Mimicry & Meaning Introduction
Now that you are familiar with the process of Rhythmic Phonetic Training, it's time to learn about what The Mimic Method philosophy is really about - Mimicry. To summarize the logic behind The Mimic Method Philosophy:
- Language is acquired through Mimicry - Spoken language is, in the most basic sense, a set of sound-meaning associations. Communicating in a different language requires you to hear sounds, identify their associated meanings, then reproduce those exact same sounds whenever you want to communicate that exact same meaning.
- Mimicry requires phonetic infrastructure - Your ear and speech organ has adapted to the Flow of English and any other language you speak fluently. As such, you lack the hearing sensitivity and speech organ motor skills to accurately hear and reproduce the complex sounds of a foreign language.
- Phonetic Infrastructure can be built through song training - Each time you sing "Alors on Danse", you actively build the perception and motor skills needed to process and reproduce French sounds.
- Once your phonetic infrastructure is in place (i.e. you've mastered "The Flow"), you will be able to mimic native, normal speed French Speech accurately and effortlessly.
The Missing Elements of French Flow
The most important acoustic features of speech are the phonemes and stress patterns (rhythm). A lyricist will sometimes alter a phoneme or misplace a stress for stylistic purposes, but never more than a few times. For the most part, song lyrics are rhythmically and phonetically consistent with normal speech.
There are two more acoustic features of speech, however, that do vary a great deal in song. In terms of communicating meaning, these two acoustic features are less relevant, but you will still need to master them in order to truly master the Flow of French. The two features are as follows:
As you can imagine, the voice inflection and pacing of songs are usually NOT consistent with that of real speech. If you are singing any kind of melody, you completely change the voice inflection. Also, there is no pressure to keep a steady beat in everyday speech the way you do when singing or rapping, so the pacing is naturally altered.
There are two more acoustic features of speech, however, that do vary a great deal in song. In terms of communicating meaning, these two acoustic features are less relevant, but you will still need to master them in order to truly master the Flow of French. The two features are as follows:
- Voice Inflection - The pitch of our voices goes up and down as we speak, and this pitch variation adds more subtle shades of meaning to what we say. For example, the only acoustic difference between the exclamation "It was you!" and the question "It was you?" is the voice inflection. French has its own set of voice inflection patterns that you will need to listen closely to and mimic.
- Pacing - People typically speak in complete thoughts and insert pauses in between those thoughts. Also, the speed at which something is said can also communicate subtle shades of meaning (compare "I know" to a long and drawn out "I knooow". You might say the latter when you are irritated by what the person is telling you). Pauses and speed fall into the category of pacing, and French has its own set of pacing patterns that you will need to listen closely to and mimic.
As you can imagine, the voice inflection and pacing of songs are usually NOT consistent with that of real speech. If you are singing any kind of melody, you completely change the voice inflection. Also, there is no pressure to keep a steady beat in everyday speech the way you do when singing or rapping, so the pacing is naturally altered.
Mimicry in Practice
Originally, there was too much new acoustic information for you to have any chance to mimic normal speed French, but now, at least for these lyrics of "Alors On Danse," you already have the phonemes and rhythm on autopilot. With the hard part out of the way, you can focus your attention on the smaller nuances of French Flow - such as the pacing and Voice inflection.
In this section, you will listen to a native speaker recite the song lyrics normally as if he were in conversation. Your goal is to mimic every single nuance of his pronunciation exactly, paying close attention to the voice inflection and pacing.
In this section, you will listen to a native speaker recite the song lyrics normally as if he were in conversation. Your goal is to mimic every single nuance of his pronunciation exactly, paying close attention to the voice inflection and pacing.
