Syria 3

Listen to Syria 3, a 24-year-old woman from Damascus, Syria. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 24

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 06/06/1991

PLACE OF BIRTH: Damascus, Syria

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Syrian

OCCUPATION: student

EDUCATION: pursuing undergraduate degree

AREAS OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

She has lived her entire life in Damascus, Syria, except for the past three years when she has lived in Iowa City, Iowa, in the United States.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH: N/A

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Marina Bergenstock

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 20/01/2016

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: 

wɛl hiə˞z ə stɔɹifɔ˞ ju̜ sæɾə pɪɹi wɑz ə vɛtʰɪnɛɹi nɜ˞s hu hæd bɪn wɜ˞kʰɪŋ deli ʔætən ʔold zuː ɪn ə dɪzɜ˞tʰɪd‿dɪstɹɪktʼ ʔɒv ðə tʰɛɹɪtɔɹi so ʃi wɑz vɛɹi hæpʰi t̪ʰu stɑ˞tʰ ʔe nju d͡ʒɑb ʔæt̚ðə sʊpʰɜ˞b pɹaɪvɐtʼ pʰɹæktʰɪs ʔɪn nɔ˞θ skwɛə˞ ni˞ ðə djuk stɹit‿tʰaʊə˞ ðætʰ ʔɛɹɪə wɑz mʌt͡ʃ niə˞ fɔ˞ hɜ˞ æn mɔ˞ tʰu hɜ˞ laɪkʰɪŋg̥ ivn̩ sŏ ɑn hɜ˞ fɜ˞s mɔ˞nɪŋ ʃi fɛɫt̚ stɹɛs ʃɪ etʰə boɫ ʔɒv pɒɹɪt͡ʃ t͡ʃɛkthɜ˞ɫf ʔɪn ðᵈɪ mɪɹə˞ ʔæn wɑʃtʰɜ˞ feɪs ʔɪn ə hɜ˞ɪ ðɛn ʃɪ pʊ̹tʰ ʔɒn ʔə pɫɛɪn jɛlo̜ dɹɛs æn ə fliˑs d͡ʒækʰɪʔ pɪktʌp̚ kʰɪʔ̚ æn hɛdɪd fɔ̜˞ wɜ˞kʼ wɛn ʃɪ gɑʔ̚ ðɛə˞ ðɛə˞ wɑz ə wʊmən wɪð ə guːs wɛɪtʰɪŋg̥ fə˞ hɜ˞ ðə wʊmən gev sɛɾa æn ɒfɪʃɫɛtʰɜ˞ fɹɑm ðə vɛt̪ʰ ðəɫɛtʰə˞ ʔɪmplaɪd‿ðᵈæ ðᵈə ʔænɪmɫ kʊd bi sʌfəɹɪŋk fɹɐm ə ɹɛə˞ fɔə˞m ʔɑv fuˑtʰ ʔan maʊθ dɪzɪːz wɪt͡ʃ wɑsɜ˞pʼɹaɪzɪŋ bɪkʰɒz na˞məɫi ju wʊd ʔonɫɪ ɪkspɛktʰu si ɪʔɪn ə ə dɒg ʔɐ˞ əɹə goʊʔ̚ saɹə wɑz sɛntʰɪmɛntʰəɫ soʊ med hɜ˞ fiɫ sɑɹi fɐ˞ ðə bjʊdɪfɫ bɜ˞ːtʼ bifɔ˞ lɑŋkʼ ðə ʔɪt͡ʃi gus bɪgæn t̪ʰu stɹʌt̪ʰ ʔɐɹaʊn də ɑfɪs laɪkʻ ɛ̆  lunətʰɪkʻ wɪt͡ʃ meːd ʔæn ʔʌnsɛnɪtɹi mɛs ðə gusɪz ɑnə˞ mɛɹi hæɹisn̩ kᵏɛp̚tʰ kʰɒlɪŋk kʰɒ̜mɐ kʰɒ̜mɐ wɪt͡ʃ sɛ̞̈ɹə θö̜tʰ waz ʔæn ʔɑd t͡ʃɔɪs fɔ̜ɹə neɪ̆m kʰɑmɐ wastɹɒŋ ʔɛn hju̜ːd͡ʒ sŏ ʔɪt̪ʰ wʊd sʌm fɔə˞s t̪ʊ tɹæphɜ˞ bʌtsɛɹɐ hæd ðə dɪfɹəntʰ ʔaɪdiɐ fɜ˞sʃi tɹaɪ d͡ʒɛntʰə̆lɪ stɹɑkʰɪŋ ðə gusiz̥ loɜ˞ bækʼ wɪð hɜ˞ paːm ðɛn sɪŋgɪŋ ʔɐ tʰuːnf tʰu hɜ˞ faɪnɫ̩I ʃɪ ʔadmɪnəstɜ˞ ʔiθɜ˞ hɛ˞ ɛfɔ˞ts wɜ˞ nɑt̚ fju̜ˑdɫ̩ ɪnˑo tʰaɪm ðə guˑs bɪgæn t̪ʰu tʰaɪɜ̆˞ sŏ saɾɐ wɑz ʔebɫ̩ t̪ʰʊ χɔɫd ʔɒnt̪ʰʊ kʰɑmɐ æn gɪv hɜ˞ ʔɐ ɹɪlæksɪŋ bæθ wɑnsaɾɐ hæd̚ mænɪd͡ʒ̥ t̪ʻü beɪðə guˑs ʃɪ waɪp̚t̪ʰɛ˞ ʔɑf wɪð ə kʰlɑθ ʔændleˑd hɜ˞ ɑn hɜ˞ ɹaɪt saɪd̚ ðɛn sɛrɐ kɒnfɜ˞ːm d̪aː vɛts daɪgnosəz̥ ʔɒɫmo̜st ʔɪmidiəʔ̚li ʃi ɹɪmɛmbɜ˞d ʔæn ʔɐfɛktɪf t̪ɹïʔ̚mn̩ ðæʔ̚ ɹɪkwaɪɜ˞t̪ʰɜ˞ t̪ʰu mɛʒɜ˞ ʔaʊt̪ʻ ʔə lɑdəv̥ mɛdɪsən saɾɐ wɔə˞n dæːðɪz kɔ˞s ʔɒf t̪ɹiʔmənʔ̚ maɪʔ̚ bɪ ʔɪkspɛnsəv ʔiðə˞ faɪv̥ t̪u̜ sɪks t̪aɪmz̥ ðə kʻɒst ʔɒv̥ pɛnəsəɫn̩ ʔaɪ kʰɛntʰ ʔɪmæʒn̩ peːŋ so mʌt͡ʃ bʌʔ mɪsɪs hɛɹɪsə̆n ʔə mɪlɪənɛ˞ lɒjɜ˞ θɒtʰ ʔɪt wɑz ə fɛ˞ pɹaɪs fɔ̜˞ ə kjʊə˞

