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Canva Photos & By International Phonetic Association - CC BY-SA 3.0,

Actors and elite language learners have a secret tool that rapidly accelerates their pronunciation skills.

There's a lot of talk around bad or unconvincing accents in Hollywood movies. Lines, scenes, or entire films that just don't quite sound right. But there are just as many, or more, examples that are absolutely brilliant.

One of my favorite recent examples is Tom Holland in the Spiderman films. Holland is British, and sounds like it in real life. Yet in the Marvel movies, he perfectly passes for a young American kid speaking plain old English. I can't imagine how much work it must take for him to (seemingly effortlessly) sound like an American! Andrew Garfield (ironically, another Spiderman) also does a commendable American accent, as does Idris Elba. Meryl Streep is world-renowned for her accent work in movies. Cate Blanchett is another actress that's consistently lauded for accurate dialects. The list goes on and on.

Have you ever wondered how certain actors get so good at accents? Of course, they have coaches to help them but do some people just have a natural ear for replicating dialects?

Well, yes, some people do have a natural ear and talent for accents. But there's an incredible phonetic tool that some actors use to master their accent work. It's a special alphabet that anyone can learn, and it can enhance your ability to speak any language fluently and convincingly.

And most people have never heard of it!

Learning any language, even your own native language, requires a fair bit of memorization. Pronunciation cues aren't always obvious in the written language. Duolingo astutely points out that the u in 'dude,' 'put,' and 'putt' makes a slightly different sound in each word.

We know the e at the end of 'dude' makes the long u sound. But what explains the difference between putting (like golf) or putting (as in, to put) and the difference between pudding and puddle?

Unless you've memorized the near-entirety of the English language (the way we do slowly as we grow up surrounded by it), you'd have a nightmare of a time trying to pronounce it all properly. Add in tongues, accents, and dialects that alter the rules as we know them of language, and you can imagine how difficult it would be for, say, a person who grew up speaking Spanish trying to learn a specific flavor of New York English.

This is where the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) comes in. It's a universal organizational system that categorizes all the different possible vowel and consonant sounds the human mouth can make, and writes letters and words according to those sounds—not any one specific language's writing system.

So, when it comes to that pesky letter u, when using the IPA you won't have to guess what sound it makes based on the letters that surround it.

The three U sounds would all be written differently: /u/, /ʊ/, or /ʌ/.

Conversely, there are several combinations of vowels in English that all make the same sound. 'Bead,' 'tree,' 'key,' and 'chic' all have the same vowel sound in the middle despite different spellings. Confusing! With the IPA, however, that sound would be written as /i/ regardless of what letters make up the sound. It's all about the mouth!


@vox.to.verba

Reply to @thechronictrekkie #ipa #internationalphoneticalphabet #linguistics #linguistic #appliedlinguistics #ipachart #phoneticalphabet #phonetics #phoneticsandphonology

The phonetic alphabet is incredibly detailed in its cataloguing of sounds. There are terms and annotations that refer to the shape and position of your mouth and tongue as you create the sound, words that describe how much air you're letting out, whether your tone is rising or falling. It's absolutely incredible.

For example, the voiced alveolar tap is something of an "r" sound that involves tapping the tongue on the roof of the mouth. That's not to be confused with the voiced alveolar flap which has the tongue slightly curled before tapping. Fascinating!

Imagine being an actor trying to learn an Irish accent for a role. You can listen, and be coached, by a native speaker. But it might also be extremely helpful to break your lines down into the specific sounds and mouth shapes you'll need to master in order to sound truly authentic.

 accents, language, accent, english accent, foreign language, ESL, speech therapy, phonics, phonetics, actorsNot  Not exactly a light read, but if you're serious about mastering your pronunciation the IPA can be a huge help.International Phonetic Association, CC BY-SA 3.0

You don't have to be an actor trying master an accent to learn the IPA and make good use of it.

