Albanian alphabet and pronunciation and views on life

Story
I met an Albanian at Toastmasters. Smiling and good looking. Always smiling. I like Albanians.

He was a builder. Then I met another man. He was a plumber.

He asked me, "What do you do."

I said, "I am an author, and I teach English, and I'm learning other languages.

I asked the plumber, What's your language."

He said,"It's Albanian."

Hm. For once I was lost for words.

Problem
I don't speak one word of Albanian. He was ahead of me, speaking both Albanian and English, some French, a bit of Greek. He spoke my language fluently. But I was a teacher and could not speak one word of his language.

Answer
I could learn one word from him. I could get a free lesson.

Keep it simple. I asked, "Is it easy to read Albanian, if you speak English? Are the letters the same?"

Tips
"The Albanian alphabet? Yes, the letters are the same. But Albanian has more of them."

That sounds very Alice in Wonderland. I asked, "Please explain."

"The Albanian language has 36 letters, mostly the same as in English, but double letters are counted."

Ch sounds like Russian, looks like Russian, has a cedilla and pronounced ch as in the English word Chance.

SH as in should counts as one letter.

xh - pronounced J as in Jack.
For example:
uncle in English is written in Albanian as - xhaxhi - pronounced judge ee

th - a new letter. "A little th as in thing think, fifth."

dh - "a strong th as in the or this, themselves, leather".

What about sentence structure?

"I am reading a book:
un - i
yam
duke
ledur," says my Albanian friend.

I could not grasp that the first time, let alone remember it. Let's make life easy. I asked, "Which words are the same in both languages?"

"Many Words Are The same:
hotel
taxi
train."

Now, let's try some everyday word,s such as hello and goodbye, and yes and no, and please and thank you.

thank  you - f a l i  m i n d e r e t (sounds longer in Albanian). Sound like Ali but it start f a l i (memory aid for thank you, thank you, Ali, I can't fail FALI; mind / minder / et / tete.
hello
goodbye - l a m t u m i r ë

What does the double dot on the ë mean?
If you click on the sound symbol underneath the word at the bottom of the text box in Google translate you can hear that the ë sound like er, a short version of err.

To type the e with the double dot above, press down the e key on your laptop keyboard; up pops a list of possible accents - see that the one you want is number 4; continue to hold down the e key and with your other hand, your right hand, tap the number four key at the top of the keyboard. Release both fingers and you should see the e with the two dots. If you get an ordinary e, or double ee, you have mistimed it by holding or release one finger. Just try again.

How are you? Ok.
c u ok
mir - ok
t mir - you ok

"You ask about the whole family, your father ok, your mother ok and so on. So you hear, '... mir ... mir ...  mir?' "

They also use OK because they learn English as a second language in school, so no problem speaking to Albanians. They have similar words such as:
stress - stress

What about yes and no?
Yes - po
no - yo

How confusing. Both end with o, and the no starts with a ye like the English yes.

rr (rolled r)
r r u g is road or street

table - same as English and French

Story
My plumber said: "The school teacher of French in Albania made us write everything in French fifty times, but I never learned. If you don't want to learn, you don't learn. It was a communist time and we thought, 'we are never going to use it, so why waste the time?'

"I don't know why they taught it. You would be classed as a traitor if you said anything about foreigners. It was a communist country for forty years. You were scared to say anything. People got sent to prison.

"Now it's a democratic country. You can do anything. Learn anything. Since 1989. We changed then. 1985 or four, I don't remember exactly, the emperor, died. He was a friend of Lenin, Stalin, Tito of Yugoslavia. He was one of them, communist countries, all influenced by Russia or China.

"Now we have no influence from Russia. We don't get on with the Russians.

"We are run by Tony Blair."

What do you mean by that?

"He set the rules for us. The rules, and the borders we use now, were influenced by him.

"Albania is such a small country but an interest for everybody. It's bang slap in the middle of Europe.

