Why Should I Go There? – Transcripts
Jamaica
Just like our neighbours, our country enjoys a great mix of cultures because our people came
from Africa, Europe and Asia, and even before that, the Taino people from Central America
gave our country its original name which means land of wood and water; and even today
you can find plenty, plenty small rivers and waterfalls on our island.
We enjoy food that is very well seasoned, but when you visit, you may want to ask us to hold
the pepper! Our most famous dish is Ackee and saltfish with yellow yam. The ackee and the
yam came from Africa, and the fish is salted cod, and some of it is imported from Norway, so
you can see that we are a global people.
We grow tropical fruits and blend them into interesting drink mixes like mango carrot juice
and soursop and lime juice. They are not only delicious, but we believe fruit juices are good
for you.
Speaking of drinks, our coffee that is grown on the Blue Mountains is among the best, and
so, it can be quite expensive. We also blend fine rum which is exported all over the world.
Our reggae music is a national treasure that got very popular in the 1970s and 80s, now we
dedicate the month of February to play and to promote reggae music.
Sports is another of our national passions and our athletes are have made us proud by
earning many gold medals on the track, but we are also very successful in other sports such
as the Commonwealth sports of Cricket and Netball.
You may have heard of our bobsleigh team at the Winter Olympics. A movie called Cool
Runnings was made about it. When we say ‘Cool Runnings’, it means everything is all right,
and sometimes we just say Irie!
The USA
Ours is actually a fairly young nation, it is only a few centuries old. It is a tremendously
diverse country with beautiful mountains and vast plains, deserts and swamps. It borders
two oceans, has nine time zones and a climate that ranges from tropical to polar.
Our cities are really modern and dynamic, with stellar night life, shopping and eye-popping
cultural experiences! And why not hit the road and discover the exceptional beauty of our
nature?
My country has been the land of dreams and opportunities for many generations of people,
and it still is today. As a visitor you can enjoy a carefree time off. You can endulge in food
from all corners of the world, enjoy all kinds of cultural activities from top-class museums to
small music clubs, and even try gambling in casinos in some of our states. I think you can find
everything your heart desires in this country.
It is easy to travel around the country because our highway system is the best in the world
and you will find anything you need along the way. So why don’t you give it a try! You’ll love
it! Awesome!
Canada
So you want to find out a couple of things about my country, eh?
Well, first of all, my country is the neighbour of one of the most powerful countries in the
world, which has made my country less well-known to many people. But, it is the second
largest country in the world, and with our neighbour, we share the longest land border
between two countries. We also suffer from an identity crisis when it comes to language.
We use the spelling and grammar from one country, but the words, accents and expressions
from another country.
Secondly, this is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations because
of large-scale immigration from many countries. We are officially bilingual, with English and
French as official languages.
There are three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (commonly referred to as First Nations),
Métis and Inuit. These are three distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural
practices and spiritual beliefs. More than one million people identify themselves as an
Aboriginal person. Many First Nations live on lands called reserves, others live in
communities, both rural and urban. We even established a huge, separate territory for the
Inuit in 1999 in an effort to try and give some land back to the First Nations.
If you come to visit us, you have to get some coffee and doughnuts at Tim Hortons, have
some pancakes with maple syrup and watch at least one hockey match! You won’t find any
other country where so many kids play hockey!
International surveys frequently rank my country as the "best country in the world to live in"
– and it is also one of the top ten tourist destinations in the world. So why don’t you come
visit, eh? We are very polite and easy-going and there is always room for some more. Don’t
forget to bring your tuque and your runners, drive many clicks and spend a loonie and a
toonie!
The UK
My country is not just one country, but in fact a union of four countries and even though
they are in many ways much alike, they are also quite different.
Our country and especially our capital are hugely popular tourist destinations. Do you know
how many people visit our capital every year? More than 16 million! Actually, it is the
second most popular capital in the world!
Many tourists come to shop, to visit our pubs, to enjoy concerts, theatre performances and
museums. But the countryside also has a lot to offer, varied landscapes with beautiful hills
and cosy villages, wild areas and dramatic scenery.
The whole world knows our royal family; they are simply the most famous royal family in the
world. Our political system has been a model for many other democracies over the
centuries. This country has been the most powerful in the world, but even though it no
longer holds that position, it is still an important global power.
Our pop and rock artists are popular all over the world, and have an exceptional position not
only among young people, but also among their parents, who started out as fans in their
youth. I’d hum a song for you right now, but unfortunately, I can’t carry a tune in a basket!
So go on, save up a few quid and come visit this cracking country of ours! Bring your mates
too, and I guarantee you’ll have a few laughs. And when you’re knackered from too much
sightseeing and shopping, have a nice cuppa and get some kip, and you’ll be as right as rain.
Cheers!
Glossary of for the UK text
I can't carry a tune in a basket (idiom) I can't sing
cracking (colloquial) splendid
‘ave a few laughs (colloquial) have fun
knackered (colloquial) exhausted, very tired
cuppa (colloquial) cup of tea
kip (colloquial) sleep
India
The first thing that is special about my country is the size. It is the largest democracy in the
world. It is also the second most populous country in the world, and the population is very,
very diverse. Actually, we are speaking many different languages!
