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Speech Observations
Step outside yourself and consider what an alien might notice about your speech.
Your goal is simplebut probably not something you often do! Over the next few days, pay attention to your
speech and reflect on the way you talk. Try to put yourself in the position of an outside observer. What might he
or she (or it!) notice about your speech? Listen to your accent, your vocabulary, your slang, the complexity of
your sentences, how you talk differently in different situations, your volume, your speech, the emotion in your
words, whether you ask questions or make statements, whether you speak clearly or with a mumble, how your
speech changes with the time of day, words that you love or hate to say, etc. Notice that any observation counts!
Here are some examples. Be specific with your observations!

I notice that I say some words differently than my friends, but my family all says them the same way. I
say wash, solid, calendar, compass, almond, open, wrestling in ways that make my friends laugh at me.
I notice that I either dont talk at all or I talk a LOT. Im all-or-nothing with my speech. When I do get
interested in something, I have a lot to say and I say it quickly and I cut people off to get my words out.
I notice that my slang sounds like its from the 1970s. I love old movies and classic rockprobably
because I grew up listening to themso I have no problem saying righteous, groovy, or solid.
I notice that I talk to my dad a lot like I talk to my friends, but Im a lot more formal with my mom. I
talk to my mom in the same way that I talk to my grandparentsno slang, respectfully, quietly.
I notice that I know a lot of skateboarding words that most people wouldnt know. My friends get it,
but others wouldnt know the difference between a varial heel flip and a nollie kickflip.
I notice that I have a pretty exotic vocabulary compared to my friends and that I like strange, big words
that are fun to say. I like ones that are British-sounding, like rubbish bin and loo and geezer.

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