pronunciation in English

[english coach]

Sweden produces some great singers and musicians but sometimes when they sing in English the pronunciation leaves a little to be desired. The most common problem is the English 'y' sound as in 'you', which because of the Swedish sound of a 'j'comes out as 'jou'. I'm here to coach you out of that if you'd like.

[Tracer]

How would you define the differance between the pronounciation of the english 'Y' and the swedish 'J' in a word like 'you'.

I don't think we are pronouncing the word 'you' like 'jew' if that's what you are implying. Elaborate, please.

Redigerat 18 februari 2011 av Tracer

[Jetblack]

"Jou hävve a verry verry svidish uttal!"

-Peter Svartling i "Idol"

("You have a very very swedish pronounciation")

[english coach]

sorry but I often hear you as jew. Spoken and sung. However I'm not trying to offend. Most Swedes speak better English than I will ever speak Swedish. I'm just here to assist if anyone feels they need it. I earn a reasonable part of my living doing it.

[Jetblack]

It would be wise to take advice from an expert when it comes to pronounciating english. You seldom hear a swede speak english without that certain swedish accent. Mostly it sounds like the "Swedish Chef" of the Muppets ;P (I don't claim to be better.)

I heared a russian group singing in swedish (!). I immediately reacted to some minor errors in the pronouncitation. Is that what the english-speaking hear when swedes (and other non-english speaking) are trying to sing in english...?

[Linus]

  On 2011-02-18 at 19:50 sa Jetblack:

I heared

😱

[Linus]

  On 2011-02-18 at 17:41 sa english coach:

I'm here to coach you out of that if you'd like.

Cool, how about telling us a bit about yourself?

[pikzel]

I agree to some extent, but it should be said that the swedes are among the best at pronunciation in the world.

That being said, one could always improve.

[Jetblack]

  On 2011-02-18 at 20:11 sa Linus:

😱

Ja men jag sa ju att jag inte påstår att jag är bättre, varför tror du att jag gör instrumentalmusik? ;P

[Radiobrutta]

  On 2011-02-18 at 20:15 sa Linus:

Cool, how about telling us a bit about yourself?

I think you´d be better of in Samarbeten

[Piccazzo]

Though your offer of assistance if great i cant see how this will work over the internet ? 😐

And i totally agree about the " You " part , That´s way i always write down it as a " U ".

Helps a lot when your recording a vocalist that isn´t 100% in their pronunciation and reads the lyrics of the paper.

As well as " Daun / Down " Sharty / Shorty " " Gal / Girl " etc .

It think the education we get in school contributes to the problem as we are taught to Articulate and that don´t always translate well to singing.

But the biggest problem ins´t the pronunciation it´s that when an American or English sings it sounds more effortless and fluent than

when non english speaking artist sings in english.Especially when you doing a track that has a faster tempo

Redigerat 19 februari 2011 av Piccazzo

[english coach]

Ok, I've been asked to say a bit about myself. I fear this is going to read like bragging so before anyone criticises me for it, I WAS asked and it's hard to leave bits out.

I began my career as an actor in England playing classical roles but always had music as a sideline.I was also the first dialect teacher at the drama school I was trained at. After several years of the usual struggle, I was invited to tour a play in Sweden, which I did. That was 1980. I returned to England the end of that year and was unemployed apart from reading a couple of short stories for BBC radio. Sound, especially different dialects has always been a preferable speciality where I'm concerned.

In March '81 I was asked to tour another play in Sweden and to cut a very long story short, a wife, 3 adult children and a divorce later, I'm still here!!

I began writing songs, doing trubabur gigs and generally getting more and more into the music scene as time went by. I've missed selection for the Eurovision thing like missing a train by 2 minutes, chucked out at the 11th hour!! I've writen with 3 different co writers and I continue to do so with 2 of em. I've played in Nashville and Hong Kong, to name 2 extreme sort of exotic places.

I narrate info and education films, create character voices for cartoons made by Swedish production companies hoping for success abroad. I've acted in a couple of Swedish movies one of which I co wrote and performed the theme song for. A particlarly bloody action thriller which is basically rubbish and I'm not proud of it ....and tv programmes. I have 2 voiced commercials runnning in Sweden right now. One on radio in Swedish with my appalling Swedish accent but that's what they wanted- an exaggerated 'brytning'. I said I don't have to overdo it. It's what you get! Plus a tv commercial for a bank, where I post synced a Swedish actor with a southern States drawl.

Finally I teach English conversation part time at Medborgarskolan.

[Rabieshund]

  On 2011-02-19 at 09:29 sa english coach:

Plus a tv commercial for a bank, where I post synced a Swedish actor with a southern States drawl.

Haha, is it that one with a guy recieving an ownership of some oil company? Awesome. 😄

Redigerat 19 februari 2011 av Rabieshund

[english coach]

That's the one! The guy watering his lawn is informed he's inherited a bundle form a relative in the States.

[Drake]

  On 2011-02-18 at 17:41 sa english coach:

Sweden produces some great singers and musicians but sometimes when they sing in English the pronunciation leaves a little to be desired. The most common problem is the English 'y' sound as in 'you', which because of the Swedish sound of a 'j'comes out as 'jou'. I'm here to coach you out of that if you'd like.

...but the biggest problem is when Swedes pronounce West Bromwich...

Tipslördag, anyone?

[laxlaxlax]

In my opinion dialect of all kind is nice and should be preserved! Even English with Swedish accent.

[Piccazzo]

  Citat

Even English with Swedish accent.

Swenglish... 😆

  Citat

In my opinion dialect of all kind is nice and should be preserved! Even English with Swedish accent

In speech i agree , In music i´m not so sure.

