Listening blog 8_CALL software – EASE

*Source: EASE Unit 4 - Functions 2 in LLC at UNITEC library.


I went to the Language learning Center at Unitec library to practice English through Call software. I choose the topic on ‘Language (Unit 4)’, because it sounded more interesting than the other choices and the teacher highly recommended this unit too.

*Strategies:
1) Concentrate on Phonological & fillers: Pause, stress & use of schwa
2) Repetition

*Evaluation
I chose two topics, such as referring to sources and evaluating sources.
a) Referring:
There are a few speakers, each one has their characters to send their presentation
Clip 3 Dr Stanley Ireland: "it's not /just a biography . . .it's a / extra dimension . . ."
Clip 5 Dr Stanley Ireland: 'we /don't focus in . . .'
He paused before the stress, such as 'just, extra, don't', let us to concentrate and for the strong meaning-(strong: bold, /: pause)
Clip 6 Dr. Michael Luck: "How many people /haven't?"
He paused or nearly stopped before he said 'haven't', let everyone seems look and listen to him to wait for the next word. He suddenly speaks strong and power 'haven't". Make everyone noticed what he mentioned before and also expresses his unhappy feeling.
b) Evaluating sources
Clip 9 Prof. Jack Cohen: I recommended you read the book . . . published in 1970 (schwa in year), he / got the keyword
Clip 10 Dr. Helen Dennis: she always look at paper and small action, such as touched her hair per 2-3 seconds and up and down for her head, make me can't concentrate what she said.

* Reflection
It's the first time to concentrate for different speakers for their interactive features and phonological features. Before that, I think if I speak in fluent in English, I should speak without stop. Therefore, I always speak quite fast and let people don't find out any grammatical mistake or other errors. But now, definitely it's not! No matter native speakers, they always use to pause or nearly stop to draw people attention to listen their coming next words instead of to speak every word in strong.
And if we have any public speaking, we should not have any small action to confuse listeners' concentration.

It's a good practise for me, and I should try to change my speaking habit to let people few more comfortable during our conversation!