1 Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 The King’s Speech Activity 1: Watch the video (or listen to the audio file) Notice the aspirated o+ s+ j and the devoicing of k+ q+ v+ i Remember to close your organs of speech firmly for the voiced plosives a+ c+ f.Focus on the highlighted elements How long these vowels sound? GEORGE V: For the present, the work to which we are all equally bound is to arrive at a reasoned tranquility within our borders, to regain prosperity at this time of depression without self-seeking and to carry with us those whom the burden of the past years has disheartened or overborne To all, to each, I wish a Happy Christmas God bless you PRODUCER 1: And off air GEORGE V: Easy when you know how PRODUCER2: Sir? GEORGE V: Have a go yourself WOOD: Congratulations, Sir GEORGE V: Ah, Mr Wood Splendid fellow Chap who taught me everything I know: let the microphone the work WOOD: Sir GEORGE V: Thank you Sit up, straight back, face boldly up to the bloody thing and stare it square in the eye, as would any decent Englishman Show who’s in command BERTIE: Papa, I don’t… think I can read this GEORGE V: This devilish device will change everything if you don’t In the past all a King had to was look respectable in uniform and not fall off his horse Now we must invade people’s homes and ingratiate ourselves with them This family’s been reduced to those lowest, basest of all creatures: we’ve become actors! BERTIE: We’re not a family, we’re a firm GEORGE V: Yet at any moment some of us may be out of work Your darling brother, and future king, the only wife he appears interested in is invariably the wife of another! BERTIE: He’s broken off with… with Lady Furness GEORGE V: And taken up with Mrs Simpson, a woman with two husbands living! I told him straight: no divorced person can ever be received at court He said it made him sublimely happy I imagined that was because she was sleeping with him “I give you my word,” this is what he said, “I give you my word we’ve never had immoral relations.” Stared square into his father’s face and lied When I’m dead that boy will ruin himself, this family, and this nation, within twelve months Who’ll pick up the pieces? Herr Hitler, intimidating half of Europe, Marshall Stalin the other half? Who will stand between us, the jackboots, and the proletarian abyss? You? With your older brother shirking his duties, you’re going to have to a lot more of this Have a go yourself The King’s Speech (2010) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/?ref_=nv_sr_1 Prof Francisco Zabala - 2016 TIPS: • Notice the aspirated o+ s+ j and the devoicing of k+ q+ v+ i shown in bold • I have selected the most noticeable examples of pre-fortis pre clipping (i.e the halving of a vowel’s vowel duration when the syllable llable in which they occur ends in a voiceless consonant) /ðə ˈkɪŋz ˈspi spiːtʃ || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || fə