On my last post “English and Portuguese: two different musicalities” we’ve seen that in English just the stressed vowel is pronounced clearly, and what about the others? They are pronounced as a “schwa”. But what on Earth is that infamous “schwa”? You won’t believe it, but is the sound of “nothing”… hehehehe. Yes, don’t you believe me? Take a look how it is pronounced.
Schwa is the scientific name for the sound you listened above. It is derived from the Hebrew word “shewa" that means “a neutral vowel quality; emptiness; nothing."
Why is important to learn to pronounce schwa? Because, in our native language, Portuguese, we pronounce all the syllables in a word, so it’s so weird to us, Brazilians, to see syllables and just say /uh/ like we were dying. It’s so irresistible to say /vegeteibol/ when we see the word “vegetable” or /develóp/ for “develop”. Getting the schwa sound correct is a good way of making your pronunciation more accurate and natural.
You don’t need to be a mathematician to make a simple calculation. If a word has just a stressed vowel, all the others are “schwa” (I’m not including here the words with semi-stressed vowels because they’re a small group in English). It means that the sound of nothing is the most commom sound in English. Can you see now, why is so difficult listening into English? It’s not that they speak fast, they don’t speak, hehehe, I’m kidding, they reduce. The more you reduce, the better is your English.
Take the word “vegetable” for example. On the Portuguese rhythm we would say: /ve-ge-tei-bol/ four different clear sounds. To say it correctly, first of all, we need to know which vowel is stressed. That is not a difficult task. Luckly, English has an almost stable pattern. Every language has a predominant kind of stress. Compare the word “cinema” in three languages and their respective stresses.
(English) CI-ne-ma (proparoxytone rhythm)
(Portuguese) ci-NE-ma (paroxytone rhythm)
(French) ci-ne-MA (oxytone rhythm)
We can, for sure, say that English is a proparoxytone language while Portuguese is a paroxytone language. That’s why, in Portuguese all the proparoxytone words have accent, because they break the predominant rhythm of Portuguese.
So, coming back, now you can easily identify which is the stressed vowel of the word “vegetable”. Oh, don’t confuse, you can not count the last “e”. So the proparoxytone syllable is /ve/. All the others are schwa. The phonemic symbol for this sound is /ə/. So, the phonetic reperesentation is /ˈvedʒətəbəl/. Don’t worry with the symbol /dʒ/ if you don’t understand it yet. We’re going to talk about all the phonetic symbols on future posts.
Any vowel letter can be pronounced as schwa and the pronunciation of a vowel letter can change depending on whether the syllable in which it occurs is stressed or not. Observe:
able /ˈeɪbəl/ .Here the first “a” is pronounced /ei/ because it is the stressed vowel.
But in the word vegetable the same “a” is pronounced /ə/ because it’s not the stressed vowel anymore. Actually, when able is a sufix it is never stressed, is always a schwa. Isn’t it now clear how to pronounce words such as:
available
readable
impeccable
comfortable
interchangeable
So all the five English vowel signs, “a,” “e,” “i,” “o” and “u,” can be pronounced as schwas, we don’t especially connect the schwa sound with any of them. Think, for example, of the “a” in “about” (it's not /abaʊ t/ it's /əbaʊ t/); the first “e” in “cooperate’; the “i” in “cousin” (it's not /kʌZin/ it’s /kʌzən/; the “o” in “harmony,” and the “u” in “underneath.” All are schwas. So don't speak every syllable you see in English. Reduce them. Put more "schwa" in your life!
Every language has a system of sounds, stress and intonation that gives it a peculiar rhythm and melody. We can call these specific rhythm and melody the language musicality. Portuguese and English have very different musicalities. A lot of Brazilian people say that is difficult to understand English because the natives speak too fast. Actually, it’s not a question of speed. Most likely, the reason is that the stress and intonation patterns are not recognized or understood.
Portuguese is a syllable-timed language. It means that most syllables receive equal stress. Take the word CHOCOLATE for example. In Portuguese all the syllables receive almost the same stress: CHO-CO-LA-TE.
English is a stress-timed language. In this type of rhythm just one syllable is stressed. It is the syllable that has the stressed vowel. It means that the stressed vowel sound in that syllable is said louder, is said in a higher pitch, and it is held longer than the other vowel sounds in the same word. Take again the word chocolate as example. It’s the same word in both languages. While in Portuguese we have 4 sounds/ʃo-ko-‘la-te/in English we have just 2 sounds /ˈtʃɑ-klət/. In English, just the syllable /cho/ is stressed, all the others are reduced.
That’s why in Portuguese any change on the number of syllables compromises the comprehension. For instance: if somebody says “parato” nobody understands it. But if the person says the right number of syllables “pra-to”, everyone can understand it. That change in English doesn’t interfere at all in the comprehension. We can say: E-ve-ry or E-vry; DI-ffe-rent or DI-ffrent or even DI-ffernt. All of them are correct. What is important is that the stressed vowel is said louder, in a higher pitch and held longer.
