Pratica di Shadowing: British Accent Shadowing | Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne | Accent and Intonation Practice (C2) - Impara a parlare inglese con i video

Creazione lezione...
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Hello and welcome to British Accent Shadowing.
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I'm Ashley Howard, a UK voice coach, and among many things, I help people with pronunciation, intonation and accent.
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Today, we're working with an extract from Tristram Shandy by Laurence Stern, one of the most playful,
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eccentric and inventive novels in English literature.
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This passage is around C2 level, so it's a real challenge.
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The language is witty, digressive, highly stylised and full of long, twisting sentences.
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That makes it excellent material for practising standard southern British English,
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especially rhythm, timing, emphasis, irony and expressive reading aloud.
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I'll read the passage once, at a natural pace, then we'll go through it line by line, so you can shadow and repeat after me,
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building clarity, fluency and confidence as you speak.
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You can also download the free PDF of today's passage, with vocabulary notes, using the link in the description below.
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Let's begin.
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I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it,
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had minded what they were about when they begot me.
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had they duly considered how much depended upon what they were then doing?
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that not only the production of a rational being was concerned in it, but that possibly the happy formation and temperature of his body,
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perhaps, his genius and the very cast of his mind.
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And for aught they knew, to the contrary, even the fortunes of his whole house might take their turn from the humours
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and dispositions which were then uppermost.
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Had they duly weighed and considered all this,
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and proceeded accordingly, I am verily persuaded I should have made a quite different figure in the world from
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that in which the reader is likely to see me.
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Believe me, good folks, this is not so inconsiderable a thing as many of you may think it.
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You have all, I dare say, heard of the animal spirits, as how they are transfused from father to son,
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etc., etc., and a great deal to that purpose.
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Well, you may take my word that nine parts in ten of a man's sense or his nonsense,
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his successes and his miscarriages in this world,
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depend upon their motions and activity and the different tracks and trains you put them into, so that when they are once set a -going,
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whether right or wrong, 'tis not a halfpenny matter.
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Away they go, cluttering like hay -go -mad, Using the same steps over and over again,
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they presently make a road of it, as plain and as smooth as a garden walk which, when they are once used to,
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the devil himself sometimes shall not be able to drive them off it.
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"Pray, my dear," quoth my mother, Have you not forgot to wind up the clock?
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Good.
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"God !" cried my father, making an exclamation, but taking care to moderate his voice at the same time.
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Did ever a woman since the creation of the world interrupt a man with such a silly question?
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Pray...
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What was your father saying?
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Nothing.
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Now copy after me.
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If you're serious about developing a clear, contemporary standard British accent, take a look at my 12 -week Pronunciation Roadmap course.
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It's a step -by -step programme with expert guidance, practical training and simple routines to help you improve your pronunciation,
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intonation and overall accent.
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You'll find the link in the description below.
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I wish...
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either my father or my mother,
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or indeed both of them, Thank you.
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as they were in duty...
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both equally bound to it Thank you. Had minded...
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What they were about Thank you.
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when they begot me, Thank you.
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Thank you.
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had they duly considered, How much depended?
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upon what they were then doing. That not only...
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the production of a rational being, was concerned in it.
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but that possibly The happy formation and temperature.
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of his body Perhaps his genius?
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and the very caste of his mind.
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and For aught they knew,
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To the contrary, Even the fortunes... of his whole house. might take their turn.
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from the humors Thank you.
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and dispositions, which were then uppermost. Had they duly weighed?
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and considered all this, and proceeded accordingly Thank you.
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I am verily persuaded, I should have made a quite different figure. in the world.
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Thank you.
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From that, in which the reader is likely to see me.
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Believe me.
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Good folks.
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Thank you.
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This is not...
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so inconsiderable a thing As many of you may think it,
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You have all...
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I dare say.
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heard of the animal spirits, as how they are transfused,
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from father to son, etc etc. Thank you.
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and a great deal to that purpose, Thank you.
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Well, "You may take my word." that nine parts in ten of a man's sense
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or his nonsense, His successes and miscarriages In this world,
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depend upon their motions and activity and the different tracks And trains?
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you put them into... So that...
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when they are once set a -going,
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whether right or wrong, Thank you.
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'Tis not.
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A half -penny matter!
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Away they go cluttering.
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like "Hey, go mad !" and by treading, Amen.
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The same steps.
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over and over again they presently Make a road of it.
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Thank you.
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as plain Thank you.
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and as smooth, as a garden walk. Which...
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when they are once used to, the devil himself Sometimes. shall not be able.
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Thank you.
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to drive them off it.
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Pray, my dear, Quoth my mother, Thank you. Have you not forgot?
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To wind up the clock?
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Thank you.
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Good.
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- Coup.
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cried my father.
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making an exclamation But taking care Thank you. to moderate his voice.
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At the same time, Did ever a woman... Since the creation... of the world.
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Interrupt a man with such a silly question?
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Pray.
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What was your father saying?
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Nothing.
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Now speak with me at the same time.
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Before we continue, take a look at my British accent training books.
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Across the series you'll get 12 hours of audio, accessible on your phone, thousands of practice words and sentences,
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and more than 300 pages covering every vowel and consonant as well as aspects of intonation.
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The link is in the description and in the pinned comment.
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I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it,
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had minded what they were about when they begot me.
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had they duly considered how much depended upon what they were then doing?
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that not only the production of a rational being was concerned in it, but that possibly the happy formation and temperature of his body,
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perhaps, his genius and the very cast of his mind.
117
And for aught they knew, to the contrary, even the fortunes of his whole house might take their turn from the humours
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and dispositions which were then uppermost.
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Had they duly weighed and considered all this,
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and proceeded accordingly, I am verily persuaded I should have made a quite different figure in the world from
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that in which the reader is likely to see me.
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Believe me, good folks, this is not so inconsiderable a thing as many of you may think it.
123
You have all, I dare say, heard of the animal spirits, as how they are transfused from father to son,
124
etc., etc., and a great deal to that purpose.
125
Well, you may take my word that nine parts in ten of a man's sense or his nonsense,
126
his successes and his miscarriages in this world, depend upon their motions and activity,
127
and the different tracks and trains you put them into, so that when they are once set a -going,
128
whether right or wrong, 'tis not a halfpenny matter.
129
Away they go, cluttering like hay -go -mad, and by treading the same steps over and over again,
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they presently make a road of it, as plain and as smooth as a garden walk which, when they are once used to,
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the devil himself sometimes shall not be able to drive them off it.
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"Pray, my dear," quoth my mother, Have you not forgot to wind up the clock?
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Good.
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"Grrrrrr !" cried my father, making an exclamation, but taking care to moderate his voice at the same time.
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Did ever a woman since the creation of the world interrupt a man with such a silly question?
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Pray...
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What was your father saying?
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Nothing.
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Well done!
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That was a demanding passage to shadow.
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With a text like Tristram Shandy, the challenge is not only pronunciation, but also wit, pace, rhythm and attitude.
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Stern's sentences move quickly from one thought to another, so shadowing this kind of writing helps you practice flexibility,
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connected speech and expressive control in British English.
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If this session helped you, please subscribe.
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It supports the channel and helps more learners discover these British accent shadowing lessons.
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And if you'd like more episodes more often, you can also join as a channel member using the link in the description.
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Your support helps me keep creating these resources.
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See you in the next British accent shadowing session.