Studying the IPA for a language you're trying to learn can rapidly accelerate your pronunciation. Phonetic spellings not only tell you the shape and movement of your mouth, it can also tell you which syllable in the word should get the emphasis and how your vocal tone should change throughout the word. That kind of learning can take you from someone who can merely stumble through a few sentences in a chosen language, to someone who can truly converse in it.

The phonetic alphabet is also heavily used in speech therapy. Therapists will create a phonetic transcription of a sample of speech in order to determine the nature of any errors or difficulties. That allows them to create a targeted treatment plan to address those specific errors.


@englishnativetongue

Now I know my IPA I hope you learned with me today! 🎶 The English International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) Song I saw @CoffeeCupEnglish do this song and I just had to try my best and recreate it with an American accent! #englishlanguage #englishlearning #ipasong #nativetongue

English is such a funny and tricky language. For every rule (of which there are many), there are twice as many exceptions. It's a wonder anyone can ever learn it.

And yet, English is the third most spoke language in the world, and one of the most universal. It's an extremely common second language for people in all corners of the globe, which sure is convenient for those of us born in America.

Somehow, I never knew there was an easier way to learn how to pronounce things. A way to bypass all of English's nonsensical rules and unspoken peccadilloes. If only the International Phonetic Alphabet wasn't such an eyesore on paper, maybe we could ditch the written version of English entirely. Then, of course, I would be out of a job!

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9 must-see patriarchy-smashing moments from the 2017 Golden Globes.

"I think the world could do with a few more women in the center of it."

At the 74th Golden Globes, the patriarchy was smashed so many times, a sexist army of misogynistic sexists couldn't have put it back together.

A number of women received accolades for their incredible work, while also taking public stands against misogyny and bigotry over and over and over again. Well done, 2017, you're off to a not-totally-terrible start.

From same-sex kisses on the red carpet to gendered fashion statements, we've seen blips of such expression at awards shows in the past, but it's difficult to recall another award show so ripe with memorable feminist moments.


Here are nine of our favorite instances of patriarchy-smashing from the 2017 Golden Globes:

1. Evan Rachel Wood rocked one smokin' hot suit.

Hello, gorgeous! Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Sure, Wood isn't the first woman to sport a suit at an awards show (let's not forget the illustrious Diane Keaton), but she made the decision to wear this custom Altuzarra suit to send a powerful message to any girls watching at home.

She told USA Today:

"I decided early in the year not to wear any dresses to awards shows to be a gentle reminder to young girls and women that you're not required one if you don't want to, to really be yourself and that your worth is more than the dresses that you wear."

2. Sarah Paulson and Amanda Peet's BFF red carpet kiss.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Sarah Paulson (who is currently in a relationship with Holland Taylor) and Amanda Peet are not dating, nor was their kiss a stunt for publicity (although it definitely received a ton). It was just the friendly way these two BFFs decided to greet each other on the red carpet.

It also wasn't the first time the friends kissed publicly, so it suggests they're simply trying to do their part to make such a loving gesture part of the norm rather than elicit the standard "OMG two women kissing" reaction.

3. Tracee Ellis Ross dedicated her award to "all the women, women of color, and colorful people whose stories, ideas, thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important."

Ross is the first black woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, since Debbie Allen in 1983. Not to mention she's a 44-year-old black actress looking fierce and casually killing it in Hollywood. It's definitely time to check out "Blackish" on ABC if you haven't already.

4. Everything Viola Davis said.

Photo by Roberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.

There was literally nothing Davis said at the Globes that wasn't awe-inspiring. She continues to bust through glass ceilings, and she does it with power and grace.

She won Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for "Fences," but the highlight of the night was her epic speech honoring a fellow female giant in Hollywood: Meryl Streep.

"You make me proud to be an artist," Davis told Streep. "You make me feel that what I have in me — my body, my face, my age — is enough.”

Which brings us to...

5. Meryl Streep's kickass Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech.

Watch the whole thing. No additional comment necessary.

