Interactive Listening Speaking

Instructor: Sofia Chaparro

Vocaroo is a website where you can record your voice, hear and if you want send it by email. I'd recorded an oral reflection about some impressions about communicating with American in my experience here. This website can be a useful tool to listen yourself and so you know what you have to improve in your accent, pronunciation, intonation to a better English speaker. I really need more practice and I'm going do that.
I've learned in the Interactive Listening Speaking classes many interesting learning activities and teaching techniques and  I'm going to incorporate in my own practice. Listen here my second oral reflection about it. My last oral reflection was done In Brazil!

"SPEECH ACT" When we are interacting, using the real and authentic language we are always doing things in addition to communicate. For example we use the language to buy something, to refuse something, to request, to apologize, to thanks, to invite, to compliment. These are some examples of Speech Act. All of us have a manner to use the language, some are more polite, other ruder. The sentences may be organized in several ways to do the same thing. Think about it and choose the best way to speech! Below I have a video that I analyzed the speech acts of the characters. You can watch and after read my work. The entire video talk show can be found in ororo.tv

MODERN FAMILY

 Modern Family is a comedic television show. There are three different families related and each family has something in common, their relation with each one and some particularly funny aspects.

Phil and Claire have been married for 16 years and have three children: a teen girl named Haley, another girl named Alex and a boy named Luke that are always discussing.

The second family is composed by Jay, an old rich man, and Gloria. She is from Colombia and has a boy, Manny, from her first marriage. They have been married for only six months.

Mitchel and Cameron are gay and have been together for 5 years, they have just adopted a baby from Vietnam, Lilly.

This is the first episode of the talk show and the scenes are intercalated among the families. Each family has a situation to be solved.

In the first family, Haley tells to her parents about Dylan, a supposed “friend” is coming to their house. Claire and Phil are surprised and do not know exactly what they have to do, how to react. Claire seems to be stricter than Phil. Phil is a little lax and messy. He describes himself like a hip, a cool father, he surfs on the net and texts “OMG – Oh My God!, LOL – Laugh Out Loud, WTF – Why The Face?” he knows all the dances of High School.

Gloria and her family are going to a soccer game. She is very emotional and is worried about what other people would say about Manny’s performance in the soccer game. Manny seems to dislike soccer. He is more interested in a 16 girl, older than he is. Jay is very calm but does not like hear from Gloria about her first husband.

Mitchel and Cameron are arriving with their newly adopted baby and Cameron shows the baby’s bedroom. On the wall, they can see them like angels with wings, as if they could protect the baby when she sleeps in her bed. Cameron was painted in pink sheet supposing to be “the mother” and Mitchel was painted in blue, “the father”. In the next scene, Mitchel tells to Cameron the he had never told to his family about the adoption of the baby. This is the passage:

Cameron: I know.  (Speech act: expression of fact. He knows that Mitchel didn’t tell to is family about the adoption.) (Other way to express: I guess)

Mitchel: You do? (Speech act: asking for opinion and expression emotion, expressing his surprise)(Other way: Could be an interjection like Ah!?)

Cameron: Yeah, and I don’t blame you. I know your family. You’d tell’em. They’d say something judgmental. (Expression of opinion). (Other way to express: They are prejudiced) (Other way to express: Don’t worry I ‘m not discussing with you.)

Mitchel: I know and then something that’s supposed to be nothing but joyful suddenly turns into his huge fight.(expression opinion and emotion) (Other way to express: They probably would have a huge discussion)

Cameron: And who wants a big emotional scene like that? (Expressing his opinion) (Other way to express: Nobody wants a big emotional scene, do you want?)

Mitchel: Thank you. Thank you. (Expressing thanks) (Other way to express: I love you!)

Cameron: I invited them over for dinner tonight. (Giving information)( Other way to express: They’re gonna to have dinner tonight!)

Mitchel: What? (Expression of emotion) (Other way to express: No, please!)

Cameron: I had to. This would have gone on forever. You’re an avoider. (Expressing opinion and insult) (Other way to express: don’t be a chicken!)

Mitchel: No. No. No. Cam, I’m calling them right now and cancelling. ( request no to do something and suggestion) (Other way to express: I can call them and canceling)

Cameron: No, you’re not. You’re telling your family you adopted a baby tonight. (Denying the suggestion and request to do something) (Other way to express: No, You must have to tell to your family about the adoption tonight)

Cameron behaved like a wife in the relation. He is ironic. At the beginning of the conversation is implicit the idea about tell or don’t tell for Mitchell’s family about the adoption of the baby but, when they expresses the invitation he did for dinner to Mitchel’s family, his real thought become explicit. He really wants Mitchel tells his family the truth at night.

The end of this episode show the three family together. Jay is Mitchel’s father and Gloria is Mitchel’s sister. So the three modern families received the news about the newly relative.


Braxel Radio Station
By Adriane Albani, Claudia Nascimento and Leticia Muza

We did a DCT - Discourse Completion Test to investigate how men and women choose a speech act to denye or acept a request in an emberresd situation. After that, we became the results in a radio programm.