The two videos below show the musicality difference between English and Portuguese.
Doesn't it look like the way the comediant Flávia Garrafa was imitating an American woman speaking?
Compare: duh duh DUH duh duh DUH and "You knOW, I was like UH, you knOW, whatEVER, but I like it THOUGH, uh...UH...uh..UH..". For her (the comediant) the language is a sequence of low and loud uhs, like uh uh uh UH uh uh UH uh uh uh UH, and unhappily for many Brazilian learners of English as well.
In English, most syllables are almost not pronounced. They're, actually, mumbled. On future posts I'm going to talk about their reduction and the schwa sound.
VOCABULARY:
TO MUMBLE: to say something in a way that is not loud or clear enough so that your words are difficult to understand, e.g.;
He mumbled something about not wanting to go to work.
That is the reason why William Bonner’s and Rubens Barrichello’s English are so different. Listen to them and try to identify if they speak English or Portuguese rhythm.
Can you see that although William Bonner speaks a fluent English he pronounces every syllable with the same time extension? You may say, "ok, but what is the problem of speaking that way, he's speaking English and communicating, isn't he?" Yes, he is. But the problem is: how much a person that speaks with this rhythm listens into English. You can speak that way, but the natives won't speak like that to you. And if you're not used to that rhythm, you'll most likely have difficulty in listening to English.
This topic about differences between English and Portuguese is going to be continued. Every week we’re going to post something different that can help us, Brazilian speakers, to improve our pronunciation. Next posts will be about content/function words and schwa.
It’s produce cultivated without herbicides and pesticides. Although they take more time to ripe (to get fully developed or matured and ready to be eaten or used), they are better to your health.
Note that the spelling of the verb "to produce" and the noun "produce" is the same, but the pronunciation is different.
TO PRODUCE (verb) /prəˈdus/ to make or grow something, especially in large quantities and in order to be sold
PRODUCE (noun) /ˈproʊˌdus/ fruit, vegetables, and other things that farmers grow.
Why should I buy organic produce?
Because many scientists believe that chemicals (like herbicides and pesticides) can cause cancer. Organic produce doesn’t use chemicals, what’s more, they don’t pollute the environment.
Why organic produce is good for health?
Because it respects you and your environment. When you eat some organic produce, like a fruit or vegetable, not only your body feels better and clean but your mind too, because you are helping the environment. The chemicals won’t pollute rivers and kill animals like fish or birds. When you disagree (with the current eating habits) and don’t buy regular produce you start a change in your life!
Why organic produce are more expensive? They're more expensive because:
You can’t grow as much produce as other farmers;
The farmers who plant this kind of produce are, usually, smaller farmers;
The produce has to arrive at the store very soon after it’s picked.
Vocabulary:
to squash (verb): to damage something by pressing or crushing it and making it lose its normal shape.
If only I buy organic produce will it change the world?
First of all, it’ll change your health, your body, so will change your life, changing yours, you also can change the lives of the ones near you! It’s a beginning. Somehow, it also changes the environment. You won’t kill, indirectly, some animals and you’ll be proud of yourself! It doesn’t change the world, but make your part and question up more the things, sometimes (almost every time) what you think, in reality,it isn’t!
I'm proud to say that our blog has been achieving its purpose: to create a community for English learners to interact. Today we’ve published our first student’s post. It follows right below this one. Marcel Pratavieira is a student of the intermediate level (level 3). He’s chosen the topic he would like to write about, and he’s made a great job. Congratulations Marcel!
Anyone who wants to post here; Barone English’s student or not; are welcome. This is a space where anyone can be an author. Just send your text to baronenglish@hotmail.com and we post it on the blog. You can publish anything you want to; the only requirement is that it must be in English. It doesn’t need to be as long and deep as Marcel did. It can be a cartoon (comics strip); a video; a song; piece of news; English learning tips; etc.
Some students said they would like to post about their university researches. Nice idea! Arnon’s said he would like to post about artificial intelligence, Flávia (psychologist) about happiness. All of us are eager to hear from them and from anyone who wants to share his/her knowledge with us. That way, we do not just practice English but learn about other subjects as well. Thanks to everybody who has helped our community to grow up.
Advertisement is a technique used by society for a long time and represents the propagation, spread or transmission of any subject for a specific purpose. This technique can be used in an attempt to influence the society buying behavior , to spread a political ideology, to guide the population on public health matters, to generate awareness for important causes, among other uses. Thus, we conclude that advertising may have positive or negative connotations according to its use.
Registers of advertisements were already observed in ancient societies, such as the Egyptian society that used papyrus to make sales messages and wall posters. The ad got a new meaning in the 17th century when the Pope Gregory XV established a special division within the Catholic Church, the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, to spread Catholic doctrine throughout the world to win new converts and stem the rising tide of Protestantism. Ads thus came to convey an ideology, in order to shape opinion and behavior of mass audiences.