6. Claire Foy's acceptance speech for winning Best Actress in a TV Series Drama for her role in Netflix's "The Crown."

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Foy won for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II — a woman who ascends to the throne and quickly learns how to work within the patriarchy while also subverting it just by doing her job.

Appropriately, Foy's speech honored the Queen, but she added an important sentiment to the end saying: "I think the world could do with a few more women in the center of it."

If this Golden Globes is any indication, Foy's sentiment is well on its way to reality.

7. Ryan Gosling's recognition of his supportive partner, actress Eva Mendes.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Gosling has spoken about gender equality before, but his heartfelt acknowledgement to the hard work his partner Eva Mendes did "behind the scenes" so that he could shoot Golden Globe Award-winning film "La La Land" was a wonderful reminder of what it looks like when people acknowledge the often invisible work women do.

"If [Mendes] hadn't have taken all that on so I could have this experience, it would surely be someone else up here other than me today," Gosling told the crowd. That kind of support from a partner is definitely worth shouting out.

8. Lola Kirke's "F*ck Paul Ryan" pin and glorious underarm hair.

Photo by Ari Perilstein/Getty Images.

Who says award shows aren't a time to make your political opinions known? Kirke even matched hers to her dress! She supported women's rights to do whatever they want with their own bodies by confidently sporting underarm hair on the red carpet as well as a small pin that read "F*ck Paul Ryan."

9. Octavia Spencer spoke about the importance of getting girls involved in STEM fields.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Spencer's involvement in the movie "Hidden Figures" — which tells the story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, three black women working at NASA who were integral in getting the first men into space — has been a box office success so far. That kind of turnout is great because it means a huge audience is learning about a part of history often not taught in schools.

At the Globes she told told reporters that she hopes "future STEM girls will be inspired by our movie."

Public events are always the right time to make waves for feminism and equality and to take a stand against bigotry.

The more people see these acts, the more chance they have of making a lasting impression and changing things for the better in this country. With an incoming president, cabinet, House of Representatives, and Senate brimming with people looking to strip women, people of color, and other marginalized groups of their rights, we need as many of these patriarchy-smashing moments as possible.

As long as we keep publicly standing up for what's right, whatever our race, gender, or economic status may be, those who wish to put us down will not win.

It was just announced that Scarlett Johansson is 2016's top grossing actor.

Yes, that means she made more money for the movies she worked on than any other actor — male or female.

Collectively, her films raked in $1.2 billion worldwide over the past year. She was also named highest grossing actress ever this past summer, thanks largely in part to her ass-kicking role of Black Widow in "The Avengers."


Not too shabby, Ms. Johansson.

Photo by AFP/Getty Images.

Before you throw on your party clothes and celebrate women finally besting men financially in Hollywood though, remember this — top grossing doesn't mean top earning.

Sure, Johansson may have made over a billion dollars for the producers who employed her, but a very small percentage of that actually went into her pocket.

Photo by Antony Harvey/Getty Images.

In fact, according to Forbes, if you weigh Johansson's salary against her overall gross, she's quite the bargain. For every $1 she earns, she brings in $88.60 for the studios, which actually makes her Hollywood's best female value.

Starting to see the problem?

She still makes a lot of money by average person standards, but the point is, she's not making what she's worth. And she's not alone.

In fact, when you look at the top earning actors in 2016, you won't see a woman's name in the top five.

Jennifer Lawrence. Photo by Matt Winkelmyer/Getty Images.

According to Forbes, the highest paid actress in 2016 was Jennifer Lawrence with $46 million — that puts her in sixth place. The highest paid actor overall was Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock") at $64.5 million — that's an $18.5 million wage gap right there.

And it gets worse. Forbes' annual list that tracks earnings from June 1, 2015, through June 1, 2016, shows the top 10 highest paid actresses combined earnings were $205 million — less than half that of the top 10 actors' earnings of $456.5 million, collectively.

Ageism also plays a part in this wage gender gap. All top 10 earning actors are over 40, whereas half the top 10 actresses are under 40, and all are under 50.

