Archive for July 2019
Speak with Confident Statements: Tips for Avoiding Upspeak
If you’ve ever watched the 1995 movie Clueless, starring Alicia Silverstone, you’ve heard what speech coaches refer to as upspeak. This movie depicting Generation X was full of Valley Girl talk, a type of conversation where your inflection rises as you speak. The pattern of speech makes what you say come across sounding like a…
Read MoreEmbrace Your Southern Sayings
Idiom: language particular to a people or a district, community or class. Merriam-Webster dictionary Every region has its sayings, and North Carolina has plenty of colorful ones that pepper the speech of native southerners. If you’re a native North Carolinian, you may have found yourself saying some of the phrases below (meanings are in parentheses…
Read MoreHow Does Your Spoken English Compare to Others?
Everyone speaks with an accent. A person’s accent is an instant look into their background; reflecting both their native language and the region of their childhood. It gives me a warm feeling when I hear people from Minnesota and Wisconsin speak, because it reminds me of the many happy summers I spent in that area of…
Read More