TRANSCRIBED BY: Paul Meier

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 05/25/2022

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

So three years ago, I was back in Syria, living with my parents. I was a senior in college, and I really had a perfect life, great friends, great house, and everything was just great. I was very happy. Then, when the war started, I had to flee outside Syria and come to America. I was alone and I was scared. I didn’t speak English very well. I had to learn the conversation and how to do a conversation with people. Uh, I registered some classes; um, I took some classes in college. I start speaking to people. I got a job as a cashier, so I had to learn how to deal with people and how to talk to them and how to start a conversation with them in English. And that’s how I learned English, under pressure, actually. And after that, I start getting better; I start getting straight A’s in my classes — it was really great for me. It was a really great experience because it changed my life. It’s changed my perspective, and it made me a better person and a stronger person than I thought I would ever be. Um, now I have some friends here. I wish I can go back to Syria and see my family there, but it’s still something I can’t do because of the war. I can’t go in; no one can go out. And, um, and I think that one day I can go back to Syria, see my friends and my university and everyone that I love, and I can see my parents. And I think that, um, I miss my cat, too, cause I had a cat in Syria which, which — his name was, uh, Haifa, and he was a great cat.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Kris Danford

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 21/02/2016

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY:

Some features of the subject’s speech:

• t and d are dentalized.

• The liquid “u” is in use.

• The speaker explodes [g] at end of -ing word (e.g., long, liking).

• The dark [ l ] (e.g., normally) is present.

• The speaker tends to tap [r] when it is between two vowels (e.g., Sara) but occasionally will use a hard [r].

• The diphthong [oʊ] (e.g., stroking, no) tends to switch to [ɒ].

Also, the speaker tends to upward inflect many of her thoughts. And her speech tends to sit in the back of the mouth.

COMMENTARY BY: Kris Danford

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): 21/02/2016

The archive provides:

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• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.

• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.

• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.