[barrf]

  On 2011-02-19 at 11:50 sa Piccazzo:

In speech i agree , In music i´m not so sure.

How good would Björk sound without her weird icelandic pronunciation? Or Karin Dreijer for that matter?

Sometimes it just sounds awesome 🥰

[Frekvensspektrumanalysator]

hahahaha... eller hur...

[SadamJR]

What do you charge?

[Jetblack]

  On 2011-02-19 at 12:23 sa barrf:

How good would Björk sound without her weird icelandic pronunciation? Or Karin Dreijer for that matter?

Sometimes it just sounds awesome 🥰

Björk skulle nog inte vinna något på att rätta till sitt uttal, det är en del av hennes sound! Dreijers engelska uttal har jag däremot stört mig på ända sedan jag hörde Honey is Cool första gången...

(Help Dreijer, but not Björk!)

[Vallhagen]

  On 2011-02-18 at 17:41 sa english coach:

Sweden produces some great singers and musicians but sometimes when they sing in English the pronunciation leaves a little to be desired. The most common problem is the English 'y' sound as in 'you', which because of the Swedish sound of a 'j'comes out as 'jou'. I'm here to coach you out of that if you'd like.

Tjena English Coach.

Ditt ämne syftar visserligen mot anglofiering, men vi kör diskussionerna här på svenska. Enklast så, och det står dessutom i forumreglerna.

mvh

Bengan

[Svencanz]

Jag har ju bott i Nya Zeeland i manga ar nu, och jag kan intyga att det finns sma skillnader i spraket som man som icke-Engelsk-fodd helt enkelt inte hor forst.

Det tog mig ett ar att hora skillnad pa Nya Zeelandska och Australiska.

Exempelvis ar 'cheap' och 'sheep' helt olika ord; och som vanlig svensk har man problem med detta forst. Uttalet alltsa.

Tonande 'ess' kan ocksa vara ett problem:

Kanon historia var nar jag tanke jag skulle aka till Wellington's djurpark det forsta aret.

Gick pa bussen och sade: 'one ticket to the zoo, please.'

Trodde jag alltsa. Just eftersom jag inte uttalade det TONANDE esset, sa fattade buss chaffisen ingenting. Sade min mening tre ggr, men fick ga av bussen.

Jag vart sa paff att jag inte kom pa att saga: 'you know the place where they have lots on animals in cages...' - det hade sakert blivit ganska kul om jag sagt det.

Men nu blev det endast en 'konstig upplevelse...'

I svenskan har vi ett pa liknande grejer. Sma skillnader som ger helt olika ord; tomten och tomten, stegen och stegen.

S

[Gäst]

  Citat

Det tog mig ett ar att hora skillnad pa Nya Zeelandska och Australiska.

Diggar den meningen 😄

[therocker]

Perfekt uttal och språkbruk vita tänder och perfekt "pitch", jeeesus va trist det blir...... nä heder åt dom som vågar sätta lite personlig prägel på sin musik.

[Radiobrutta]

Synd att läsa alla avarter av konstiga och spydiga svar här på detta ämne.

English coach vill faktiskt, i all välmening, erbjuda sin hjälp till dem som kan känna ett behov av detta. Inget konstigt med det.

Trodde att Studioforumets medlemmar var aningen mer civilicerade än vad ni visar er vara här.

Jag förstår att vissa kanske inte känner nån nytta av detta erbjudande från english coach, men ni behöver därför inte heller svara och spy ner detta ämne med era aviga svar. 😠

Är man en seriöst satsande sångare/sångerska/skådis m.m så vill man förmodligen även utveckla det språket man förmedlar sitt budskap med.

Ett litet exempel från "verkligheten": Alla ni som tittat på "Idol" och hört hur Bagge & Co sågar en Idol p.g.a sitt dåliga engelska uttal; sträck upp en hand!! ⚠️

Just sayin´ !

Redigerat 22 februari 2011 av Radiobrutta

[Tracer]

Jag absolut ingenting emot att English coach (EC) vill hjälpa till med uttal och liknande. Tycker tvärtom att det är väldigt positivt

när någon vill dela med sig av sina kunskaper.

Det enda jag ifrågasatte var det exempel som han lade fram då jag sällan eller aldrig uppfattat att svenskar uttalar 'you' med ett

tydligt D i början som uttalet på 'jew'. Däremot har jag hört ord som 'birthday' bli 'burfday', 'this' bli 'diss' och liknande.

Just TH-ljudet i engelskan verkar vara ett stort problem för många. Y-ljudet uttalas nästan exakt som svenska J och ordet 'you' låter

nästan exakt som ordet 'jo', det var enbart därför jag tyckte det var ett konstigt exempel att börja med.

Det var inte menat som kritik gentemot ECs initiativ utan bara en förfrågan att han skulle utveckla sitt exempel, vilket han också gjorde sen.

Jag hoppas verkligen inte att EC tar det som negativ kritik. Hans hjälp kommer nog bli väldigt uppskattad av de som känner sig manade att

bättra på sitt uttal.

[nilsL]

  On 2011-02-18 at 17:41 sa english coach:

Sweden produces some great singers and musicians but sometimes when they sing in English the pronunciation leaves a little to be desired. The most common problem is the English 'y' sound as in 'you', which because of the Swedish sound of a 'j'comes out as 'jou'. I'm here to coach you out of that if you'd like.

Hi english coach,

are you sure about that. I haven't given much thought how Swedish singers in particular pronounce this, but in my view it's in everyday conversations far more common that people do the opposite, i.e. pronounce "Jill" as "Yill". This makes sense to me since there is no such sound in the Swedish language, which means that there is a general tendancy to simplify it into something that people are familiar with.

Nils

Redigerat 22 februari 2011 av nilsL