Elicitation Text and Interview Questions for Accent Models

by Pamela Vanderway

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Have your accent model read all of the sentences below out loud in their own, everyday accent.

1. Show me the big picture.

2. I’m walking by a river in the city.

3. I think things are a little different now.

4. Let’s get help with the spelling.

5. The men left together.

6. There’s a letter on my pillow.

7. Our dog is begging for an egg.

8. A mouse is a land animal.

9. That man’s hand has been cut.

10. I began to answer the last question.

11. That family has plenty of candy,

12. Now I need another towel.

13. I thought my watch had stopped working.

14. We don’t talk together often enough.

15. May I borrow your car tomorrow?

16. My brother comes from another country.

17. Running is something my mother does sometimes.

18. You could look for a good book.

19. If you want an answer just ask someone.

20. That person is coughing so softly.

21. A moth fell into the vegetable broth.

22. Who was the first person in the world?

23. Please keep eating these bananas.

24. Please wash these tomatoes.

25. Did you see three children eating by a big tree with green leaves?

26. They may change their name later.

27. Stay calm and walk away.

28. They always call to say hello.

29. Write a note on a small piece of paper.

30. Don’t go over there.

31. That show is closing soon.

32. Both of those schools are very old.

33. Do you know why?

34. Put the food and water down here.

35. Move over into the light.

36. The boy has large eyes and small hands.

37. Point your finger at your favorite star in the night sky.

38. We are both going to the mountain.

39. How many hours are in a day?

40. I thought I saw a goose near the water.

41. In the winter, our house gets buried in deep snow.

42. Why do they keep telling us the same story?

43. Come nearer. I can’t hear you over there.

44. They carry their things in a paper bag.

45. I’ll be traveling to America in a new airplane.

46. It’s not hard to start this car.

47. I don’t know if this land is part of that family’s farm.

48. The girl’s story is very important.

49. The singer learned the tune to a different song.

Next please have your model read this brief story:

(Let them read it silently to themselves first so they can understand what they are reading)

The afternoon sun warmed the streets as I sat in a small outdoor café, eating a sandwich and jotting down travel notes in my worn journal. A gentle breeze moved the tablecloth, and I leaned back in my chair to take in the quiet hum of the town. A young woman at the next table was wearing a dress that swept down to her foot, and was chatting with her friend (who was a nurse from the city of Bath in England). The women had to make a choice about whether to start their tour near the old stone ruins in the North or closer to the river, where they would be able to hear street performers singing as they walked. With my elbows on the table and my face rested on the palms of my hands, my mouth couldn’t stop smiling as they laughed about the different ideas they had for the day.

After lunch, I strutted through the town square, thinking about how lucky I was to be on this vacation. I noticed a small sign advertising fresh goose eggs and fleece scarves for a very good price in a nearby stall. The smell of baked bread and coffee filled the air, tempting me to linger, but instead I made my way toward a beautiful old theater for a special lecture. The event was about the forgotten art of letter writing. I thought about how rarely people receive a handwritten letter anymore—a lot of our communication these days is reduced to quick texts and emails, without the charm of a well-placed comma. The nostalgia I suddenly felt for the letters I had received long ago was sweet, like the goat cheese and honey I had enjoyed earlier at lunch.

Now please have your accent model speak the following things in English:

Have them count slowly from 1 to 20
Have them by tens from 10 to 100 —- (say: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100)
Have them name all of the months of the year (January, February, March etc.)
Have them recite the alphabet (A,B,C….)

Lastly, please ask your accent model these questions. (If there’s a question you want to skip, that’s OK. Our goal here is just to capture more natural conversation. Feel free to improvise!)

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
Which languages do you speak?
Which languages are you so fluent in that you can ‘think’ in them?
What were some of your favorite things about growing up where you did?
What is something you really enjoy doing with your time?

(Feel free to talk about anything else you wish. The goal here is to collect a sample of your model’s relaxed ‘normal’ communication! Just keep talking together until you lose self-consciousness, and then talk some more! Perhaps your accent model has seen a performance or film that really interested them? Talk about this or whatever else you are inspired to talk about!)

That’s it!

Remember to label your recordings!

(You will thank yourself later!)

including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without additional authorization,

provided this notice accompanies the passage in print, if reproduced in print, and in audio format, in the case of a sound recording.

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