The Challenge
I was explaining English language music to my class.
I explained that every language has its own unique music. And that language music can express many
different emotions, even without words. Just like the music in films can make us feel different emotions.
I described the five basic melodies we use in spoken English:
- The melody for statements.
- The melody for information questions.
- The melody for yes/no questions.
- The rising melody we use for a series, pauses, and polite speech.
- The combination melody we use for pauses and polite speech.
Then we began practicing the combination melody.
With this melody, our voice goes up, then down, then up again. We use this melody when we want to
pause or speak politely.
We practiced this melody for a while. Suddenly Alice, one my students, raised her hand. She was very
excited.
Alice (not her real name) was from a Middle European country. She always sat in the back row and never
said much, so I didn’t know her very well yet.
Alice did not have a question. She wanted to tell us that she had finally solved a problem that had
bothered her for years.
What was the problem? And what was the solution she found?
The Solution
Alice explained that she had always worked in customer relations. She was very successful doing this
work in her home country.But she started having problems at work after she came to the United States. Her customers said that
she was unfriendly. Sometimes they even said that she was rude to them.
Alice could never understand this. She was not an unfriendly or rude person. She liked working with
people. She was upset that her customers in America had such poor views of her.
What did Alice learn in class that day?
She found out why her customers had negative views of her.
It was because she was not using the correct English language music when she spoke with them. She
was probably using the music of her first language instead. And that made her sound impatient and even
angry.
Alice was surprised and relieved to know the cause of her problem. And that she could fix it so quickly.
The Takeaway
Alice had the biggest problem that most non-native speakers have: They speak English with the rhythm
and melody of their first language.
Most of the time, the main reason people do not understand your English is not because you are using the
wrong sounds, words, or grammar.
It is because you are using the wrong language music.
Learning how to speak English with the correct language music is the most important thing you can do to
improve your English speech.
Now you try it
Read these examples of the combination melody out loud. Remember, with the combination melody our
voice goes up, down, then up again.
Example 1: The melody for a mid-sentence pause.
Unfortunately, we’re out of PI E.
(Our voice goes up, down, then up again on unfortunately)
We don’t have pie, but we do have CAKE.
(Our voice goes up, down, then up again on pie)
Example 2: The melody for polite speech.
Good MORning. HOW are you TOday?
(Our voice goes up, down, then up again)
I’m FINE. And YOU?(Our voice goes up, down, then up again)
Do you use the five basic melodies that English speakers use when you speak English?
Or do you often speak English with the rhythm and melody of your first language?
Do you think that people may have trouble understanding you because of this?
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