Informazioni su questa lezione

In questa lezione, lavoreremo su un estratto da Tristram Shandy di Laurence Sterne, un romanzo noto per il suo stile giocoso, eccentrico e inventivo. Il brano che analizzeremo è di livello C2, il che rappresenta una vera sfida per chi desidera migliorare la propria pratica di conversazione in inglese. Durante questa lezione, ci concentreremo su aspetti fondamentali come la pronuncia, l'intonazione e l'accento del sud dell'Inghilterra. Attraverso l'esercizio di shadowing, potrai affinare il tuo ritmo, il tempismo e l'enfasi, migliorando così la tua capacità di leggere ad alta voce in modo espressivo.

Vocabolario e frasi chiave

  • Animal spirits - spiriti animali
  • Fortunes - fortune
  • Inconsiderable - trascurabile
  • Interrupt - interrompere
  • Moderate his voice - moderare la voce
  • Duly considered - debitamente considerato
  • Witty - arguto
  • Expressive reading - lettura espressiva

Consigli per la pratica

Per ottenere il massimo da questa sessione di shadowing in inglese, è importante prestare attenzione alla velocità e al tono della lettura originale. Inizia ascoltando il brano almeno una volta per familiarizzarti con il ritmo e l'intonazione. Successivamente, ripeti ciascuna frase dopo di me, cercando di imitare non solo le parole ma anche le sfumature vocali. Ricorda che l'obiettivo è costruire chiarezza, fluidità e sicurezza mentre parli. Se trovi difficile mantenere il passo, non esitare a rallentare e ripetere più volte la stessa frase. Adottare un approccio paziente e graduale ti aiuterà a sviluppare un accento britannico contemporaneo e chiaro, rendendo le tue conversazioni in inglese più efficaci. Utilizza anche risorse come shadowspeaks per ulteriori esercizi pratici e suggerimenti.

Cos'è la tecnica dello Shadowing?

Shadowing è una tecnica di apprendimento delle lingue supportata da studi scientifici, originariamente sviluppata per la formazione dei traduttori professionisti e resa popolare dal poliglotta Dr. Alexander Arguelles. Il metodo è semplice ma potente: ascolti un audio in inglese di madrelingua e lo ripeti immediatamente ad alta voce — come un'ombra che segue il parlante con un ritardo di solo 1–2 secondi. A differenza dell'ascolto passivo o degli esercizi di grammatica, lo shadowing costringe il tuo cervello e i muscoli della bocca a elaborare e riprodurre simultaneamente i modelli di discorso reale. La ricerca dimostra che migliora significativamente la precisione della pronuncia, l'intonazione, il ritmo, il discorso connesso, la comprensione dell'ascolto e la fluidità del parlato — rendendolo uno dei metodi più efficaci per la preparazione alla prova di speaking dell'IELTS e per la comunicazione reale in inglese.