Monthly Archives: March 2009
accentuated
/ækˈsɛn
tʃuˌeɪtid/
it’s well established that i am a language-obsessed wordie. i’m intrigued by all areas of linguistics, but lots of reading and writing often causes me to focus on the written word. my side job keeps me thinking about spoken language periodically, but my private lessons are scheduled bi-weekly and i don’t spend as much time analyzing speech as i did when i was instructing full time. i’ve always found myself fixated on this aspect of language, though, when listening to people speak. particularly the diversity that exists around the globe in verbal english. the scope of variance in pronunciation, inflection, word-choice, sentence structure, and exclusive vocabulary is just astounding, from the great number of english dialects to foreign accents.
i’m not sure exactly when this aspect of my language fascination took hold, but i do know that eliza doolittle’s transformation through professor higgins’ phonetic research in george bernard shaw’s pygmalion captivated me early on. (although now my musical-loving self prefers my fair lady with audrey hepburn.) when i was a senior in high school i read about speech-language pathologist sam chwat in people magazine and wrote to him inquiring about career opportunities in accent acquisition and elimination. traveling stoked the flame as well as my first real job after college. i began to distinguish, appreciate, and actually savor the specific lilt and cadence of each accent, as i listened to various nationalities speak my native language.
this special attention to inflection led me to get a CELTA qualification so i could analyze pronunciation all the time. my subsequent experience with teaching english to students from a variety of cultures has been very enlightening. i’ve loved learning more about the the common sounds and grammatical patterns of their languages, because it shows their mistakes in english as what they are: reasonable and intuitive. the errors are usually predictable projections of their understanding of language (their own, by default) onto ours. an educated guess, if you will.
i can now easily recognize many individual accents, and enjoy the richness it brings to spoken english – it doesn’t bother or frustrate me a bit to “adjust my ear” to a different pronunciation. (interestingly, i can also often identify the national origin of handwriting, a result of grading many essays from international students and noticing distinctive trends…) it can be fun to imitate each other’s accents, but i am usually not brave enough to try another on myself. i’m too afraid of being the person who blends all the accents they’ve heard and just sounds like they’ve got a bad cold.
which is why i am so in awe of people who can boldly wear accents like hats, flawlessly morphing their speech and mannerisms to portray different accents or dialects. actors and entertainers do it all the time, but mostly when they can concentrate on one impression at a time. i recently happened upon a web personality who can flip the switch instantly. evidently this chick’s vids went viral early last year…guess i’m predictably behind as usual. but i am envious of her talent. she gets the stereotypical facial expressions and lip-positioning just right as well. i could watch her with the sound off and still make a good guess at what accent she is using. (she also has one of those mouths that always turn up at the corners even when she’s not smiling that i’m jealous of).
she’s not the first, of course. others have shown off their talents as well, but her approach seems methodical and analytical, like me, so i like her style. her five aspects of an accent are precisely what i train my students in …and also the five areas ESL teachers can anticipate specific difficulties for students of certain backgrounds.
i’ll always love the written word because you can get away with complex structures and vocabulary that are just awkward when spoken, but the culture embedded in voiced inflection and phrasing is pretty cool, too.
IPA characters generated by the International Phonetic Alphabet Unicode “Keyboard”
extreme makeover: garden edition
when it became clear that spring was coming early to oklahoma, i was more than ready to get a head start on my “growing green” project. i had already been making lists of supplies i needed and new produce to try this year.
when we built the garden, i thought two 3′x6′ boxes was plenty ambitious for my novice attempt, but i underestimated the thrill of gardening.
after my overcrowded crop last year, i knew that i would need more room if i were to successfully grow all the veggies i wanted to. so when i began outlining plans for this season’s bounty a few months ago, i dreamed of doubling my plot to four boxes. it seemed worth it, but i wondered if i had it in me to relive the battle preparing the soil (er, okie red clay & devil bermuda grass), building boxes, hauling in several tons of dirt, etc.
i needed help, and i knew it. my really-smart-but-not-so-handy husband seemed relieved when i suggested bringing in reinforcements rather than breaking our inexperienced backs with rented equipment again.
although i was reluctant to hand over the garden we had worked so hard to create (and did a pretty good job on, i might add!), i was more infatuated with the thought of an expanded growing space. when dr. greenthumb came over i knew instantly that i would not regret the decision to “outsource.” i didn’t even mind when his vision was a little more creative than mine and included essentially destroying the product of our blood, sweat, and tears. (you may have noticed this shot in the ~OLIOsnippets~ feed recently and thought that i had lost my mind.)
