Oral Exam 1

Click here for a Word Version of the Exam Instructions.

Click here for the Audio Recording of the Text.

Mündliche Prüfung #1: The Speech Act Itself: Pronunciation and Prosody

Pronunciation (die Aussprache): The manner of producing individual sounds within a word.

Prosody (der Prosodie): Putting stress or emphasis On syllables; „rhythm“ of your voice (i.e. pausing, lengthening/shortening of sounds)

Objective: To focus On pronunciation and prosody in spoken German.

Format: You will submit an audio recording (cassette/cd) or a sound file based on your reading of a text.

Text: You will use the text “Alles ist Relativ!” featured in Deutsch Heute: Grundstufe on page 62. You can access the text online by going to this website: http://german.lss.wisc.edu/courses/German101/G101Index.html   You will then select “Oral Exam 1” in the menu on the left. There will also be some class time devoted to this project.

Questions to consider:

• Think about your personal speech patterns. Are you a “fast” or a “slow” speaker?
• In which kinds of situations or circumstances do you hesitate and/or pause in your stream of speech?
• When do you tend to raise or lower your voice when expressing certain things?
• How do you alter your tone of voice to achieve particular meaning?
• Think about the differences between reading out loud  and simply speaking. What are those differences?
• Think about “voice.” What are the characteristics of voice when asking a question? Issuing a command?
• Think about voice and emotions: happy, sad, angry, nervous, frustrated, etc.

Goal: You, as a German speaker, want to sound as natural as possible. Speaking a foreign language often feels “awkward” or “unnatural” because we are too focused on what we are saying and not so much on how we are saying it. Due to this, our speech often comes across as “flat” or without emphasis or meaning. By assuming a reading role, you can concentrate on how you are speaking instead of what you are going to say.

Step 1: The Recording (75%)

Before making your recording, listen to the test to acquire a “rhythm” of the language. Practice on your own or with a partner. You may even want to record yourself a few times for practice before submitting a final version. Begin reading your text with “Washington ist Amerikas Hauptstadt…”

Step 2: Self-Assessment (25%)

After you have completed your final recording, listen to it and answer the following questions (you may either do this on the recording or type out the answers.):

1. Do you think you “sound like another person” when you speak German? If so, how does that make you feel?
2. Which aspects of your reading aloud did you enjoy?
3. In which aspects do you think you came close to your personal goals or even to a native speaker of German?
4. After you tried this assignment, which features of your spoken language would you like to improve on?

Evaluation:

You willl be evaluated using the following criteria:

1. Needs improvement
2. Good for this level of study
3. Excellent!

1. Fluency (“flow”)                                                                         1            2            3

2. Pronunciation of sounds (consonant clusters, umlauts, etc.)                         1            2            3

3. German-like rhythm / sentence melody                                                1            2            3

4. Appropriateness of intonation                                                            1            2            3

5. Self-Assessment (detail of reporting, answered all questions, etc.)            1            2            3

Copy of Text:

Washington ist Amerikas Hauptstadt und liegt circa 1500 Kilometer weiter südlich als unsere Hauptstadt Berlin. Also ist der Sommer in Amerika auch anders als der Sommer in Deutschland. Ein Amerikaner in Deutschland sagt: „Heute ist es schön warm.“ Ein Deutscher hört das und denkt: „warm? Hier? Jetzt? Nein! Furchtbar heiß.“ Was für Deutsche heiß ist, finden Amerikaner warm, denn das Klima ist in Amerika anders als in Deutschland. In Amerika ist das Wetter oft heiß im Sommer, aber im Winter ist es sehr kalt im Norden und warm im Süden. In Deutschland ist es dagegen oft kühl im Sommer und nicht so kalt im Winter. Hier beeinflußt nämlich der Ozean das Klima, und er beeinflußt es mehr im Norden als im Süden und mehr im Westen als im Osten.