Dreydls, proper greetings, office Christmas parties, appropriate gifts, or anything else regarding Christmas in America, or you want to discuss ESL or accent reduction lessons for yourself or as a gift to a loved one, give me a call at (732) 807-5424 or hit me up on Skype at david.berlin.esl.  Or for more information, check out my website at David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training or check out my American Idiom of the Day Twitter feed or my ESL and Accent Reduction YouTube Channel.  The Twitter feed and YouTube Channel contain more great tips on how to reduce your accent.  

All right?  All right.   Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah, and a warm and loving holiday season.

Dave

The Difference Between The ɔ and o Sounds As In Paul vs pole (au vs o)

Hi everybody!  This is your friendly neighborhood ESL and accent reduction tutor, and today I'm going to talk about the difference between au and o as in Paul vs pole.

This video I made explains it fairly well.

Remember that you don't drop your jaw for the /o/ sound.   Also remember to roll your lips in and drop your jaw for the  ɔ sound.

Here are some minimal pairs that might help you practice.  These are DIFFERENT from the ones in the video.

ought    oat
saw       so
haw      hoe
ball       bowl
claw     Chloe

Okay?  Okay!

I just made some meatballs, an American Italian treat.  Now I have to make some red sauce to cook them in.  Americans, especially in the Northeast, tend to call this "red gravy" or "red gravy food".   I love red gravy food.  But I know its not what you would eat in Italy.  Its strictly American.   But did you know that Italians often have difficulty with the difference between /i/  and /e/--the difference between bit and beat?  So do Indians, Chinese, and often Russians/Eastern European and Polish people.  I'll cover that in a future blog post.

Remember if you want to talk to me about taking ESL or accent reduction lessons, you can give me a call at (732) 807-5424 or you can reach me on Skype at david.berlin.esl (my Skype ID).  Or you can check out my website at David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training or my American Idiom Of The Day Twitter Feed or my YouTube Channel .  All right?  All right.  Look forward to hearing from you!

Why Do Americans Smile So Much?

I have often had questions from students from Byelorussia, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and other Eastern European countries asking why Americans smile so much.  Americans smile because we want people to be comfortable around us.   We want to welcome people.  People often assume that we don't "mean" it when we smile.   Its not that.   Its just that a smile means something different to us that it does to other people.  In a sense, we define a smile differently.  To some cultures, you only smile among close friends.   We're different.  We smile among everybody, and we try to be friendly with everybody.

Also, for those of you who wonder what I do when I'm not tutoring, here's a little treat for you--its a shot of me in a bar playing guitar.   The song I'm playing is a song by a British band called the Rolling Stones, and the song is called "Dead Flowers".  The song is an example of irony.   See if  you can tell from the lyrics whether the singer really loves the person he's singing to.

 

I'm putting this up because students often ask me what I do when I'm not teaching, or what my hobbies are. 

The reality is though that teaching is what I do for a living, it is how I make  the entirety of my living--except for the occasional magazine article that I write and publish to keep my hand in the journalism trade and the occasional show in a bar that I get paid for.

 Check out  my website for details on ESL or accent reduction lessons or call me at (732) 807-5424 to schedule your FREE phone consult  and your FREE trial lesson.   Or take a look at my American Idiom of the Day Twitter feed or my Accent Reduction and ESL YouTube Channel for more free accent reduction tips and tips on American Style small talk.   Or you can check out the podcasts to the right, which are free for download.  All right?  All right.  'Til next time...

Here's a second video, this one on American style small talk.   Remember, you can check me out on the web at ESL and Accent Reduction Training Website or you can sign up for my Twitter feed at The American Idiom of the Day or check out my YouTube channel for more great videos!

Check this out!

Til next time, see ya!

Two New Videos and How About This Lovely Summer!

Well!  A couple of months ago I complained that God appeared to have left the refrigerator door open. But we've been having some *stunning* weather these past couple of weeks--its been absolutely balmy!  Temps in the high 70s, low 80s, air very dry--very, very nice.   The only issue is that the ocean hasn't warmed up and it probably won't at this point.

They are predicting another very active hurricane season although it is not predicted to be as bad as last year's.  But we could very well get another superstorm like Sandy.  Frankly, I don't know if we could make it.  Its tough.  A lot of people where I live haven't been able to get insurance settlements--its been very tough.

In any case!  If you are a new American, or you just arrived here from another place, or you currently live in another place and you want to improve your English and make your accent less "foreign" to Americans, don't wait another moment.  Contact me at (732) 807-5424 for a FREE no-obligation phone consult and  a FREE trial lesson.   Or you can reach me on Skype at david.berlin.esl

Also, feel free to check out my Twitter feed, The American Idiom of The Day or my website, David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training or my Facebook Page.  Meanwhile, here is a video--one on how to make the /l/ sound and the /r/ sound.  Enjoy!

New Vids on YouTube, God Left The Fridge Door Open

Well, my goodness.  It looks like God left the fridge door open.  We keep getting nice warm weather, and then winter comes and drags us back.  Spring sprung late this year.  Wonder if we'll be getting chilly again!

(By the way, comments like the comment above about the weather are a *good* way to make small talk.  Just saying, "Its hot outside" *isn't* a good way to make small talk in America.  Reason:  Statements like the one above have a lot of detail to them.   They are interesting statements and opinions about the weather.  They have a lot of feeling and emotion.  People's opinions and emotions are very important to Americans.  Look at our talk shows on TV and our TV shows like "The View" and "Good Morning America" and our American football commentators and our how--to shows--even our sitcoms are loaded with our cultural opinions, beliefs, and emotions.)

Check out these videos of me--one of me eating some bangin' chicken biryani, cooked by Mani, the mother of one of my students:

Also, check out this video of me eating a special kind of dosha made with bean sprouts, also made by Mani.  I ate this with upma.

 
As always, if you want to call me to talk to me about ESL, accent reduction, or related topics, (or to find out how YOU can get your FREE phone consult  and FREE trial lesson) give me a call @ (732) 807-5424.  Or check out David Berlin's ESL and Accent Reduction Training website or my American Idiom of The Day twitter feed or my YouTube channel for information on my services offered and free tips and tricks and techniques on ESL and accent reduction.  Call me today!

'Til next time!