Bolivia 1

Listen to Bolivia 1, a 61-year-old man from Oruro, Bolivia. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 61

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 17/10/1948

PLACE OF BIRTH: Oruro, Bolivia

GENDER: male

ETHNICITY: Hispanic

OCCUPATION: professor of theatre arts

EDUCATION: master’s degree in theater arts

AREA(S) OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

At the time of the interview, the subject had lived in southern California, in the United States, for 39 years.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

The subject describes his accent as general, urban Bolivian.

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

RECORDED BY: Andy Babinski (under supervision of David Nevell)

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 30/11/2009

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

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

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

OK, I probably would describe my Bolivian accent – which is very similar to Peruvian accent and very similar to Equitorian accent – because we all kind of speak Spanish the same way. Except within our culture, then we have different classes . . . and, uh . . . the . . . problem, on, on the three countries there’s a large majority of natives, or . . . or Indians, as we call them . . . so they will have a different accent because . . . that . . . Spanish . . . already has an accent influenced by their language.  So, and actually I have met some – Indians that have learned to speak English as well.  And they have a different accent, because it’s more influenced by their language rather than by Spanish.  So even when they speak Spanish, they have an accent in Spanish.  I would call them native Bolivians.  And then I think within the ordinary Bolivians . . . again, like in any other culture, education plays . . . a role there as far as an accent . . . a high education, because I went to university, and even though I didn’t go to university but I went there for a year.  But, um . . . but I went to – high school, and it was a private school, so . . . yeah, my education would be a little higher than . . . than, uh, the other percentage.  Middle class and education.  But mostly I will say education.  Because, you know, it’s, it’s only you have these little . . . castes of between the Indian and the Cholo, and we have all these differences, but once these same people get, get educated, it’s only – we’re all at the same level.  There are regional accents, within Bolivia.  I have the more . . . general and the more . . . universal.  And there is a difference between . . . north, and between south .  . . and between east and west.  So, this accent is really coming from . . . where the majority of the important cities are.  Which is up in the mountains, so it is more . . . uh, lets see, where are we, it’s gonna be more west . . . and, it’s gonna be more west-central and a little bit south.  Which is where the majority of the larger cities are.  No, I think it’s based – no, it’s not based on the people who settle it.  I think it’s based on the environment, the climate, is, is more tropical, it’s warm . . . it’s, uh, the music is different, the food is different . . . so I think it’s more of the climate, rather than the people that settled.  Where I come from it’s up in the mountains, where it’s cold, and, uh, gloomy, and it’s fourteen thousand feet above sea level . . . and, it, uh, rains, and you can see the mountains all year around, and, uh, the music is different . . . the quenas, the . . . you know, it’s a little more mournful, and, uh . . . so, it’s, it’s – eh, I think it’s the climate . . . the Inca civilization is the same, and the Spaniards that, that colonized Bolivia are, are the same.  It’s just, where they live.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Andy Babinski (under supervision of David Nevell)

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 30/11/2009

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

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

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY:

Subject speaks a Spanish monologue: No, si yo, yo creo que me estas engañando otra vez, ya me engañantes una ves y ahora creo que me estas engañando otra vez. Y después de esto vamos a tener una una ahh prueba de vestimentas para el play en que estas haciendo, y ah ahh ojala que encontremos el terno correcto. Y si puedes usar los zapatos que me dijiste que quieres usar. Estos son los zapatos que le has puesto un lift de mas o menos. … Well, puesta en los tríos y vamos a ver si los podemos utilizar, pero estoy seguro que si.
The English translation: No, I believe, I believe you are tricking me again; you tricked me once and now I think you are tricking me again. And then after this we are going to have a, a, ahh, fitting of clothes for the play you are working on, and, ah, ahh, I wish we’ll find the correct suit. And yes you can use the shoes you told me you like to use. These are the shoes you added a lift of about. … Well, you’ll try them on and will see if we can use them, but I am sure we can.

COMMENTARY BY: Andy Babinski (under supervision of David Nevell)

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): 30/11/2009

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).

 

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