We're almost to the end of the program! I know I've been not so consistent with posts so I wanted to share a video blog I made last night as a little culmination/documentation of what I've learned here at CLI Uzbek this year and last. With our final and closing ceremony tomorrow, I'll be saying goodbye to Arizona but definitely not to my language learning journey.
Check out the video below (or at this link), it's my first video entirely spoken in Uzbek for the site. Subtitles included for English speakers, don't worry! Let me know what you think in the comments below and I look forward to posting a final reflection before being on my way on Saturday. Thanks for following along this summer and for the nice emails readers have sent!
Xayr, Brian
Hi Brian,
ReplyDeleteDisclaimer: I am not an Uzbek speaker but a native Persian/Arabic one as well as US English. My father was a Turkish speaker as well so I used to hear a lot of Turkish around me. I know maybe 70% of the Uzbek nouns as they are pronounced mostly the same as the original Persian or Arabic.
First comment of mine is that I am very impressed with your interest and drive to learn a very different language and I wish you more success in this endeavor.
My second comment is that I also am using your material to learn some Uzbek myself. :) So now you know your blog has been very useful to at least one person. So, please keep up the good work!
And my third comment is just a simple token I would like to give you from what I know as a native speaker to make you sound even more authentic. I live in the US and I am a fluent English speaker so I see and notice this issue a lot among native English speakers when it comes to pronouncing Farsi/Arabic, etc.. If you want to make it sound more authentic Uzbek, focus on these points as these sounds are what characterize the Turkic/Persian style language sounds:
-- 'a' is not the same as a in English. It should sound like a in 'after' all the time but a bit shorter. I notice you sound more like English a in your video.
-- O should be stretched as if suddenly filling your throat with air and sounds like a hollowed a in 'father' but shorter and faster. Turkish is characterized by this sound.
-- R should be pronounced with a roll. This is universal among languages of that area. In English the R's are just to soft.
-- Uzbek/Turkish characteristically puts the emphasis on the last syllable most of the time. Do not lose this emphasis when speaking.
-- Finally, your speed is good for English or German, but is a bit too fast and you so it reduces the needed emphasis.
I wish you success my friend.
Judayam ajoyib, hozirgi kunda O'zbeklarning yoqimtoyiga aylanib qolgansiz, ayniqsa Amerikadagi O'zbeklarning, chunki bizda sizning qiziqarli videolaringizni ko'rish uchun imkoniyatlar O'zbekistondagilardan ko'ra yaxshiroq. Mani qiziqtirayotgan savol: siz O'zbek tilini yanada chuqurroq o'rganib balki kelajakda O'zbekistonga borish istagi bormi yoki endi navbatdagi til o'rganishga o'tasizmi?
ReplyDeleteSalom Brian,
ReplyDeleteI am the author of the intro and intermediate textbooks that you used during your summer courses. One of my students sent me the URL to your blog. I am so delighted to see your enthusiasm, passion and drive to learn Uzbek! Keep up the good work, you are doing great! If you happen to have any feedback on the draft version of the intermediate textbook you used in your class, please let me know. Saodat opa very graciously provided me with some excellent feedback, but I'd love to hear students' thoughts as well.
PS. I am not leaving my email address here, I am afraid I'll get spammed. But, you can connect with me via Linkedin (same name as in the textbook, and I'm currently at CU Boulder). Or, you can get my personal email from Kathleen E-R, CLI's director. Ishlaringizda omad tilab qolaman. Salomat bo'ling, N.