Ukraine 1

Listen to Ukraine 1, a woman in her 40s from Donetsk and Yasynuvata, Ukraine. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 40s

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 1960

PLACE OF BIRTH: Donetsk, Ukraine

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Caucasian/Ukrainian

OCCUPATION: custodial staff member

EDUCATION: high school

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

When recorded, the subject had been living for eighteen months in the United States. She has lived in Donetsk and Yasynuvata.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

The subject had only just begun to learn English at the time of this recording. Therefore, her English is halting and her accent strong.

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

RECORDED BY: Tom Picasso (under the supervision of Paul Meier)

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

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

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

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

I lived in Ukraine all my life; ah, and last eighteen months I live in America. Ah, my brother lived, left, left Ukraine about ten years ago, He was a refugee? Yes, because, ah, when he liv- lived in Ukraine he worked at factory and he, ah, studied at university, but eh, uni- universities um, [unclear] government um, ex, ex, umm (I forget that word), kick him from university, because he was, ah, Christian, Christian, mmm, hmmm, you know [unclear], don’t let people read bible, bibles and ah, he couldn’t ah continue to study at university, and he got sta- status refugee, and he moved to America. He prepared paperwork, paperworks for my family and eighteen month ago I my family moved to America, and we are happy here. Ah, my husband worked in Ukraine ah, rail, rail, railroad (I forget) engineer, but here, he, he work, he works at K-Mart Corporation Distribution Center. (I forgot what ah, occu-occupation how would name.) Ah he needs, ah, to learn English, and then he can, he will, can work, ah, at railroad. He likes this job. We lived in Ukraine in big city, that is capital city, Donetsk, uh, but ah, when I married with my husband, we moved to little cit- city near Donetsk, Yasynuvata, the city of Yasynuvata. This little city but, um, it has a very big railroad station and other [unclear], because he work, worked ah railroad engineer, train engineer, mm, hmm. In America I, I see very, different, ah, fru- fruits and vegetables. Ah, in Ukraine I never see some, some fruits, some vegetables what I see here and in Ukraine. I didn’t have enough money for, mmm, for food and that vegetables, those vegetables, ah, what I knew in Ukraine I couldn’t buy. Ah, only some, only cheapest, I can, I could buy only cheapest vegetables, (potatoes, carrots, white cabbage.) That’s all. At summertime, I could buy tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, and ah, I ha-, I had a little piece of land, mmm like yours, two rooms square. And, I growed, growed, grow, potatoes, tomatoes, but it, eh, it wasn’t help to my my family for a whole year, because it is too little for my family and ah, I had a goat, (goat?), for milk because my son Bogdan, he was sick from four years old, from age of four month, and he, he (he need?) milk goat milk, and five years I had goat.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Tom Picasso (under the supervision of Paul Meier)

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

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

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

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY:

In the sample, the subject describes how she, her husband, and her four children immigrated to America, as well as some interesting perceptions on American food. What’s interesting to note is the how the subject tends to question and fight through her English at times. Notice the way in which words, especially those that are foreign, are emphasized, as well as the upward, almost questioning tone of her sentences and overall speech pattern. (There is some construction noise in the recording.)

COMMENTARY BY: Tom Picasso (under the supervision of Paul Meier)

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

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.
• 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.