"Tony Blair saved the Kosovans from getting slaughtered.  He sent the troops to stop the Serbians - or  rather the European Union, NATO, he sent them to stop the Serbs. In the mix he killed a lot of innocent people, too, but the idea was to stop the Serbs. And they did.

"Greeks, Serbs, they are still with Russia. That's the way it goes in Europe. Greeks and Serbs, friends with Russia. Cos the Greeks are scared of Turks. So they always keep friends with Russia."

"Why didn't you learn Russian at school?"

"Some other schools learned Russian. Other schools had different things. The year I was in school they just started, in around those years when we started to break off, 1986 or 97. I left home when I was 13 to work in Greece. We had no choice. In a communist country we had nothing."

"They controlled everything. They took the land off us. They give us each three thousand square metres as a home owner.

"You were not allowed more than one cow. If you had a second cow, they would take it away.

"You had to work for them. You could have potatoes, small things. They would sell you bread. You have to work for peanuts to buy bread from them. A very strict regime."

"Who benefited?"

"The government. They don't want you to be rich in any kind of sense. They want to control  you. We keep you fed, enough to survive, and that's it.

"If you said something against the leader, you'll be in prison next day. You have spies. Loads of spies. You never knew who was a spy. But if you said something, you would be in prison next day. Even in your extended family, you could not trust anybody. There must have been money involved, something involved. For me the regime was very bad. They never let you thrive. They want to lock you in a cupboard and this is what you are going to do."

One man's view.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, teacher of English and learner of languages.
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'To Die' Today - How you can correct common errors, pronunciation for public speaking by Angela Lansbury

How do you speak correct English when you are English? How do you speak correct English when you are not English? 

UK
When I was a child in the UK, many schools, especially private schools, offered extra paid for lessons in elocution. Schools and teachers wanted to earn extra money. Parents wanted their children to sound posh and get better jobs. Doting mothers, like mine, wanted their offspring to win certificates in poetry competitions run by Drama schools which awarded certificates at different levels. 
   In those days every child did a party piece when invited to a birthday party. I wanted to recite a poem without the embarrassment of stammering or stuttering over long, puzzling words.

   Recently I met Toastmaster William Brougham, who came to be General Evaluator at Harrovian Speakers' Club. He took a video of me for YouTube in which I explained grammar rules; a viewer suggested that we should produce another video on pronunciation. Before making that video, I thought I should jot down a few thoughts. Whenever I jot down a few thoughts, they expand until I have an article, sometimes a book. For those people who can't watch videos in silent situations, here are some handy notes on pronunciation.

   Start by noticing the silliest errors and most memorable misunderstandings. When you are asked when you are going to the hospital for a check-up, and you want to tell family, friends or colleagues, 'I'm going today', don't shock everybody by saying, 'I'm going to die!' 

Australian & Others
Improving Vowels
Problem with A and I
A and I need to be sounded differently. Lots of people make an A sound like an I. 
For example, here are pairs of words which have different meanings: 
Day. Die.
Way. Why.
Make sure you are not saying the second when you mean the first. 

If you are the Grammarian at a Toastmasters International speakers' club, note any pronunciation which could be improved.
   When you are asked to evaluate a speech, speak to the person you are evaluating, before the meeting starts and ask what they would like you to notice. If they don't ask about pronunciation, offer to make suggestions. So long as they agree, smile, nod, or even shrug, if you are asked to 'Read out the objectives', you can add, "'Susan/John' asked me to comment on the pronunciation of words and make helpful suggestions for improvement".  That way you appear not to be criticizing, but following their request for help. 

Problem with A and OI
Bay. Boy. (We drove around the boy. Should be 'we drove around the bay'.)
Ray. Roy. (I gave the book to Roy. Should be I gave the book to 'Roy'.) 
Say. Soy. Be careful what you soy. Should be 'Be careful what you say'.)
The listener who hears constant mispronunciations has listen hard to work out which word you mean. 

