Daily English 1256 Describing Fast and Slow Speech

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:22
Explanation begins at: 3:41
Normal Speed begins at: 18:58

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,256 – Describing Fast and Slow Speech.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,256. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Jerome and Elise about speaking fast and slow. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Jerome: Did you hear what the speaker said?

Elise: No, I didn’t catch that either. She’s racing through her presentation like she’s late for her train.

Jerome: I know. She speaks at such a fast rate of speech that it’s dizzying. I wish she’d slow down so I could make out what she’s saying. Most of it is mumbled or garbled.

Elise: She’s got to be breaking a record for the number of words per minute. Hey wait, she’s done. The next speaker has to be better.

Jerome: Oh my God, she’s worse! She must be the slowest speaker alive. Every utterance is drawn-out and every sentence seems interminable. She just keeps droning on and on and on.

Elise: At least we can understand her.

Jerome: Yes, but I wish she’d pick up the pace. She’s making a lengthy speech even longer. At this rate, we’ll be here until midnight!

Elise: Maybe we should try to pay attention and take notes like we’re supposed to.

Jerome: How can we when her voice is so hypnotic?

Elise: I know what you mean. I think I need some coffee. Do you want some?

Jerome: [snores]

Elise: Jerome, Jerome!

[end of dialogue]

Jerome says to Elise, “Did you hear what the speaker said?” A “speaker” (speaker) here refers to a person who is talking or giving a speech in front of other people, in front of a group of people. The word “speaker” can also refer to an electronic device that you hear sounds out of. So, if you’re listening, for example, to the radio, you are probably listening to the sound coming out of a speaker. You could also have headphones or ear buds as well that go right into your ear. Jerome, however, is talking about a person who is speaking, who is talking.

Elise says, “No, I didn’t catch that either.” “To catch” (catch) here means to understand or to recognize something, especially something that is being told to you. If you have difficulty hearing someone, you may say, “I didn’t catch that,” meaning I didn’t understand it or I didn’t hear it properly. Elise isn’t able to understand what the speaker is saying either. She says, “She’s racing through her presentation like she’s late for her train.” “To race” (race) means to do something very quickly, very fast. Elise is saying that the speaker is talking very fast.

She’s “racing through her presentation” – the information she’s giving to people – “like she’s late for her train.” If you are “late for your train,” you may miss your train because you may arrive at the train station too late. So of course you’re going to move very quickly so you don’t miss your train. Well that’s what Elise is comparing the speaker to – a person who is moving very quickly. Jerome says, “I know. She speaks at such a fast rate of speech that it’s dizzying.” Your “rate (rate) of speech” is how fast you talk. I’m talking at a slow rate of speech right now, compared to how fast I might speak to someone else.

The rate of speech of the speaker, according to Jerome, is “dizzying” (dizzying). Something that is “dizzying” makes you dizzy. “To be dizzy” means to be confused. Usually you feel as though you may fall down, or you feel, we would say, “disoriented.” If someone hits you on the head, you may feel dizzy. Your head might begin to seem as though it is spinning around as though it is moving around in circles. If something is “dizzying” because it’s fast, it is so fast it’s making you confused, and that’s what Jerome means here.

He says, “I wish she’d slow down,” meaning speak more slowly, “so I could make out what she’s saying.” “To make out” is a two-word phrasal verb that here means to be able to understand something that is otherwise unclear. “To make out” means to recognize or to understand something. There’s another completely different meaning of the phrasal verb “to make out.” In informal English, “to make out” means to kiss and otherwise touch someone to whom you are romantically attracted. That’s a very different meaning than what we have here.

Jerome continues, “Most of it,” meaning most of what the speaker is saying, “is mumbled or garbled.” “Mumbled” (mumbled) means said in a way that is difficult to understand. The verb “to mumble” is to say something usually in a low voice – that is, not very loudly – and in a way that is difficult for other people to understand. Young children sometimes mumble. They speak like: [mumbles]. They speak in a way that is opposite of the way I’m speaking now, which is very clearly.

The same is true with the adjective “garbled” (garbled). “Garbled” means unclear or confusing. Often “garbled” means more specifically to be mixed up – perhaps two different people are talking at the same time, or there’s a lot of noise while someone is talking and so you can’t hear things clearly. That’s a little different than “mumbled.” “Mumbled” refers specifically to someone who is speaking at a low volume and not very clearly.

Elise continues, “She’s got to be breaking a record for the number of words per minute.” “To break a record” here means to be doing something, in this case, faster than anyone else has done it. A “record” (record) is the highest or greatest accomplishment that anyone has made in that particular area. In sports, we often talk about “world records” – the fastest person in the world, or the fastest that anyone has ever run. Well, Elise says that the speaker is breaking a record for the “number of words per minute” – that is, the number of words that you speak each minute, each sixty seconds.

