Materials required:
      This handout, a computer, a computer headset, i.e. earphones
and a microphone, and a printer. You will need to download and
install Audacity recording software.

Instructions:
     1. First, learn how to use Audacity, then record your name in
English and Chinese, and your student number. Also say where
you grew up (e.g. Taipei 台北, Changhua 彰化) and what your
native language is (e.g. Mandarin and/or Southern Min, aka
'Taiwanese'). Play back what you have said to check the recording
quality. Make sure there isn't too much background noise. Your
voice should not be too loud or too soft, and try to avoid saliva
sounds ('smacking'), and 'popping' (噴mai1), which is caused by
too much aspiration.

     2. Now record the Mandarin text. Read as naturally as possible,
just like you talk to your friends. Don't try to sound like a TV or radio
announcer, i.e. don't make a special effort to retroflex (捲舌), add-r
endings (兒化韻), or do other things you don't usually do when you
speak casually. And don't read too fast! Also, don't stop to
pause once you have started each language.

    3. Next record yourself reading the English language text. You
may practice before you record, so that you are able to read smoothly,
but use your most usual and natural pronunciation. Do not try to do
anything 'special' or 'different' with your pronunciation.

    4. Now read the text in Southern Min 閩南語 (Taiwanese) into a
new file, if you are a speaker of Southern Min, either natively or if
you have learned it as a second language. If you speak Hakka 客家語,
Cantonese 粵語, or other Chinese dialect, record that, too (or 'instead'),
saying before you start which subdialect you speak (e.g. 四縣 or 海陸
for Hakka), if you know it.

     5. If you like, you may read any of the remaining 'second foreign
language' texts according to which languages you have studied,
using a separate file for each. This part of the assignment is optional,
but the more you put into this assignment, the more you stand to benefit
from it. You may add languages not included here, such as Malay or
Korean, if you know enough of the language to record a sample on
tape. You can look on the Internet for a suitable text to read, if you wish.

     6. Finally, after you have finished reading all the texts you choose,
play back and listen to what you have recorded and write down how
you feel about your pronunciation in each language or dialect. Do not
go back and redo the recording! No cheating, please! This assignment
will be most useful to you if you follow the instructions as given. E-mail
your audio (making sure you've converted them to MP3 format) and text
files to feathermountain@gmail.com. Keep a copy of your comments in
your pronunciation journal for future reference.

The texts

ROC Ministry of Education Mandarin online dictionary

Mandarin:
為了一包垃圾
聯合報九十二年一月十一日 38頁

     走出超商，正要從停車列中移出我的機車 ─ 可惡！是誰那麼沒公德心，
把垃圾丟在我的車前的籃子裡。塑膠杯、保利龍餐盒裝滿一袋，我拿起來
找不到垃圾桶，就順手放在我旁邊別人機車的菜籃裡。
     我馬上就後悔了，所謂「己所不欲，勿施於人」，我為甚麼要做這種
沒水準的事。心裡掙扎一下，接著安慰自己：說不定前一個人也是這樣，
被人亂丟，只得隨手丟給下一個倒楣鬼，我是無辜的，我只是有樣學樣﹍
     不對不對，本來就不可以做壞事，我的良心開始責備自己了。我還察
覺到有一雙眼睛在盯著我，哎，不管了，發動車子，快逃離現場吧！
     想不到那個人騎著機車追起我來，是不是他發現了我幹的好事？ 會不
會我丟的那包垃圾就在他的機車上？
     衝過兩個綠燈，下一個紅燈我緊急停下來。聽見背後有人說：「先生，
你的東西掉了。」我臉紅得不知道往哪裡擺，     回頭對那人解釋：
「那包垃圾不是我的。」他沒聽懂我的話，很誠懇的告訴我：
「先生，你機車後架的繩子掉了，有一端沒綁好，垂在地上，很危險呢。」
     「喔，歐吉桑，謝謝你！」
     是啊，繩子要是絞進車輪理，或是被後面的車子壓住，的確非常危險。
歐吉桑頭上有汗珠，看到他的真摯善良的表情，被他的好心腸一比，
我更加自慚形穢。回去要好好面壁反省：事情無論大小，不可做、
不該做的，就不要去犯錯。