And because it is such a big country, we can basically show you not only impressive
mountains, but also beautiful sandy beaches, wild jungles and fruitful farming districts. Did
you know that there are even tigers in my country? They are not as scary as they look like!
The elders used to tell us "Do not blame God for having created the tiger, but thank him for
not having given it wings!" And thankful we are.
Because we are having so many different people in so many different kinds of areas, there is
a lot of exciting food! We have an array of local food traditions and a huge variety of dishes,
so you need a long stay here to taste it all! Some dishes are very hot and spicy, others are
soft and tasteful. In Britain our food is definitely more popular than fish and chips! The
British just love our spicy sauces and our savoury meat dishes.
Another thing that is special about my country is that we have one of the oldest musical
traditions in the world and we love films with a lot of song and dance.
My country has a very unique mix of people, languages and cultures. Do one thing, come
and visit and bring your near and dear!
Language Features
Jamaica – some characteristics of Jamaican English
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often drops the /r/, but not always (semi-rhotic)
Irish melody/intonation
lack of the weak vowel schwa (/ə/), which results in each syllable being clearly pronounced
and equally stressed: glo-bal, moun-tins, de-li-cious
water is pronounced /wata/, bigger is pronounced /bɪɡa/, over is /ova/, colour is /cola/
dropping of /h/ at the beginning of words (our athletes ‘ave made us proud)
diphthongs are reduced in words such as name, neighbours , play, hold, only, grow
very open vowel sounds are common – examples: spArts, smAll and fAll, All
/ð/and /θ/ are pronounced /d/ and /t/ in words like the and thin
-ing is collapsed to –in
/t/ and /d/ at the end of words like just and blend are often dropped
The USA – some characteristics of Standard US English
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rhotic (meaning /r/) is clearly pronounced in most positions
-tt- in a word like better is pronounced with a /d/ after, last, ask
/ɑ:/ becomes /æ:/ in words like vast
/ju:/ becomes /u:/ in words like news, student, tune, opportunity
Canada – some characteristics of Canadian English
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Canadian pronunciation is almost identical to American pronunciation. The most famous
difference is the ou sound, so the word house will sound to American ears like hoose. They
tend to pronounce cot the same as caught and collar the same as caller. And some will turn t
sounds into d sounds, so the capital (Ottawa) appears to be “Oddawa.” In Atlantic Canada,
accents are more influenced by Scottish and Irish sounds.
the tag ‘eh’ is often identified as a marker of Canadian English
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in Quebec people take the Metro instead of the subway, and you will hear French words
such as autoroute for highway, and expressions like shut a light
some slang words: click (kilometre), loonie (one-dollar coin), toonie (two-dollar coin),
breakwich (breakfast sandwich), Canuck (a Canadian), mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted
Police)
The UK – some characteristcs of Estuary English
‘The classless accent – not ot posh, not Cockney’. The well-known British linguist David Crystal calls
Estuary English “a sort of cross between Cockney and Received Pronunciation” and claims it is one of
the fastest moving accents of modern times. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as ‘a type of accent
identified as spreading outwards from London and containing features of both received
pronunciation and London speech’
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The glottal stop is sometimes used, but not as often as in Cockney; started is pronounced
/stɑː?ɪd/ not /stɑːtɪd/, the final t may be dropped in words such as important and basket
/l/ vocalisation: pronouncing the l-sound as /w/ in final positions or in a final consonant
cluster, capital is pronounced almost like /ˈkæpɪtəw/, not /ˈkæpɪtəl/, world is pronounced
/wɜːwd/, not /wɜːld/
some diphthong shift, know is pronounced almost like the word now: /naʊ/, the second a in
landscape is almost an /æ/ (ˈlæn.skæɪp/, not /ˈlændskeɪp/)
‘yod’-dropping, which means using /tʃ/ instead of /tj/ in words such as tune
h-dropping may occur, but not as often as in Cockney (‘Ave a nice day!)
some use of colloquial expressions such as ‘cheers’
India – some characteristics of Indian English
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/r/ is clearly pronounced after vowel sounds, like in very, after, sir
/k/, /t/, /p/ are pronounced without aspiration (=extra breath), like in tiger, taste, people
/t/ and /d/ are pronounced with the tongue curled towards the back of the mouth: variety
often use the –ing form where regular present tense is more correct
‘actually’ and ‘basically’ are used more frequently than more than British/American speakers
the use of “Indianisms” such as ‘do one thing’
Other typical features that are not prominent in this particular recording:
 the th sound is pronounced /d/ or /t/ with the tongue curled backwards: thin /tin/
 Indian English often appears to put the stress accents at other syllables than British English,
which may create a kind of “machine-gun” rhythm and a clear difference in how words are
stressed and pronounced, e.g. develòpment rather than devèlopment