   Our upper class accents sound as if we are speaking copying courtiers from the time of the Vikings. 

Swedish

A Swedish speaker has perfect, clear upper class vowels like the Queen's Speech. 

French & the UK

A French au pair girl told me she could not understand the chatter on tube trains and in bars, but she could understand HM The Queen. 

Speed and Spaces
   When the queen delivers a speech, she also speaks very slowly. She leaves a gap between each word.
   Not like everyday gabble. (We're gonna 'ave an en' to innit!) 
   If you are a teacher, you often speak to children. If you are a pupil, you want the teacher and class to hear your question.
   If you are a public speaker, your audience includes one person in seven hard of hearing. (I found that statistic in a fundraising leaflet).  If you are retired and speak to local groups of retirees, many more will be hard of hearing and will be helped if you speak loudly, slowly, and clearly.
   If you make a living speaking to businesses, many of them have foreign staff or hold international conferences.

Yiddish - OY VEH!
   The Yiddish expression Oy veh hints that oy is a common sound in Europe, where the Yiddish language combines the local language such as German with Russian and Hebrew. I have also heard a speaker from central Europe, the Czeck Republic, using this intonation.

Australia
   Australians use an oy for an A. If you have trouble understanding Australians, it may help to note which words are likely to sound differently.

Some native English speakers also over-use oy. Here's another example, this time where the mispronounced word has no meaning. 
      What time of doy? (Should be 'What time of day'.)

Solution 1
Find out if you have a problem
   If you use English as a second language, and even if you don't, read aloud a few sentences of your speech. You can make a recording with your smart phone. If you don'g have one - ask somebody else at a big meeting. Ask a friend of acquaintances to tell you if you need to change any pronunciation.  (If you have a problem speaking another language, it's a great conversation opener to ask for help and make a friend.)

   Sometimes you don't know what you are doing wrong. Sometimes you're told but you can't hear the difference. Sometimes you keep trying but you don't know how to make the second sound.

   Can you hear the difference? Use the internet, your own computer, at a school or library, or airport lounge or other public place. Go to a dictionary which has the symbol you can click on to hear the word said aloud.  

Check the position of your lips. Look in the mirror.
Try saying 'boy', pursing your lips as if shouting angrily, or blowing up a balloon.
then say 'bay'. Open your mouth wide, as if the dentist has asked you to open your mouth, and smile.

PHONETIC SPELLINGS 
   Phone means sound, as in the word telephone (distant sound).
   Why is English not phonetic? (Meaning, why do the sounds not always match the spelling?) One reason is that the traditional spelling has been preserved in the dictionary, but speakers have changed the most popular pronunciation. 
   Watch out for words which are not pronounced the way they are written. Just as some people drop the s from yes and say yeah, many words have lost the last letter or an earlier letter because over the centuries the lazier or quicker or easier to say pronunciation has become standard.

Silent Letters
B in the word doubt is silent. The word is pronounced 'dowt'

PLACE NAMES 
   Edinburgh 'Edinbr'
   Leicester 'Lester'

CONSONANTS - WORD ENDING
G - pronounce G at the end of the word
Nothing (not 'nothin').
Sitting (no 'sit in')

How to improve:

Chinese
CONSONANT CONFUSION
Problem:
L and R
   Speakers from oriental countries such as Hong Kong and Thailand often have trouble hearing or saying both consonants. Sometimes they try too hard and over correct making more errors.
The old joke goes that the pilot of your plane wishes you 'a pleasant fright' instead of a pleasant flight. I thought this was a joke. Then I heard airline staff say it.

