Speaking Portfolio_4_ ADS

Date: 14 May, 2010

Time: 2.00pm approx. 2 hours

Place: Auckland Deaf Society
164 Balmoral Road, Balmoral

Main topic:
- Sound system: for hearing aids people
Learn how to operate after new installation

The conversation was focus on how to operate the new sound system in Auckland Deaf Society.
Since my church has hired the hall to use it as a Sunday service for over 2 years. However, the sound system always has different problems on every week, no matter our (normal) or the hearing aid people system. Since one of our congregation he is wearing the hearing aid, he needs the 'loop' system. Unfortunately, the 'loop' system is always not worked that he was quite worried and felt bored during the sermon.
Thank God, they installed a so 'perfect' and friendly user one on Thursday that I went to learn how to 'operate' it on Friday after my class.

I still found out some culture aspects and differences during this conversion.
Firstly, some 'kiwi's' characters are - finish one thing/job at one time. It's seemed the 1 speaking port. which I had mentioned. As the technician, Ian, still had a job in Albany following, but he tried to finish one by one and should achieve his requirement- over 90% good. He is not the young guy who I met before. Since some young people have 'easy come easy go' attitude.
In addition, they quite encourage people to keep the character of different culture, not 100% copy of them. It is including the accent and speaking style. Since I was introduced by the secretary, Trisha Shanaghan, of ADS, we had a good conversation.
Trisha: That's why I brought Alice to be here. Alice is a 'buss'!" I checked with her that 'is it a idiom or something else. At the first moment, she was quite reluctant answered this. She explained that she could speak this quite common. However, if I spoke this, it would be quite awful. Asian should have Asian speaking style no matter in English. But I let her know that I want to learn some more 'kiwi' style things when I listen and knew what its mean. Finally, ... is a 'buss' is described 'lot' of happen like a bee and 'humming'.

During the conversation with the technician, Ian, I learned some phase and ask repetition from him, such as volume 'up or down' on the panel, not high or low. When he taught me how to operate, he said if I have 'intuitive' sense something's wrong, just let him know. I grasped the time and ask him how to spell of that word.
Ian: it's bad
Alice: Why? mm but it's a good word, isn't it? I want to learn a new word!
Ian: it's a good word, it's bad because I don't know how to spell it.
A: I'll check out form dict.

When nearly finish our conversation, I introduced my name again and ask him
A: What's your name?
I: In
A: mm? How to spell it?
I: I a n
And he let me know that it can spell as 'I a i n' in Scottish too.
So, in common conversation, people generally use schwa and lexical features. During this time, I use 'stress' of meaning and also use lot of contractions to make the conversation smoothly.

Although it is the last speaking portfolio, I feel that it's quite useful and remind me all the things which I have learned from class and using in my daily life!