ðə ˈpr preznt | ðə ˈwɜːk | tə wɪtʃ wɪər ˈɔːl ˈiːkwəli ˈbaʊnd | ɪzz tu əˈraɪv | ət ə ˈriːzn(d) pr trænˈkwɪləti | wɪðˈɪnn ɑː ˈbɔːdəz || tə rɪˈɡeɪn prɒˈsperəti | ət ðɪs ˈttaɪm | əv dɪˈpr preʃn | wɪðˈaʊt tr pr ˈself ˈsiːkɪŋ | ən tə ˈkæri kæri wɪð w ˈʌs | ˈðəʊz hum ðə ˈbɜːdn əv ðə ˈp pɑːst ˈjɪəz | həz dɪsˈhɑːtnd | ɔːr ˌəʊvəˈbɔːn || tu ˈɔːlːl | tu ˈiːtʃ | aɪ ˈwɪʃ ə ˈhæpi ˈkr krɪsməs || ˈɡɒd ɒd ˈbles ju ||| kr prə prəˈdjuːs djuːsə ːsə|| ˈænd | ˈɒf ˈeə || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ˈiːzi wen ju ˈnəʊ ˈhaʊʊ || prə prəˈdjuːs djuːsə ːsə|| ˈsɜː || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ˈhæv ə ˈɡəʊ əʊ jɔːˈself ||| ˈwʊd || kənˌɡrætʃʊˈleɪʃnz ˈsɜɜː || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ˈɑː | ˈmɪstə ˈwʊd ||| ˈsplendɪd ˈfeləʊ || ˈtʃæp (h)u ˈttɔːt mi ˈevriθɪŋ ˈevr | ˈaɪ nəʊ || ˈlet ðə ˈmaɪkrəfəʊn | ˈduː ðəə ˈwɜːk || ˈwʊd || ˈsɜː || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ˈθæŋk ju || ˈsɪt ˈʌp ||| ˈstreɪt ˈbæk || ˈfeɪs ˈbəʊldli ˈʌp tə ðə ˈblʌdi ˈθɪŋ ˈθ | ən ˈsteər ɪt ˈskweər ɪn ði ˈaɪ | əz wʊd ˈeni ˈdiːsnt ˈd ˈɪŋɡlɪʃmən || ˈʃəʊ huːz ɪn kəˈmɑːnd || ˈbɜːti || pəˈp pɑː | aɪ ˈdəʊnt | ˈθθɪŋk aɪ kən ˈriːd ðɪs || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ðɪs ˈdevəlɪʃ dɪˈvaɪs | wl ˈtʃeɪndʒ ˈevriθɪŋ | ɪf ju ˈdəʊnt || ɪn ðə ˈp pɑːst | ˈɔːl ə ˈk kɪŋ ˈhæd tə ˈduː | wəz ˈlʊk rɪˈspektəbl bl | ɪn ˈjuːnɪfɔːm || ən ˈnɒt ˈfɔːl ɒf (h)ɪz ˈhɔːs || ˈnaʊ ˈna wi məst ɪnˈveɪd ˈp piːplz ˈhəʊmz | ən ɪŋˈɡreɪʃʃieɪt ɑːˈselvz wɪð ðəm || ðɪs ˈfæmliz | biːn ːn rɪˈdjuːst r | tə ðəʊz ˈlə(ʊ)ɪst | ˈbeɪsɪst | əv ˈɔːl ˈkr kriːt kʌm | ˈæktəz || kr tʃəz || wiv bɪˈk ˈbɜːti || wɪə ˈnɒt ə ˈfæməli li | wɪər w ə ˈfɜːm || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ˈjet ət ˈeni ˈməʊmənt nt | ˈsʌm əv əs | meɪ bi ˈaʊt əv ˈwɜːk || jɔː ˈdɑːl ɑːlɪŋ ˈbrʌðə | ən ˈfjuːtʃə ˈk kɪŋ | ði ˈəʊn(l)i ˈwaɪf | hi əˈp pɪəz ˈɪntr trəstɪd ɪn | ɪz ɪnˈveəriəbli | ðə ˈwaɪf əv əˈnʌðə || tr ˈbɜːti || hiz ˈbrəʊkən ˈɒf wɪðð | wɪð ˈleɪdi ˈfɜːnəs || ˈdʒɔːd ʒɔːdʒ ːdʒ || ənd ˈtteɪkən ˈʌp | wɪɪð ˈmɪsɪz ˈsɪm(p)sən || ə ˈwʊmən wɪð ˈttuː ˈhʌʌzbəndz | ˈlɪvɪŋ || aɪ ˈttəʊld (h)ɪm ˈstreɪt || ˈnəʊ dɪˈvɔːs(t) d ˈp pɜːsn | kən ˈevə | bi rɪˈsiːvd ət ˈk kɔːtt ||| hi ˈsed | ɪt ˈmeɪd (h)ɪm | səˈblaɪmli ˈhæpi || a((ɪ) ɪˈmædʒɪnd | ˈðæt wəz bɪˈk kɒʒ ʃi wəz ˈsliːpɪŋŋ wɪð w (h)ɪm | aɪ ˈɡɪv ju maɪ ˈwɜːd | ˈðɪs ɪz ˈwɒtt (h)i ˈsed || aɪ ˈɡɪv ju maɪ ˈwɜːd | wiv ˈnevəə ˈhæd | ɪˈmɒrəl rɪˈleɪʃnz || ˈsteəd ˈskweər | ɪnt ntu ɪz ˈfɑːðəz ˈfeɪs | ən(d) ˈlaɪd || wen ˈaɪm m ˈded | ðæt ˈbɔɪ wl ˈruːɪn (h)ɪmˈself | ˈðɪs ˈfæm æməli | ən ˈðɪs ˈneɪʃn | wɪðˈɪn ˈtw twelv ˈmʌn(θ)ss || ˈhuːl ˈp pɪk ˈʌp ðə ˈp piːsɪz || tw ˈheə ˈhɪtlə | ɪnˈttɪmɪde deɪtɪŋ ˈhɑːf əv ˈjʊərəp | ˈmɑːʃl ˈstɑːlɪn | ði ˈʌʌðə ˈhɑːf || ˈhuː wl ˈstænd | bɪˈtw twiːn ækbuːts | ən ðə ˌpr prəʊləˈteəriən əˈbɪs || ˈjuː || wɪðð jɔː j ˈʔəʊldə ˈbrʌðə | ˈʃɜːkɪŋ tw ˈʌs | ðə ˈdʒækbu pr ɪz ˈdjuːtiz | jɔː ˈɡə(ʊ))ɪŋ tə ˈhæv tə ˈduː | ə ˈlɒt ˈmɔːr əv ðɪs || ˈhæv ə ˈɡəʊ jɔːˈself/