IELTS Reading Matching Features – Lessons, Tips

Pronunciation and Physiognomy

Imagine the scene: you are sitting on the tube anti on guts someone you instinctively feel Is American, To make sure you ask them the time, fend is light, but how did you know?

A. The writer Arthur Hue’s tier onto remarked that friends of his, whom he met thirty years after they emigrated to the United States, had acquired an “American physiognomy”, i.e. a broadened jaw, an appearance which is also prevalent In the indigenous population. An anthropologist friend of his attributed this to the increased use of the jaw musculature In American enunciation. This “change of countenance” in immigrants had already been observed by the historian M. Fishberg in 1910. To paraphrase the philosopher Emerson, certain national, social and religious groups, such as ageing actors, long-term convicts and celibate priests, to give just a few examples, de­velop a distinguishing “look”, which is not easily defined, but readily recognised, Their way of life affects their facial expression and physical features, giving the mistaken impression that these traits are of hereditary or racial” origin. All the factors mentioned above con­tribute, as well as heredity, lint the question of appearance being affected by pronunciation, as in the ease of American immigrants (including those from other English speaking coun­tries) over the course of many years, is of great interest and culls fur further study into the science of voice production. This can only benefit those working in the field of speech ther­apy, elocution and the pronunciation of foreign languages, and help the student from a purely physiological point of view, Naturally, the numerous psychological and socio-linguistic factors that inhibit most adult learners of foreign languages from acquiring a “good” pronunciation constitute a completely different and no less important Issue that requires separate investigation.

B. The pronunciation of the various forms of English around the world today is affected by the voice being “plated” in different parts of the mouth, We use DUI-speech organs in cer­tain ways to produce specific sounds, and these muscles have to practice to learn new pho­nemes, Non-Americans should look In the mirror while repeating “I really never heard of poor reward for valor with full use of the USA retroflex hi phoneme, and note what happens to their jawbones after three or four repetitions. Imagine the effect of these move­ments on the jaw muscles after twenty years! This phoneme is one of the most noticeable features of US English and one that non-A merit and is always exaggerate when mimicking the accent, Likewise, standard British REL is often parodied, and its whine of superiority mocked to the point of turning the end of one’s nose up as much as possible. Not only does this enhance the “performance”, but also begs the question of whether this look is the origin of the expression “stuck up”?

Observations

i. Americans use their jaw more to enunciate

ii. Immigrants acquire physiognomical features common among the Indigenous population

iii. Facial expression and physical features arc hereditary

iv. Lifestyle affects physiognomy

v. Americans have a broadened jaw

vi. The appearance of his friends had changed since they moved to the United States

vii. The change of countenance was unremarkable

Answers

1. vi. The appearance of his friends had changed since they moved to the United States
2. ii. Immigrants acquire physiognomical features common among the Indigenous population
3. iv. Lifestyle affects physiognomy

Explanation

For the first question, the answer is in the first paragraph, 1st line; “The writer Arthur Hue’s tier onto remarked that friends of his, whom he met thirty years after they emigrated to the United States, had acquired an “American physiognomy”

For the second question, the answer is in paragraph from 1st line, “The writer Arthur Hue’s tier onto remarked that friends of his, whom he met thirty years after they emigrated to the United States, had acquired an “American physiognomy”, i.e. a broadened jaw, an appearance which is also prevalent In the indigenous population. An anthropologist friend of his attributed this to the increased use of the jaw musculature In American enunciation. This “change of countenance” in immigrants had already been observed by the historian M. Fishberg in 1910,.” i. is incorrect because it was an anthropologist friend of Koestler who said this” ii. is not correct, because Koestler was talking about his friends rather than Immigrants in general; and v is not stated as a general principle.vi. is incorrect, because Plshberg was talking about immigrants in general, not his friends.

For the third question, the answer can be found In the first para paragraph, 9th line; “Their way of life affects their facial expression and physical features, giving the mistaken impression that these traits are of hereditary or racial” origin.” . iii. Is incorrect, because Emerson says this is a mistaken impression.