“Hey wait,” Elise says, “she’s done,” meaning she’s finished. She’s completed her speech. “The next speaker has to be better,” Elise says. She means that the next speaker cannot be any worse than the one they just heard. But that isn’t true. Jerome says, “Oh my God, she’s worse. She must be the slowest speaker alive. Every utterance is drawn-out and every sentence seems interminable.” An “utterance” (utterance) is another word for something that is said or spoken. Sometimes we think of an “utterance” as being a sentence, although that’s not always true.

“To be drawn (drawn) – out” means to be made to last longer than it should, to take more time than is necessary. Sometimes you’ll go to a movie and it will be very “drawn-out.” The story will be made much longer than it needs to be. That’s usually a boring movie. “Every sentence seems interminable” (interminable). Something which is “interminable” is something that doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to end, something that is very long and usually very boring as well.

Jerome says, “She keeps droning on and on and on.” “To drone (drone) on” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to speak for a very long time in a boring and uninteresting way. “I’m going to now talk about all the things that I’m interested in. First, I will tell you about my first day at school.” That’s “to drone on” – to talk for a long time in a way that isn’t very interesting. Elise says, however, “At least we can understand her,” meaning well, even though she’s boring, we can understand what she’s saying, which is unlike the previous speaker.

Jerome says, “Yes, but I wish she’d pick up the pace” (pace). “To pick up the pace” is to increase the speed of something or to increase how fast you are doing something – in this case, how fast she is speaking. Jerome says, “She’s making a lengthy speech even longer.” “Lengthy” (lengthy) means lasting a long time, taking a long time. “At this rate,” Jerome says, “we’ll be here until midnight.” “At this rate” (rate) means if we continue going at this speed. Jerome is saying that if the woman keeps speaking so slowly, they will be there listening to her until midnight – presumably many hours in the future.

Elise says, “Maybe we should try to pay attention and take notes like we’re supposed to.” She’s suggesting to Jerome that they actually listen to the speaker and maybe write some things down about what she is saying. Jerome says, “How can we,” meaning how can we do that, “when her voice is so hypnotic?” “Hypnotic” (hypnotic) is someone who either makes you feel tired and sleepy because the way they are speaking is slow and uninteresting, or just the opposite – someone is so interesting that you feel as though you are under their control.

The word “hypnotic” comes from “hypnosis,” which is the process supposedly of making someone go into a certain mental state in which the person can perhaps be given certain suggestions that will affect his or her actions or behavior in the future. In movies and on television, you often see someone being hypnotized by taking an object such as a little watch and making the watch go back and forth in front of the person’s eyes until they somehow fall asleep or fall into this different mental state.

That’s where the word “hypnotic” comes from. Again it’s an unusual word. Here, it’s being used to mean someone is so boring that you’re falling asleep, but it can also be used as an adjective to describe someone who is very interesting. So interesting that you are almost in a hypnotic state and that person could control you because the person is so interesting, and perhaps so persuasive. Jerome thinks the second speaker is hypnotic.

Elise says, “I know what you mean. I think I need some coffee. Do you want some?” In the meantime, Jerome has actually fallen asleep. He makes a noise because he begins “to snore” (snore). “To snore” is to make a noise with your mouth and/or nose while you are sleeping. That is an example of “snoring.” Jerome has fallen asleep because he starts to snore.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal rate of speech.

[start of dialogue]

Jerome: Did you hear what the speaker said?

Elise: No, I didn’t catch that either. She’s racing through her presentation like she’s late for her train.

Jerome: I know. She speaks at such a fast rate of speech that it’s dizzying. I wish she’d slow down so I could make out what she’s saying. Most of it is mumbled or garbled.

Elise: She’s got to be breaking a record for the number of words per minute. Hey wait, she’s done. The next speaker has to be better.

Jerome: Oh my God, she’s worse! She must be the slowest speaker alive. Every utterance is drawn-out and every sentence seems interminable. She just keeps droning on and on and on.

Elise: At least we can understand her.

Jerome: Yes, but I wish she’d pick up the pace. She’s making a lengthy speech even longer. At this rate, we’ll be here until midnight!

Elise: Maybe we should try to pay attention and take notes like we’re supposed to.

Jerome: How can we when her voice is so hypnotic?

Elise: I know what you mean. I think I need some coffee. Do you want some?

Jerome: [snores]

Elise: Jerome, Jerome!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogues are never interminable. They’re always short and sweet – that is, they don’t take long, but there’s a lot of good things in them. We thank our scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse, for that.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

speaker – a presenter; a person who speaks in front of an audience to share information or provide motivation or entertainment

* If you are invited to the conference as a speaker, you don’t need to pay the registration fee to attend.

to catch – to understand or recognize something, especially referring to something that is presented, shared, or made available very quickly

* Did you catch the meaning of that graph right away, or did you have to study it for a while?

to race – to do something very quickly

* They raced through their dinner so that they could get to the theater on time.

rate of speech – a measurement of how slowly or quickly someone speaks

* People in New England have a faster rate of speech than people in the Southern states.

dizzying – making someone feel confused or disoriented, especially when too much information is presented too quickly

* The bridal shop had a dizzying selection of wedding gowns, and it quickly became overwhelming.