Needless to say, there's a lot that's wrong with the bias against women in Hollywood, but women are fighting harder than ever to change it — and they're starting to succeed more and more.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

Emmy Rossum, star of the hit show "Shameless" refused to return to work until she received equal pay to her co-star William H. Macy. Not only did she achieve her appropriate pay, she also received retroactive pay to even out the gap that existed in previous show seasons.

Felicity Jones negotiated the largest salary (far and away above her male co-stars) for her work on "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."

When Gillian Anderson, star of "The X-Files" television show and subsequent movies, discovered her salary was smaller than her co-star David Duchovny twice (first for the original series, then the 2015 revival), she called it out publicly, and succeeded in righting the wrong both times.  She was compensated accordingly for her role in the TV series and film.

Of course, there's still more work to be done, and it's reflective of the gender inequality across the country.

Women face a gender wage gap in nearly every occupation in America. And that gap grows significantly wider for women of color. So while the salaries of these actresses aren't exactly relatable, the bias they face in the workplace is.

Because of their public influence, however, the stands these women are taking to rectify these inequalities can have a real impact on all of us. As such, it's important we support them and tell the world we too are tired of working hard and making less.  

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Tracee Ellis Ross didn't win an Emmy. But she won our hearts and made history anyway.

The underrepresentation of minorities on television is still a big problem, but there's hope.

Tracee Ellis Ross was nominated for a 2016 Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.

Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP.

Ross was nominated for her role as Rainbow Johnson in "Black-ish," an ABC sitcom about a self-aware and non-stereotypical black family. Ross' character — the matriarch of the family — is half white.


This nomination for Ross marks her first Emmy nod. But most importantly, this is the first time a black actress has been nominated in this category in 30 years. The last black actress to be recognized and nominated for her work in a comedy series was Phylicia Rashad in 1986 for playing Clair Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." But she didn't win; Betty White took home the prize that year.

2016 seemed poised to be Ross' year.

Which is why it was a surprise when Ross lost to Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who accepted her fifth consecutive Emmy in that category for her role on "Veep."

Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images.

It's not that Dreyfus doesn't deserve it — "Veep" is an incredible piece of media. But why not spread the love? It would've been an amazing moment of recognition for black actresses all over America.

And it also would have helped us talk about the larger problem at hand: a lack of diversity in Hollywood.

The underrepresentation of minorities on television is still a big problem.

A UCLA study on diversity in Hollywood found that out of 825 roles in broadcast scripted programming, only 9% of them went to black actors during the 2013-14 season. All minorities combined accounted for only 20% of those 825 roles.

Ross' nomination was not only symbolic, it was also necessary.

In the late 1980s, the Huxtables on "The Cosby Show" were seen as a "new" type of black family (especially following portrayals on shows like "Good Times" or "Sanford and Son"). The Huxtables were an upper-middle-class family, which is something that was rarely shown on television at the time. The dad (played by Bill Cosby) was a doctor, and the mom was a lawyer.

But that was 30 years ago, and things have changed quite a bit since then. Now "Black-ish" seems to be carrying on the "Cosby Show" torch but in a more realistic, relatable, and modern way. During this season alone, the show has tackled police brutality and a number of other serious issues. They use comedy to start important conversations in people's living rooms, and that's incredibly important.

The cast of "Black-ish." Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images.

Progress is happening: This year's Emmy nominees are the most racially diverse ever.

It means the landscape for non-white actors is widening, and more people are being given opportunities to show what they can do, like Ross. Plus, Ross' family was so proud, her mom, Diana Ross, even took out a full-page ad in The Hollywood Reporter congratulating the star.

"Women playing a nuanced role in life has been happening for eons, but on TV it’s been few and far between," Ross has said about her role on "Black-ish."

"In 2016, we’re still trying to get the wife role to match who we are in life, which is people who are many things, not just wives."

So while I wish Ross had taken home the Emmy this year, I can't wait to see what else she has in store. Congrats, Tracee!