the guys had it done in a day, like magic. and it looks so good! (click on the photos for a larger view.) now i can plant right into the ground, and i even have a little raised section in the back to protect my delicate herbs.
the decorative boulders not only look much prettier than my brick pavers, but they will absolutely keep the grass from encroaching on the borders of the garden. lee doesn’t have to weed-eat inside the fence, yeah!
the trellises are secure enough now that i can actually utilize them for vines, and the compost bin is much more conveniently located near the back door for easy kitchen to compost delivery. (the guys thankfully mixed in the entire batch from last year—one less round of shoveling and raking for me!)
i am giddy to get started, now. this season is going to be a big improvement over the last if i can just apply what i’ve learned. i’ve found a few more sources for good organic seeds and seedlings, and have also made a couple of new gardening buddies to swap advice with.
now, to plant! i have some hardier lettuces and cabbages blooming now, but the tomatoes, peppers, squash and more tender herbs will have to wait a few weeks until we know the weather’s not gonna pull a fast one on us. (i’m pretty sure my over-eagerness to get something in the ground will have me struggling with a protective tarp in the freezing cold if the snow comes again like they say it might.)
XXXX
so here’s to fresh greens on st. patti’s day (happy birthday, mom)!
LOL – communication FAIL
here’s a short and sweet story from the LOL list.
my parents have been married for almost 37 years, and as you might imagine, they often understand each other’s thoughts without needing to express them. like many couples who’ve been together for decades, they’ve developed an intuitive sense for each other that surpasses words.
and then there are the times that words seem to be the barrier to communication.
several years ago my mother was packing some clothes into a garment bag and realized she could not hold the bag and reach the zipper to close it at the same time. so she did what any wife would do in that situation. no, not hang it from a door frame, borrow your husband’s arm, of course! “honey, would you please hold this?” she asked, and my dad reached out to oblige.
“high,” my mother instructed, trying to straighten out the zipper at the bottom of the bag so it would slide upward. she was surprised when he didn’t raise the bag higher, and so mom said again, “high!” still, the bag remained at the same level.
what changed was the expression on my father’s face: from slightly confused to completely bewildered. still bent down and fighting with the zipper, my mom was becoming impatient. “HIGH!!” she insisted more emphatically, thinking he must not have heard the simple request. when there was still no upward shift of the garment bag, mom looked up to see an obviously baffled man. dad, realizing that she was not talking to herself and he had no choice but to respond, said simply, “hi.”
twenty songs
when kevin tagged me with his song list, i was thrilled. now this is a “random things about me” list that i can get in to! not only insightful, but also useful. you can learn juicy tidbits about your friends and get music recommendations, yeah! this is the pitch:
“Okay, since for so many of us music is such a huge part of our lives, I thought it would be a fun to do an “about me” list High Fidelity style. List 20 songs that you like/love and why!”
so i opened up my music files for inspiration, and instantly felt overwhelmed with the task of narrowing my large library of much loved music down to a mere twenty songs. yikes. “i can’t do this,” i thought and closed iTunes. but i did enjoy discovering artists and personal info that meant something to my friend. so several weeks later, i am revisiting this game of tag, to compile a list of songs that stand out to me in one way or another.
kevin went with the all-time list, rather than the right-now list, which i think indicates more about a person anyway. so here is a list of twenty songs that i love, that will likely enlighten you to many random things about me. in no particular order:
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1. “writing to reach you” by travis – can’t get enough of this one. a certain someone had a large influence on my appreciation of travis, so that may contribute to my fancy. just listen.
2. “love and peace or else” by U2 – as to why i’m in love with U2, i’m going to have to defer to the plentiful praise of their musical talent & contribution that have preceded this post in countless forums globally. as to why his song stands out to me: i like it for the “sunday bloody sunday” type message, and the pure rock feel versus their alternative or dance styles (not that those tracks aren’t stellar as well). p.s. new album released in the U.S. tomorrow!
3. “where is my mind” by pixies - two words: fight club. the deal-sealer: a live performance with a massive audience a-capella “ooh-ooh” session. chills. love it.
4. “the walk” by imogen heap – oh, that voice is so hypnotizing! i was captivated with frou frou mostly for the vocals, so her solo gig is just fine with me. this song is a highlight for me because she really shows off her vocal elasticity.
5. “cherry red wine” by jonny lang – between jonny’s crazy guitar solos and true-blues vocals (that give the impression that he’s decades older than he is), i can hardly find fault with his music. this song has always been a particular favorite of mine because it leans more toward his blues style than some of his more rock-infused numbers.
6. “extraordinary machine” by fiona apple – “i’m good at being uncomfortable so i can’t stop changing all the time” in many ways this song is my anthem.
