Pronunciation Challenge

みなさん、こんにちは！　お元気でしたか？ 

光陰矢のごとし（こういんやのごとし：Time flies）ですね。 It's now October and it’s time for the 5th challenge for paid members! 

Please join the challenge and improve how you sound! 

If you're not a paid member, the points for natural speech for each level will be helpful for you to improve how you sound. So please feel free to read the points and practice on your own. If you need any help, I always welcome new members to join us!

For paid members, the announcement is on the Forum, "Pronunciation Challenge" with a guide audio file and a PDF for pitch accent.

How to Participate:

1. Choose either the beginner, intermediate, advanced, or proficient level, record it, and upload it on the Forum as a reply to this announcement(The same announcement has been posted on the forum as well).

2. The deadline is Saturday, October 19th, at 11:00 PM. JST.

Feedback: I will provide feedback via video on Wednesday, October 23th, in Feedback for Pronunciation Challenge in the Forum and “Upgrade Speaking” on my website.

Sentences to Read: Here are the sentences you’ll read. Please choose one, record, and upload it. I added points for you to be careful with, but if there are any other points you want me to check, please let me know when you upload your recording.

【Beginner　初級（しょきゅう）】

1週間後に、日本に旅行に行きます。東京と大阪に行きます。

（いっしゅうかんごに、にほんにりょこうにいきます。とうきょうとおおさかにいきます。）

"I'm going to travel to Japan in a week. I'm visiting Tokyo and Osaka."

Points:

・The pitch accent of りょこう, とうきょう, and おおさか: Many people pronounce りょこう with an Atamadaka accent, but it is actually Heiban. Make sure to raise your pitch. Since とうきょう and おおさか are very famous names, you might have encountered these words in your own language, which could interfere with the pronunciation in the Japanese way. Their pitch accent is also Heiban, so remember to raise your pitch.

・The length of おお in とう, きょう, and おお: They all have a long お vowel, so make sure to pronounce them long.

・The length of the small つ in いっしゅうかん: It is often pronounced too short.

・The pitch accent of いきます: If you don’t pause before いきます, the pitch of い is the same height as に. However, if you add a pause, い starts with a low pitch.

【Intermediate　中級（ちゅうきゅう）】

そのドラマ、見たいと思ってたんです。すごい人気があるみたいじゃないですか。

（そのドラマ、みたいとおもってたんです。すごいにんきがあるみたいじゃないですか）

“I’ve been wanting to see that drama. It seems to be really popular.”

Points:

・The vowel お in ドラマ: The vowel needs to be pronounced clearly.

・The pitch accent difference between 見たい and みたい in あるみたい: The 見たい’s pitch accent is Nakadaka, but when you say あるみたい, あ is high and the other parts, including みたい are low.

・The intonation of あるみたいじゃないですか: It might sound complicated, but we use it often. In this case, it's not a question, so make sure not to raise your pitch at the end. Please practice it repeatedly until you feel comfortable saying it.

【Advanced　上級（じょうきゅう）】

10月１日から、日本の首相が変わりました。

新しい首相の名前は、石破茂です。

日本では、首相は国会議員から選びます。なので国会でいちばん大きい政党のトップが、首相になります。国民が、直接投票することはありません。

（じゅうがつついたちから、にほんのしゅしょうがかわりました。あたらしいしゅしょうのなまえは、いしばしげるです。

にほんでは、しゅしょうはこっかいぎいんからえらびます。なので、こっかいでいちばんおおきいせいとうのトップが、しゅしょうになります。こくみんが、ちょくせつとうひょうすることはありません。）

"As of October 1st, Japan has a new Prime Minister. The new Prime Minister's name is Shigeru Ishiba. In Japan, the Prime Minister is chosen from among the members of the National Diet. Therefore, the leader of the largest party in the Diet becomes the Prime Minister. The citizens do not vote for the Prime Minister directly.”

Points:

・The pronunciation of ついたち.

・The pitch accent of しゅしょう.

・The pitch accent of こっかい and こっかいぎいん: The こっかい part is Heiban, so be sure to raise your pitch.

【Proficient】

今度の水曜日(10/9)にアップする予定のFluent Talks 7は、Talking About Work.です。 そこでは、自分の仕事を相手に伝えます。 なので、もし、自分のことを伝える練習をしたければ、ぜひ、「お仕事はなんですか」と聞かれたと思って、みなさんの実際の仕事を答えてみてください。言い方がわからないときは、質問してください！　

Fluent Talks 7, which is scheduled to be uploaded this Wednesday (October 9), is about "Talking About Work." In this episode, you'll learn how to talk about what you do for a living. So, if you'd like to practice introducing yourself, try answering the question, "What do you do for a living?" based on your actual situation. If you're not sure how to say something, don't hesitate to ask!

みなさんのチャレンジ、お待（ま）ちしてます！！

I can't wait to see your entries!