Pronunciation ChallengeWhat would happen if we embraced silence a bit more? | BBC Ideas

“Silence is a source of great strength.” Lao Tzu

Hey everyone, Hubert, back again with a new episode of the Pronunciation Challenge! Today, we’re talking about a topic I’m really interested in! (Well, all the topics I present I am interested in!) Today, we’ll be talking about the power of silence! This one, however, stands out from the rest because I’ve actually been taking meditation classes lately. I have class every Thursday night and after a few weeks, I will be going on a silent retreat for a full day. I’m really looking forward to it because like many, my mind has thoughts racing at a thousand miles per hour. I also don’t get much sleep so my brain doesn’t get much time to rest. Before this pandemic, I was actually quite disciplined with meditating every day but life has changed in a big way since then and I got sidetracked. I guess that means I should meditate even more so now! Anyways, this episode isn’t about meditating but about silence. Meditating does force myself to embrace silence though. For some, silence can be uncomfortable. I definitely found it uncomfortable in my early years! Nowadays, I try not to have an answer or response to everything a person says to me. Sometimes I just let the person talk and I just listen, which some people actually appreciate more. Try it some time! We don’t always need a response for everything! Alright, let’s tackle the featured sentence and come back so I can share some insights my teachers have given to me over the years!

Today’s featured sentence:
“There's a condition known as Assidy, which was experienced by monks who spent prolonged periods in silence, and it's basically distinguished by a feeling of torpor, of not being able to do anything.”

I’ll say that again.

“There's a condition known as Assidy, which was experienced by monks who spent prolonged periods in silence, and it's basically distinguished by a feeling of torpor, of not being able to do anything.”

Ok, now time for the Pronunciation Tips.


For the first word, we have
Experienced
Four syllables.
The first syllable “ex” sounds like “i c k”, “pe” sounds like “s p e e”, “ri” has the long e sound, “ree” and “enced” sounds like “inst” like “Instagram”. Experienced.

Next up, we have
Distinguished
Three syllables
The first syllable, “Di” has a short “u” sound supported by a D in front. “Stin” sounds like “sting” like when a bee “stings” you. “Guished” sounds like “squished” like when you “squish” something but without the “s” sound. Distinguished.

And our last one would be,
Torpor
Two syllables.
I chose this word because this is my first time coming across this word as well! “Tor” sounds like “tour” from “tour guide”. “Por” for the North American accent, we’ll go with “Per” as in your typical “e r” ending sound.


Moving onto Vocabulary!

The first word is:
1. Prolonged
Definition
continuing for a long time
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“The sudden rain prolonged the soccer match.”

Next word,
2. Distinguished
Definition
used to describe a respected and admired person, or their work
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“He looked so distinguished in that outfit he wore.”

And lastly,
3. Torpor
Definition:
the state of not being active and having no energy or enthusiasm
Used in a sentence, you could say:
“After a hearty meal, we felt a pleasant torpor.”

Ok, so do you know what makes you sound younger and immature? When you talk fast and too much! That’s what my acting teacher told me. Adults embrace the pauses in their speech and take longer pauses to gather their thoughts. Teenagers feel uncomfortable with long silences so they must fill it up with anything! Take your time! It’s better to think before you speak. It also makes you seem more sincere when you speak because you’re really taking the time to pick the right words.
Also, another fun exercise you can try is to wake up every morning and just look up at the sky and say nothing for five to ten minutes. By doing this over an extended period of time, my acting teacher told me, you could learn so much from this. When I did this for a while, I started hearing sounds I usually ignored or never paid attention to. In my case, it was the sounds of the wind and the birds chirping. They were usually background noise to me but when I took the time to listen to them, they sounded beautiful.

Alright, everyone, I’ll stop preaching for today. I love hosting the Pronunciation Challenge for you guys because it feels like I’m writing out my thoughts for everyone to hear! It kind of feels like an open diary! Ok, until the next episode, see ya!

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