7. “demons” by guster - i have always had a thing for guster’s distinctive sound, and the haunting melody and lyrics of this song get me every time. “honesty is easy / fiction is where genius lies / ’cause it’s easier sometimes not to be involved / somehow i make you believe”
8. “why do you let me stay here” by she & him – since the moment i heard zooey deschanel sing in the shower in “elf” i was enamored by her judy garland-esque voice. i was ecstatic when she collaborated with m. ward on a real bona fide album! this one is my fave on the disc.
9. “e-pro” by beck – caught my ear the first time i heard it and never let go. the rest of the album ain’t bad neither. ☺
10. “both hands” by ani difranco – okay, ani and i get along because we share an affinity for alliteration, metaphor, and word play in our writing. i am hooked on her staccato rhythmic variations and rapid fingerpicking. this particular song is a favorite because it’s one i really enjoy dancing to in my bedroom.
11. “outta my head (ay ya ya)” by ashlee simpson – i happened to catch this video while flipping channels and replayed it no less than five times. (where would we be without TiVo?) the song has such irresistible attitude and the fantastical video had me spell bound. i only have two ashlee simpson songs in my collection, but this one is guaranteed to bring out the boogie. i get in to this song for the same reasons that i like madonna’s immaculate collection: i can’t help myself.
12. “everything’s alright” by nathan and charlie - i’ll never forget the trip to sonic with laura when she introduced me to this reassuring song. my 15-year-old self was in the midst of what i’m sure was an earnestly dramatic high school saga, and like a good friend she reminded me that my teenage world was not, in fact, crumbling. the simple melody and repetitive chorus somehow never fail to comfort my anxious thoughts when i’m tempted to fret over something beyond my control.
13. “rapunzel” by dave matthews band – i didn’t really start listening to DMB until a university visit while i was a senior in high school. a weekend with friends and a taste of college life whet my appetite for flying from the nest…and more dave. the band became a staple in my musical diet during my freshman year and throughout my undergrad years, and now when i hear it i am reminded of that full and incomparable time in my life. and, honestly, very few bands can rival the multi-layered elements they offer.
14. “played-a-live” by safri duo – i have countless memories of studying in holland during my junior year in college, as you can imagine. this song was IT in europe that year, and was the ubiquitous backdrop to all our activities, whether shopping, socializing, studying, or sightseeing. at the discotheque it instantly jammed the dance floor every time. whenever i want that adventurous, free, exciting feeling that accompanied my entire time abroad, i play this song and it all comes rushing back. being that it is technically techno, we of course have to endure the synthesized sound and obligatory trance-y interlude. but i dare you to sit still listening to those bongos!
15. “everything i wanted” by jonatha brooke – my friend marcy introduced me to jonatha on a trip to nyc. her stuff has such artistry, and many of her songs send a certain tingle down my spine just from hearing the opening chords. this song just happened to be playing in the background during a significant moment in lee & i’s relationship.
16. “now that we found love” by heavy d & the boyz – the old school rap and infectious beat made this one a crowd-pleaser long before hitch made it popular again by using it in the final scene of the film. at our wedding reception we recreated the movie’s dance “scroll” to this song. (thanks, mike.) the memory of friends and family enthusiastically breaking out their corniest moves scored a permanent place on the LOL list. this song makes me happy, therefore i love it.
17. “be still” by justin mcroberts – first, let me say that i am a huge fan of all of justin’s music, and can’t say enough about his talent for profound and relevant lyrics. this song has always touched me in a real way (i can certainly relate). it has been a favorite for nearly a decade, and still gets the repeat treatment more often than not.
18. “butterfly study” by frédéric chopin – i think many musicians would agree that when you play a piece you come to appreciate it more than if you had just passively taken it in. this classical song was a warm-up piece for me throughout my years in piano lessons, and is one of the few that i still have memorized and can (and will) play each time i sit down at the keys. it also reminds me of practicing progressions in ballet class. i like it for it’s comfortable familiarity, even if it’s just playing in an elevator.
19. “do not move” by david crowder band – it’s really unfair to pull this track out of the flow of the album for consideration, because the obvious intention of the four part project is for each song to be nestled right where it is placed. but, that being recognized, this song always grips my attention when it comes along behind the disc’s second interlude. from the electronic beginning to the driving middle to the whispered end, it pushes perfectly into the next piece.
20. “12:59 lullaby” by bedouin soundclash – evidently i like a little reggae mixed in there. the light simplicity of this little tune has a very homegrown feel, and i dig it.
for more of what i’m listening to, see the ~~okieOLIO~~ soundtrack on the “how i groove” page, and visit my last.fm profile.