VOCABULARY
TO STEM: (verb) to stop something unwanted from spreading or increasing, e.g.
These measures are designed to stem the rise of violent crime.
TIDE: (noun)
1. the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
2. a tendency of people to think or feel in a particular way; something that may increase or decrease (like the tides of the sea), e.g.
"A rising tide of popular interest".
TO CONVEY: (verb) to express a thought, feeling or idea so that it is understood by other people.
WORLD WAR I
The advertisements were also used in World War I, in the form of posters, as a means to justify the participation of the population and secure the resources to sustain the military campaign. For the first time the advertisement was used more widely as a tool of war. To achieve its objectives, the governments hired journalists and psychologists who developed persuasive advertisements. One example was the American Edward Bernays that in that period developed concepts such as ‘’collective mind’’ and ‘’manufactured consensus’’ used to try to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious.
World War II
In World War II the use of advertising was even more important and cruel, and reached the highest level in the history of dissemination of an ideology until then. During this period the ads were not used only by the Germany but for all countries involved in war such as the United States, the British Empire, Italy, Japan, among others, that used the advertisements as a way of motivating people and convince them that war was inevitable and necessary.
The United States, for example, used the advertisement to achieve their interests in World War II. In an attempt to reach the imagination of the population, the U.S. government used posters with kids (Patriots) under Nazi symbols, which generated a strong motivation in the population to help the government ''to save the children and the freedom of America'' from imminent totalitarianism. This technique is called emotional appeal. Watch this cartoon and see how the propaganda was shockingly directed even to children.
VOCABULARY
BOND: (noun) bônus de guerra (business) a document given to someone who invests money in a government or a company, promising to pay back the money with interest.
During that same period, the German government also used the ads to convince the German people about the necessity of war. In Germany, it was common the use of pamphlets, books, posters, magazines, banners, speeches and especially the radio to broadcast the base of his ideals ("One people, one Reich, one leader"). This shows us that advertising was extremely important in the course of World War II and through it people behavior could be influenced.
One slogan example:
"Jews, Democrats, and Bolsheviks are the gravediggers of humanity. For this reason we must fight on to final VICTORY."
—Nazi slogan stenciled on walls, 1944
Examples of ads:
On that time, women didn’t have so much opportunity to work as they have today. So, imagine the impact of this ad on women’s mind. They wanted a job, and the war job represented a good opportunity to them and for a good sake!
VOCABULARY:
SAKE: (noun) a reason for wanting something done, e.g. "For your sake", “For God’s sake”.
The government asked women to save and donate used cooking fat (oil) to make gunpowder.
During World War II some sentences from the German minister of advertisement, Paul Joseph Goebbels, have made clear the use of this manipulative tool:
‘’To convince people to go to war, just make him believe he is being attacked ...’’
‘’If a lie is repeated enough, eventually convert in truth ...‘’
‘’All advertisement must be popular, adjusting its level to less intelligent individuals.’’
‘’ The greater the mass to be convinced, has to be less mental effort to accomplish.’’
‘’ The receptive capacity of the masses is limited and its comprehension scarce...’’
‘’The masses have great capacity to forget ...’’
‘’Any man who still has a residue of honor will be very careful not to become a journalist.’’
How Does Advertisements Work?
Advertisements generally employ symbols, whether in written, musical, or visual forms, and attempts to shape the complex human emotions towards a desired goal. In contrast to the ideal of an educator, who aims to foster independent judgment and thinking, the practitioner of ads does not aim to encourage reflection by presenting a variety of viewpoints and leaving it up to the audience to determine which perspective is correct.
Advertising in general transmits only information geared to strengthen its ideals and goals, and consciously uses a lot of techniques to do that. (See the topic: ''Advertising Techniques'').
Take a look at these videos:
What Tools do Brands Use to Influence Consumer Behavior - Simon Sinek
Since World War II, technologies and strategies for disseminating ads have changed greatly. Television and the Internet have increased the speed and spread of information globally, so that it is very difficult not to be influenced by advertisements nowadays.
We are bombarded with advertisements as soon as we learn to speak. The industry currently spends billions of dollars on advertising to children. Thus, the industry indirectly affects the parents using the children and with it, the parents generate a lot of profit for the industries. Using ads, the industries also begin to condition children to become future mechanical and unconscious consumers.
I've noticed these slogans positions, if you've noticed some others, please post a comment saying it.
Take a look at this excerpt from a documentary about the role of corporations in our society:
As history shows, advertising can be extremely effective and profitable. However, ads are not always successful. Its effectiveness depends upon a variety of factors, including the receptivity of an audience to the message and a favorable social context. This shows us that the important thing is that our observation does not become a passive acceptance, for that we must pass what we are shown through the depurative prism of our consciousness before we accept the "truths" that are offered. Thus, it is necessary that we understand the implications that advertisements have on our lives so that we don’t become a mere object of manipulation.
If you've liked this topic, post a comment about the advertisements and how it can manipulate our lives.
