Unit 1 Activity 1.8

Task 1: Read the following sentences aloud to a partner. They have been written phonetically, so the spelling attempts to show the speakers' accents. Can you work out what they should sound like and what they mean?

1) "S'appnin? Mah' dojigger be Isaac. I live in Kin'staan. S'coo, bro'. Where d'ya live?"
"What's happening? My name is Isaac. I live in Kingston. It's cool brother. Where do you live. What this sentence means is it's two people talking. One's name is Isaac, and is telling the other person that he lives in Kingston. Then asks where the other person lives.
2) "Owright, mate. Ya ahright'? It's me berfday nex week, I'll be fir'een."
"Alright, mate. Are you alright? It's my birthday next week, I'll be fifteen." What this sentence means is it's a conversation between two friends. One is asking the other if they're aright and then saying it will be his birthday next week.
3) "G'day cobber, ows it goin? Havn a shindig over at muh sheila's this arvo, reckon its gonna be a rippah!
"Good day friend, how is it going? Having a get together over at my sister's this evening, I sat it's going to be crazy!' What this sentence means is it's a conversation between two friends, and one friend is saying how his sister is going to have a party, he's really excited.

Task 2: Write out how you would speak to someone your own age. Load it with slang, and set it out phonetically.

"Yo man, how you doin' todai? Dat's guud, I'm feelin' pretty guud miself."

The television character, Ali G, has created his own dialect. Below are examples of how he speaks. Read them, then re-write them using Standard English. How does Ali G say these words: my, the, to, he?

My: Me
The: Da 
To: A
He: Him

1) "For real, it is like brain food for da mind to read quillions of books."
Read lots of books, it helps your brain grow and develop. 
2) "Him be me mate Dave. He said wot he would borrow me his trainers."
He is my friend Dave. He said I could borrow his trainers.
3) "Me went a school yesterday, and we did have a well wicked English lesson."
I went to school yesterday, and we had an awesome English lesson.
4) "Me hasked da man to chill, but him still kept bangin'"
I asked him to relax, but he kept going.