chappyrick0705
Transcripts for real life conversation? I'm looking for the transcripts that show how people actually speak in everyday situations. I've seen online web sites teaching English based on different situations (at a hotel, post office, air port, etc), but a lot of them tend to be very unnatural, like "Hello, sir. How are you today?" "I'm fine, thank you. I would like to send this package to..." Well, this kind of conversation does happen sometimes, but maybe don't happen most of the time. And it's always very simple and basic, and doesn't cover anything further such as asking for a price based on different weights or mail types (large envelope, register/certified mail, etc). Some people might recommend watching TV or movies to learn this, but I can't find the right one to watch, when my question is specifically an interaction between two people at a specific situation (also, I don't have a TV ^^; ).
Sep 29, 2017 6:23 PM
Answers · 3
Hi chappyrick, I've actually thought about producing these kinds of transcripts because I came across some for another language I was learning and found it extremely helpful. For example, an interviewer asked like 20 people, "What time is it?", and basically got 20 different responses (other than the time being different). For example, one person would say, "Oh, right now, it's about 5 o'clock." and another would say "5 after 5" and another would say, "It's 5 and 3 minutes". I haven't seen anything like this for English (though I haven't looked much since I'm a native speaker) and I want to make some to help other people like you out. So I'd like to get some information from you as to what kind of situations you would find the most useful. If you want, you could send me a private message if you're interested in helping me out. And of course, if I do make them, you'd be the first person I'd tell! Also, if you happen to come across something that already exists, maybe you could let me know. Thanks!
September 29, 2017
It's difficult to develop these kinds of materials because much of everyday language is spoken reflexively (without much conscious attention). Like Corey said, it aids course designers to know in which specific situations the learner needs help. The most natural dialogues happen spontaneously. Conversation Classes are designed to do just that -- provide topics and situations that encourage natural, spontaneous conversation. Right now, I'm building a list of students interested in forming an online Conversation Class. When I get a half dozen or more, I'll open up a class. If you´re interested, message me and I'll add you to the list.
September 30, 2017
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