TRUE LISTENING:

WHISPY© IN THE ACCENT REDUCTION

CLASSROOM

Figure 1 Whispy
Language Magazine
February 2006
Steven Donahue
Words: 891

THE BEAUTIFUL HUSH OF LEARNING

The cacophony of student voices, which in an English as a Second Language (ESL)

classroom approaches the roar of the Tower of Babel, was eerily silenced when students
began exercising using a remarkable learning tool called Whispy. In preliminary tests,
the device, as simple as it is effective, has made it possible for scores of adult ESL
students at Miami Dade College in Florida to make quantum leaps in absorbing Accent
Reduction lessons and hearing the true differences between the English sound system and
their native one.

Whispy is a device which transmits true sound directly from a student’s voice, either
whispered or just above a whisper with perfect fidelity and natural amplification to the
student’s ear. It is an acoustically designed plastic device that works without batteries, but
whose design is ingenious and has been thoroughly tested in wind tunnels, and in fact is
patent pending. In the traditional accent reduction or reading aloud classroom, there is
something of a multiple shouting match, with accents of half a dozen languages colliding
with each other to create a chaotic sound pattern not conducive to learning. However,

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with Whispy, each student hears themselves, in their true and authentic voice without the
distraction of the background voices of fellow students.

WHISPY ACCENT REDUCTION

Figure 2 Mixing up P and B

In a sense, the name of the course EAP 1501 and 1502 “Accent Reduction” is a
misnomer. It would be better termed Accent Awareness or Accent Alleviation. In fact,
post-puberty, it is difficult for adult learners to completely eliminate interference from
their first language. And that is where Whispy is a remarkably helpful tool because for
some students, for the very first time, they are able to distinguish those unfamiliar sounds
of English which they are attempting to produce or approximate. And with this
comparison, true accent breakthroughs are possible.

In the classroom, I do a number of activities revolving around the use of the Whispy
product. For native Spanish speakers, the distinction between the puffy English “P”
sound in initial position and the “B” sound is frequently non-existent. When using
Whispy, many of these Spanish-speaking students finally “get it,” and the new rendition
of the English “P” is much improved.

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Figure 3 The Puffy English P

Figure 4 Minimum Pairs for P and B

DID YOU SAY “WORSE” OR “VERSE”?

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 Figure 5 Confusing W & V
Whispy has proved helpful for some languages which just do not have the same sound
set as English. Because Portuguese lacks the “V” sound, words like “Wisconsin,” have a
heavy “V” quality to them at the beginning. Using Whispy, and minimum pairs such as
below, has proven helpful to Portuguese students taking Accent Reduction.

Wheel Veal
Whale Vail
Worse Verse
Wet Vet
We “V”
Womb Voom
Figure 6 W & V Minimum Pairs

WHISPY-POWERED INTONATION
It is not what you say; it is how you say it. Intonation is another area of Accent Reduction
amenable to the use of Whispy because intonation is such a nuanced voice art requiring
true fidelity.

For example, with Determination, a separate stress and a downward slide is given to
every word. Students frequently are unable to really express their seriousness about a
matter or alternatively to understand when someone is telling them something which is
quite important, even vital. Whispy, with repeated use, helps students differentiate and
produce these important types of intonation patterns.

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Figure 7 Determined Intonation

Surprise, like shock puts an extra high note on the word that is important. It is instructive
how many students, perhaps overwhelmed by the parsing of the words themselves; do not
really sound surprised or shocked, but more robotic. I noticed significant improvements
after using Whispy in the classroom with many of these surprise intonation patterns.

Figure 8 Shocked Intonation

English as second language students are at a disadvantage when trying to interpret

whether someone is simply being ironic with them (What a great car you have!—when in
fact it is an old junk) or being condescending, patronizing, or just plain rude. It is difficult
for them to tease out elaborate intonation patterns, such as Coaxing, typically spoken to a
child, which begins on a high note, descends down to a low note, and then rises to normal
at the end of a sentence.

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 Figure 9 Coaxing Intonation

The use of Whispy, along with individual coaching by the teacher, has seen many
students perform this type of intonation, and even enthrall in performing it.

SPEAKING LIKE AN AMERICAN WITH WHISPY

Whispy brings an electric energy into the Accent Reduction classroom and students feel
empowered to be able to hear their true voices. There are many applications for the sound
system of English, such as vowel discrimination, rhythm, stress patterns, tongue twisters
and adjustments. Many of the students have brought the devices home and shared them
with their children who warmed to the idea of reading aloud, but without disturbing
others. In so many ways, this deceptively simple, low-tech device has revolutionized my
Accent Reduction class, and promises to open up many more sound vistas for legions of
second language learners who desperately need to distinguish English sounds and
patterns..

For Further Information, contact Whispy at:

http://www.imaginativelearningtools.com

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