Re: TRANSLATION: Grandfather and the dragon

taliesin the storyteller wrote:
>
> Listening to recordings of my own voice makes me nauseous, oh ick, so
> I'll twist the sound a little, for my own well-being's sake :) Hmm...
> I've only taped myself speaking Norwegian... have anyone noticed how
> much the quality of ones voice changes when speaking foreign languages
> (as in not L1)? When I started becoming fluent in English, I spoke about
> two octaves lower than normal at first.
I didn't know you were Norwegian.  When did you first start learning
English?  And Tal, how on earth does anybody speak a full two octaves
lower than normal?  Unless normal is in a high squeek?  Most people,
when relaxed, speak at about the lowest tone they can hit in singing.
I've just tried it.  I spoke the word "singing," and the "ing" was
pitched
at the lowest tone I can hit, which is low D flat.  (with a cold, or
when tipsy, I've been known to get down to a low LOW B flat.) When I'm
tense, which is almost always in normal discourse, my voice rises by
about four tones (up to A below middle C), but two octaves?  No way,
man!
I don't believe you!  ;-) ;-)  Unless men are different in this
respect.
But I don't think so.  Unless Norwegian is pitched in ways that would
amaze me!

Also tension (i.e., the stress of speaking a new language) most often
makes the voice rise in inflection, not drop, right?  What are other
people's experiences?

I'm going to try teaching by keeping my voice low.  No higher than
low E or F.  And see if this reduces my exhaustion after class.
And maybe, they'll strain to listen to me!!!  ;-)  I took speech
long years ago, and have forgotten its best principles.


Sally
http://www.frontiernet.net/~scaves/teonaht.html