to make out – to be able to understand something that is very unclear, or to see something that is fuzzy and undefined

* One day, I wasn’t able to make out any of the writing on the teacher’s whiteboard, and I knew I needed to start wearing glasses.

to mumble – to say something in a quiet, unclear way that makes it difficult or impossible for others to understand what one is saying

* The professor mumbled his instructions, but none of the students was brave enough to ask him to repeat what he had said, so they just guessed about what they were supposed to do.

garbled – unclear, confusing, and mixed up

* The voice coming through the telephone sounded so garbled that we couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

utterance – something that is said or spoken

* Edgar was so disgusted by what he saw that he could only respond with a simple utterance: “Ugh.”

drawn-out – made to last longer than something should; taking more time than necessary

* They went through a very messy, drawn-out divorce.

interminable – unending; very long and uninteresting, seeming never to end

* That drive on flat, straight highways was interminable—I thought it would never end!

to drone on – to speak for a long time in a boring, uninteresting voice that always sounds the same, with little or no variation (change)

* Why do the candidates keep droning on about unimportant policies? They should speak about what people are really interested in.

speed demon – a person who does something very quickly, maybe too quickly

* Jake is a speed demon and seems to get speeding tickets almost every time he drives!

to pick up the pace – to increase the speed of something; to begin doing something more quickly

* We need to pick up the pace on this hike, or we’ll never get back to the car before it gets dark.

lengthy – lasting a long time; with a long duration

* I don’t have time to read such a lengthy report. Please give me a one-page summary of it

hypnotic – making one feel very tired or sleepy, usually because one is watching or listening to something that is very repetitive and rhythmic

* The doctor’s voice is hypnotic, which helps patients relax during their treatments.

to snore – to make a very loud noise in one’s mouth, nose, and throat while one is sleeping

* Sometimes Vic snores so loudly that his wife has to sleep in another room.

Comprehension Questions

1. Who needs to pick up the pace?
a) A speaker who is racing through a presentation
b) A speaker who is a speed demon
c) A speaker who is droning on and on

2. What is a hypnotic voice?
a) A beautiful voice that sounds like singing
b) An unpleasant voice that hurts the listeners’ ears
c) A boring voice that makes people feel tired

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to catch

The verb “to catch,” in this podcast, means to understand or recognize something, especially referring to something that is presented, shared, or made available very quickly: “The secretary had to listen to the recording several times before she could catch all the words.” The phrase “to catch (someone)” means to see someone do something wrong or in secret: “What would happen if your parents caught you smoking?” The phrase “to catch (something) from (someone)” means to get sick from being around someone else who is sick: “Preschoolers often catch colds from their friends.” Finally, the phrase “to catch a (train/bus/plane/cab)” means to arrive on time to use a type of transportation: “If we hurry, I think we can still catch the 5:30 bus to the theater.”

to drone on

In this podcast, the phrase “to drone on” means to speak for a long time in a boring, uninteresting voice that always sounds the same, with little or no variation (change): “Why are you droning on about school and work? We’re supposed to be on vacation!” The verb “to drone” also means to make a quiet, constant, low buzzing sound, similar to that made by a bee: “The factory equipment drones all the time, but the workers are used to it and don’t really hear it.” As a noun, a “drone” is a flying object that is controlled remotely: “They attached a camera to a drone, and flew it over the property to take pictures of the land.” Finally, when talking about bees, a “drone” is a male bee that does not do any work, but does mate with the queen: “Did you know that a drone’s eyes are twice as big as the eyes of worker bees?”

Culture Note

Theodore Roosevelt McElroy

Theodore Roosevelt McElroy, “named after” (with the same as) U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), was “renowned” (famous; well known) for his ability to operate “telegraphs.” Before telephones made modern communication possible, “telegraphs” allowed people to send messages quickly over long distances by breaking and reconnecting electric signals, resulting in a “code” (a system of communication understood by only a few people) of dots and “dashes” (long horizontal lines). Those dots and dashes could be “translated” (expressed in another way or language) by telegraph operators, who were able to identify the letters that “corresponded to” (matched) each group of dots and dashes and, from that, “record” (write down) the words and sentences. Operators also “encode” (put into code) written messages for “transmission” (sending and receiving) as “telegrams” (messages sent by telegraph).

McElroy learned “Morse Code” (the most common method of encoding words in dots and dashes) when he was a teenager, and his speed quickly increased. In 1922, he entered a code copying contest and “won easily” (performed far better than the competitors) at a speed of 56 words per minute. His highest speed ever recorded at an official competition was 77 words per minute in 1939. He could also “type” (use a typewriter, a machine with keys with a letter on each one operated by firming pushing each key that then produced letters on a piece of paper) around 150 words per minute.

In his 30s, McElroy created a manufacturing company that made telegraph keys and other “accessories” (pieces that complement a telegraph machine). He made millions of dollars during World War II, when telegraphs were important for the military. Later in life, he continued to “demonstrate” (show to other people) his coding abilities until he “passed away” (died) in 1963.

Comprehension Answers

1 - c

2 - c