The Accent-Donor Project (Use the following material after re-reading the accent donor project section of The Joy of Phonetics and Accents pages. 78-99). Interviewer, Recording Date, Accent or Dialect of Donor. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW SESSION To Prepare For the Interview: *Choose a relatively private, quiet space *Check that you have good tape recorder, blank cassette tape, batteries or power cord *Check the volume level of interviewee’s voice and adjust recording level Bring sheets with sentences and paragraphs for interviewee to read aloud 1. General get-acquainted conversation. 5 minutes *Be sure to record: Alphabet A-Z Numbers 1-20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 The Days of the Week, Months of the Year *Soriie place names/locations of native area: towns, rivers, cities, ete. (Bring a world atlas or map if possible) *Unusual slang or casual names for things or places 2. Gather information from donor. 5 minutes Information to Gather Age. Education, Work/Occupation/A vocation, Birthplace. Family Origins Parents’ Native Languages, Parents’ Places of Birth and Upbringing Parents Vocations,Acquisition of English At What Age. From Whom (American, British?). How (Schools, Classes, Conversation?) 3, Ask your donor to read word lists and sentences from the vowel and consonant plays in The Joy of Phonetics and Accents, or other prepared material which surveys the sounds of English. These will allow dialects to be compared to one another. Coach them to read slowly. 5 minutes 4, Questions to engage donor in longer period of speaking. Coach your donor to speak freely about several subjects or events of interest. This will allow you to note more of the melodic and rhythmic aspects of the dialect. 20-30 minutes Suggestions: -tell about funny or touching event from childhood --talk about favorite holiday (food, games, customs, gifts) -talk about special event in their life (marriage, births, moves, travel) ~-subject they feel strongly about ~a story about a friend or relative ~-sing a folk song or children’s song ~tecite joke, poem or prayer 5. After you have finished the 30-40 minute session, have your donor speak a few lines from a play which is appropriate to their accent. **Note any special phrases or expressions in their casual speech: surprise, affection, frustration, exclamation, etc. **The entire tape should be 30 to 40 minutes. Make sure your own speaking is minimal on the tape. It might help to remind them that you want to record their voice and that you will tell them about yourself after the taping.