   Sometimes people misunderstand and ask you to repeat a sentence. Other times, they listen but misunderstand.
   At a Toastmasters meeting I sat through a speech in which the speaker said he worked for the Loyal bank of Scotland. I assumed that, because of the banking crisis, they had wanted to change their name to reassure customers. Or maybe they had split into two branches, one called the Royal Bank, another called the loyal bank. While I was musing on the merits of changing a company name, I missed two or three sentences of the five minute speech. Then I started listening again and heard the speaker make another change to a word in the same sentence. I realised I had been slow to guess it should have been 'Royal' Bank. 

   Some workers are told by colleagues and bosses or customers that they need to improve their pronunciation. They are not upset if you tell them the correct pronunciation. On the contrary, they are very keen to get help. Especially if it's free! 
   A course on pronunciation is sometimes given at centre such as London's City Lit. The courses are often good value given the hours of lessons, but learning one sound each week takes a lot of time. If you need to give a speech at a wedding, you may have a year to prepare. But when giving a funeral speech, doing a job interview, or a presentation in a new job, or answering the phone, you don't have a year to prepare. So, everybody, please take time, when asked, or offer to help, if you are one step ahead of your friend in pronunciation. Watch out for these:

Chinese
T and TH and S and SH
Problem saying 'th'
TH is hard to pronounce for people who speak Mandarin or Cantonese, such as Singaporeans.
I often sit through speeches and am puzzled. I remember the first time a woman said, 'I have tree children.' I assumed 'tree children' was a popular Chinese translation of a word such as tomboy, kids who climb and are sporty. Then she said, 'Two of them are at secondary school, the tird is ...' The turd is!

Ah - she means three and third!

Solution to th
   You can practise a sentence with alternating t and th. Make up your own. For example: The three children climb threes. 
   T - tongue tapping behind top teeth.
   Th - think about poking out your tongue and pulling it back through your teeth stroking under your top teeth. Say teeth, teeth, teeth, moving your tongue from tapping behind to almost gently biting your tongue while breathing out.

S and Sh
   She sells sea shells on the sea shore

   Do email me and tell me your problems or solutions. I and everybody else would be most grateful. And send me or tell me funny mispronunciations and misunderstandings. I would love to hear them.

SUMMARY OF TIPS
Problems to notice: 

• Ay and oi. 
• Missing G or T. 
• L and R
• S and SH.
• T and TH.

Solutions

• Read a newspaper aloud to identify problems. Underline difficult words.
• Check how words sound using online dictionaries.
• Practise tongue twisters.
• Look in the mirror at how you are placing your tongue and opening your mouth.
• Join a Toastmasters Club and ask your evaluator for help with your pronunciation.
• Read a speech aloud. Underline words or highlight letters. Ask a friend to listen and advise.
• Come to my UK club harrovians.org.uk . (I am president until June 31 2013. Then 'Past P'.)
• Go as a guest to any great club such as HOD (Thursdays, 2nd and 4th most months).  I am a member and committee member. Check google Toastmasters International/ Find a club.
• If short of time, go to toastmasters clubs when overseas on business or holiday. I visit several clubs in Singapore.  It has many clubs so you are near one most evenings and weekends.
• Harrovians meets Mondays, usually first third and fifth Mondays (except months with bank holidays), door open at 7 pm. Speeches start at 7.30 prompt. Meeting ends 9.30 prompt. 
• Members receive a magazine and a mentor helps you write and rehearse speeches. Membership is about £79 a year plus £20 for two manuals on speeches and leadership.
• harrovians.org.uk toastmasters.org 
• More about toastmasters
• Go to a pronunciation class or private English tutor.           For grammar rules see YouTube Angela Lansbury author speech grammar / Kensington 25
• For a friendly chat, or one hour lesson in person or skype, my email is on my websites featuring the names: anna london 8 (gmail). No spaces. 

Angela Lansbury is the author of fifteen books including: Quick Quotations For Successful Speeches; Wedding Speeches And Toasts; Poetry Workshop Workbook; Angela's Animals (A-Z of comic poetry plus facts); How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In. See Lulu.com
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Copyright Angela Lansbury April 24 2013