Merriam-Webster OnLine English dictionary with audio files

English:
All Because of a Bag of Garbage United Daily News, January 11, 2003

     As I exited the convenience store and prepared to extract my
motorbike from the line of parked vehicles – blast it! What thoughtless
person had left a bag of garbage in the front basket of my bike? I took
the bag out of the basket, but then couldn't find a trash can, so I
deposited it in the basket of another motorcycle parked nearby.
     I regretted what I had done immediately, remembering that we
should not 'do unto others as we would not have them to do onto us'.
Why had I stooped to something like this? I tussled with myself over
it a bit, then rationalized that maybe the guy before me had done just
the same thing: someone had thrown the garbage into his motorcycle
basket, so he had just passed it on to the next poor sucker. I was
innocent; I had only done what had been done to me.
     Now wait a minute; you're not supposed to let evil beget evil.
My conscience started taking me to task. Just then I discovered a
pair of eyes looking right at me. Hmm. Never mind. Just start the
engine and flee!
     I never expected that the person who eyed me would come and
chase after me. Had he discovered my inglorious act? Was it his bike
that I had palmed the bag of garbage off on?
     After sailing through two green lights, I came to an abrupt stop
at the next red light. I heard a voice from behind calling out, "Sir,
you dropped something." My face turned a bright, hot red. I turned
around and explained, 'That bag of garbage isn't mine." He didn't
understand what I had said, but he went on to tell me in a very
sincere voice, "Sir, one end of the strap attached to your bike rack
is hanging loose and dragging on the road. That could be dangerous."
     "Oh...thank you, Sir."
     He was right – if  the strap wound itself around the back wheel,
or if it were run over by a car behind me, it would indeed be very
dangerous. The elderly man's face was covered with beads of sweat.
Seeing his sincere desire to help, then comparing his good intentions
with my own, I was even further mortified. I needed to go home, face
the wall and ponder my transgressions. It doesn't matter how trivial
something is; if it's something you shouldn't do, then don't do it.


Taiwanese online dictionary 1  2      Hakka online dictionary     Cantonese online dictionary

Southern Min, Hakka, Cantonese, other Chinese dialects:
     Try to tell the preceding Mandarin story in Southern Min, Hakka,
Cantonese, or whatever other Chinese dialect you speak, using your
own words – don't read – as though talking to a friend. You don't have
to include every detail or tell it in exactly the same way it is written
above – just tell a fluent, coherent story with your most natural and
accustomed pronunciation and speaking style.


Spanish and French online dictionaries at WordReference.com

Spanish:
Chiste
     Este era un niño de 5 años que estaba con su mamá en la
parada del autobús y le dice la mamá al niño: Cuando nos subamos
al autobús le dices al conductor que tienes 4 años, para que no te
cobre pasaje.
     Entonces se suben al autobús y le dice el conductor al niño:
¿Cuantos años tienes?
     Y le dice el niño: Cuatro.
     Y el conductor le dice: ¿Y cuando cumples los 5 años?
     Y el niño responde: ¡Cuando me baje del autobús!
From: http://www.chistes.com/ChisteDelDia.asp

French:
Blague
     Le petit Alain était en train de combler un trou dans le jardin
quand un voisin se pencha au-dessus de la clôture, interessé
par l'activité du jeune garçon. Il lui dit alors:
     "Mais que fais-tu donc, mon petit Alain?"
     "Mon poisson rouge est mort", répondit tristement Alain sans
lever les yeux, "et je viens juste de l'enterrer."
     Le voisin fit un commentaire: "Mais c'est un trou terriblement
grand pour un poisson rouge, non?"
     Alain finit de tasser la terre et répondit: "C'est parce qu'il est
à l'intérieur de votre chat."
From: http://www.blagues.org/


LEO German online dictionary with audio files

German:
Schulwitz
          Die Schulklasse ist zusammen mit ihrem Lehrer fotografiert
worden. Der Lehrer empfiehlt seinen Schülern, sich Abzüge machen
zu lassen. "Stellt euch vor, wie nett es ist, wenn Ihr nach dreißig
Jahren das Bild wieder zur Hand nehmt und sagt: 'Ach, das ist ja der
Paul, der ist jetzt auch Lehrer; und das ist doch Fritz Lehmann, der
ist Bäcker geworden; und da steht doch der Heiner, der ist nach
Amerika ausgewandert...'" Ertönt da aus der letzten Reihe eine
Stimme: "Und das war unser Lehrer, der ist schon lange tot!"
From: http://www.witz.de/cgi-bin/warp/warp.pl?zone=witze&rubrik=berufe&navigation=witze&seite=1056432442.htm


Jim Breen's Japanese online dictionary

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