Saturday, August 29, 2009

Accent Reduction Nightmare: The "Beach/Bitch" Problem

Everybody in Miami knows this problem, and we often laugh about it. Have you ever said, "Let's go the beach!" and it came out of your mouth, "Let's go to the bitch!"? (Oh no!)
When I work with my accent-reduction clients in Miami, they say that this problem is one of their worst problems. The "ee" and "i" sounds are always getting mixed up.

So I call it "The Beach/Bitch" problem.
(I live in Miami, I can do that!)


(The Beach)...................................(The Rich Bitch)

I also call the ee/i accent problem the "Sheet/Sh*t" problem (but that's not as elegant.) Most of my Spanish-speaking clients tell me with a horrified look on their face "Oh, I NEVER say the word sheet - I'm afraid of what will happen. So I say 'linens' instead!)

Today I laughed at story a client told me about a friend who caused a disaster with the "Sheet/Sh*t" problem. She checked into a hotel and found the sheet was dirty on the bed. She told the front desk:
Woman: "I have a problem, my 'sh*t' is dirty!"
(The front desk clerk was confused and horrified, not to mention, disgusted.)
Desk Clerk: "I'm sorry, I can't help you!"
Woman (screaming): "But my 'sh*t' is dirty! It's dirty!"
Desk Clerk: "Lady, 'sh*t' is always dirty! What can I do? Do you want me to call a doctor?"

It was then that she realized what a horrible mistake she had made, did not know how to correct it. She hoped she never had a problem with sheets again so she wouldn't have to say it. (It's like that in Miami.)

So let's go back to the beach with the bitch. Let's say it's South Bitch, oops, I mean South Beach. (Hee hee). I've noticed that in all cases, my clients are ABLE to say both sounds correctly, but they always get them mixed up in their speech.

They can't understand why the sounds come out wrong. It's like there is "a short circuit" in the brain, some kind of crossed wires. But don't worry, there is a fix! The first thing I get my clients and students to do is get them to hear the subtle differences in the two sounds. We say the two sounds next to each other. We say it wrong, say it right, say it wrong, say it right -- until the brain can consciously recognize which sounds it is sending to the mouth.

I call this the "Lisa Jeffery Homeopathic Method of Correcting Mistakes." (It works for quivering Elvis Legs in Public speaking too!) Sometimes this takes time, but it always works. Here is how you can practice the "Beach/Bitch" problem: Mix the two (vowel sounds) with different consonants. For example: beach/bitch; reach/rich. This works miracles. So here's my famous practice sentence, Miami style: Say this: "When you go to the beach, reach for the rich bitch!"
I once had a corporate training class of 22 people saying this all at once -- just as the CEO walked by! (Hee Hee.) He popped his head in the class, "What's going on here?”Accent reduction, Miami style!" somebody yelled. (Thank god!)

This isn't just a problem with Spanish speakers; I've noticed it with my French, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Chinese and Russian clients too. My favorite French client discovered she can say these two sounds correctly, except with the consonant "L". 'Little' always comes out 'leetle', no matter how hard she tried. I asked her to say the word sick. And brick. She could say them! She could also say the word 'lily' correctly. So her practice sentence was "The rich bitch has little lilies."

Then we usually laugh. Can you picture the rich bitch on the beach with her bouquet of little lilies? If you've been to South Beach, you may have seen her. (But make sure you say BEACH!)

* Lisa Jeffery, MBA, MA teaches Advanced Business English for FIU's International MBA program, and Communication at Barry University. She provides corporate training programs and private executive coaching in accent reduction and public speaking skills. Her clients primarily fall into three groups: television personalities, lawyers, and financial advisors & CEOs.

If you are interested in Accent Reduction coaching or training, contact Lisa at www.lisajeffery.com for a free consultation.

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Yellow Jello Problem - An Accent Mystery

Recently, I was contemplating why a lot of my Spanish Speaking Clients have a Y-J problem when they study accent reduction. (They always get them mixed up.) They say "y" words as "j" words and visa-versa. I call it the "Yellow Jello" problem. I looked on the internet for artwork of yellow jello, and to my delight and amazement, I discovered a bizarre trend. People around the country are putting their staplers in yellow jello and serving it at the office. I'm not kidding. Why are they doing that? It's a huge mystery.

I have learned that Spanish speakers are perfectly capable of saying both sounds. It's exactly like Chinese speakers mixing up "R"s and "L"s.

So I've reached the conclusion that some wires are crossed in the language penthouse of the brain, and we have to do some cerebral re-wiring of thought. I took a poll among my Spanish speaking students and clients and they said, "Jes, it true, Ms. Yeffery, we yust do it!"

Apparantly, it's out of habit that the mistake is made again and again. And that makes it very easy, because "jou see," bad habits can be broken, and good habits can be formed. So how do jou do it?

Here are some tips:

1. Start by making your brain aware that you are doing it. Try to catch yourself and keep "score" in your daily agenda. Make a competition with your friends of who gets the highest score.
2. After keeping score for several days, begin to correct yourself every time you notice the mistake. This eventually becomes a habit, and it slowly begins to change.
3. Just for fun, practice PURPOSELY switching the sounds. This also makes jour brain aware, and sounds so funny, jou can actually have fun. Yust keep doing it!

A Bonus: It might help if make some yellow jello and serve it to your friends. I'm not sure about this one, but it's worth a try!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Happy New Year 2009



Wishing you a year of
wonderful new beginnings,
peace, good health, prosperity
and happiness for 2009!




NEW YEAR'S THOUGHT:


"Antiphanes said merrilythat in a certain city,
the cold was so intense that words were frozen
as soon as spoken, but that after some time,
they thawed and became audible;
so that words spoken in winter
were articulated next summer!"

Plutarch
(circa 45 - 125 A.D.)
Priest of the Delphic Oracle


"Lisa-isms"
Saying of the Month:

I hope you have a plethora of nice words this winter
to last you through the summer and the entire year!

Lisa

plethora -
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: excess; overabundance
Etymology: Greek 'fullness'

Other fun uses of 'plethora' Plethoretic, Plethoric, Plethorical, plethorically