I love the festive feeling. I mean, look at this a Christmas tree, lights, ornaments.

Yes please.

Today we're going to celebrate the Christmas season by taking a friend's episode

from Christmas time and using it to learn English.

Actually, we're going to take this episode and take little bits from it for the next three Rachel's English videos.

All December we are learning English with this episode.

What's fun about this episode is in it Rachel quits her job.

So, we're also going to be seeing some words some phrases used to describe your job,

quitting your job looking for a new job.

Here's the scene we'll study today.

Rachel.

Yeah.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Okay. Fine. Gunther, you know what, I am a terrible waitress.

Do you know why I'm a terrible waitress?

Because I don't care.

I don't care. I don't care which pot is regular and which pot is decaf. I don't care where the tray spot is.

I just don't care. This is not what I want to do.

So, I don't think I should do it anymore. I'm going to give you my weeks notice.

What?

Gunther, I quit.

Does this mean we're going to have to start paying for coffee?

And now with the analysis.

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel, first syllable stress and the pitch goes up.

Ra-chel and the pitch goes up because he's trying to get her attention.

It's like saying Rachel do you hear me.

Pitch goes up Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

Rachel

yeah

then she does a really breathy response.

Yeah. Yeah.

Up-down shape.

The breathiness just sort of shows exasperation and that she's kind of over it,

She's kind of over this job.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

And then this next set group is pretty long.

What do you hear as the most stressed syllables?

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

It's longer so there are a few. I'm hearing re-mind

the stress syllable of that first word the verb remind me to review with you,

review some on that verb as well which pot is decaf and which pot is regular.

So, the two verbs and then the difference between coffees,

decaf and regular and we do have a few reductions.

We actually have a dropped D here in the stressed word, in the stressed syllable.

It's not uncommon to drop a D between two constants especially when the first one wasn't N like this.

So, it's remin' me, remin' me and this is a pretty common two-word phrase.

Remind me to do this. Remind me to call mom. Remind me to pick up the dry-cleaning.

Remind me... Re-mind me.

I diphthong N and then write into the M with no D, remin' me.

Remind me...

Remind me...

Remind me...

Now, the word to is not reduced and that's not very natural.

It's pronounced with the true T and the OO vowel.

Remind me to review with you

and when I was trying to think about why he would do this fully pronounced.

It is still unstressed, so the stress is right but by not reducing that word it sounds a little bit more formal

and this character is supposed to be a little bit odd

and so by not doing a reduction that's one way to develop that character,

but it is still unstressed.

Remind me to review, me to re... Me to re... Me to re....

These three syllables all flatter in pitch compared to the up-down shape

of the stressed syllables mind and view.

Remind me to review

Remind me to review

Remind me to review with you which pot is decaf, and which is regular.

Review with you which pot is decaf then these five words all a little bit lower in pitch.

Less of the up-down shape of stress.

Review with you which pot is decaf...

Review with you which pot is decaf...

Review with you which pot is decaf...

The two words pot and is are linked.

Which pot is... Which pot is with the flap T and that's really common when one word ends

in a T, a vowel or diphthong and T and the next word begins with a vowel or diphthong,

very common to link with a Flap T.

Pot is, pot is, pot is, pot is decaf.

... pot is decaf

...pot is decaf

... pot is decaf

Decaf is short for decaffeinated. Decaffeinated coffee.

So, in the whole word de-caffeinated

its caf that stressed but when we shorten it for some reason the stress changes and it's de-caf

it's not decaf but it's de-caf so the stress changes now we have first syllable stress.

Also, the vowel changes it's the E vowel

in the word decaffeinated it's a SCHWA de-caffeinated,

but we can't ever have a SCHWA in a stressed syllable and so the vowel changes de-caf

de-caf

...decaf

...decaf

...decaf and which is regular.

Decaf and which is regular. So, in the word and the D is dropped.

That reduction happens almost every single time you'll hear this word.

Sometimes the vowel reduces he doesn't, but he does drop the D in decaf, and which one is regular.

...decaf and which is regular

...decaf in which is regular

...decaf in which is regular

Decaf an' which is regular.

Regular and his pitch does go up a little bit at the end.

That's not super common for statements but it does sometimes happen.

Here he might be doing it to soften what he's saying.

You know, he's basically saying

you messed up and I need to teach you how to do this it could also be used to say

in a way I can't believe that you don't know the difference why would I have to teach you this which is regular

...which is regular

...which is regular

... which is regular

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Okay.

The second syllable stressed there. It's a little bit harder to hear because the audience is laughing but okay.

K is the one with the up-down shape, okay.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay. Fine.

Fine. Fine. A little flatter fine shows a little bit of exasperation.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine.

Okay. Fine. Gunther,

Gunther, Gunther

and it goes up in pitch first syllable stress Gun-ther.

She goes up in pitch because she's not done talking. She has something to say

and we all know it's important. So, let's hear what she has to say.

Gunther,

Gunther,

Gunther, you know what?

You know what? What's the stress there?

...you know what?

...you know what?

...you know what?

You know what?

You know what?

Dah, dah, dah. Know and what are both longer and the word you is said very quickly.

It's actually reduced it's not you it's yu, yu, yu know what

and everything links together really smoothly you know what and that phrase ends with a stop T.

There's not a release of air.

...you know what?

...you know what?

...you know what? I am a terrible waitress.

In this next sentence what are the stressed syllables?

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

So, I and terr the most stressed.

Am and a lower in pitch flatter everything links together smoothly.

I am a terr.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

Actually, I take that back I and am don't link together really there's a little lift there.

I am a terrible waitress and by separating those it brings a little bit more stress to it.

I am a terrible waitress. So, by separating it off

it makes it even more clear brings even more prominence to her,

what she is saying about herself, I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

I am a terrible waitress.

Imma, Imma, Imma lower in pitch flatter terrible lots of stress there.

There's a true T and she gives it a little bit extra air to bring even more stress.

Whenever we exaggerate a beginning consonant it brings more stress to that word, I am a terrible.