This is not a word for word transcript

Are you big on small talk? (исполнитель: 6 minute English)

https:/ [bad word] englistening

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript

Neil
Hello, I'm Neil. [bad word] to 6 Minute English and with me in the studio is Rob. 

Rob
Hello, Neil. 

Neil
How are you today? 

Rob
I'm fine, thanks. How are you? 

Neil
I'm very well, actually. The weather has been nice lately, hasn't it? 

Rob
Yes, it has. The winter has been mild this year but... according to the forecast there might be some snow in parts of the country next week... And, you know, that's good because I love snow and we haven't seen much of it for quite a while. It's only rain, isn't it I... 

Neil
OK! OK! Enough! Enough now or they're going to think it's [bad word] that British people only talk about the weather!

Rob
Right. 

Neil
In this programme we're talking about conversation and how to start talking with people you don't know. In short: how to make small talk. 

Rob
Right. Well, small talk is what we call a polite and informal conversation about things which aren't really important or meaningful when meeting people socially - like at a party, for example. 

Neil
And in this programme you'll learn some vocabulary [bad word]  But first, a question: Rob, when do babies usually start talking? Is it when they are...

a) 9 months

b) 16 months or

c) 18 months 

Rob
Well, I know they start making noises at quite an early age. And I guess if that's talking, let me say (a) 9 months. 

Neil
OK. Well, we'll have the answer to that question at the end of the programme. Small talk is a social skill. Some people feel awkward - it means they feel [bad word]  embarrassed - when they go to a party and don't know many people there. 

Rob
Liz Brewer, the author of 'The Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette', knows a lot about what to do on these occasions. Etiquette is the set [bad word] which indicate what behaviour in a society is acceptable and what is not.

Neil
Yes, the author knows a lot about etiquette. Let's listen to her advice. What expression does she use to describe the act of attempting to start a conversation with someone? 

Liz Brewer, author of 'The Ultimate Guide to Party Planning and Etiquette'
You walk into a room, there's a sea of faces, well... (the) first thing we do is... it's the weather. We do it because we are in fact breaking the ice. That is a code. That means 'I want to talk to you'. It's an easy subject, it's not too penetrating. We're very private people, we don't like to give too much information. So we are on safe ground. We start off with the weather. If that goes well, we then take it one step further.

Rob
Liz Brewer talks about breaking the ice. It means approaching someone you don't know and starting a friendly conversation with them.

Neil
And when you break the ice, talking about things which are not specific is the best way. You don't start a chat asking straight away where people live or what they do for a living. 

Rob
And, as the author said, we are very private people. Private describes someone who doesn't like to give away their personal information, opinions or share their feelings. So we need more time to open up to people we've just met. 

Neil
Good. So now you know what to do at a party when you don't know the other guests. 

Rob
But, Neil. There is one particular situation I'm not sure how to deal with. This is when I forget the name of the person I've been making small talk with. 

Neil
Yes, I know what that's like. You might not [bad word] about allowing the person to realise you didn't really catch their name. It might [bad word]  

Rob
Yes, that's right. I don't want to [bad word] - which means ill-mannered or unpleasant. The person I've just managed to approach might think I don't care. 

Neil
Let's see what tip author on etiquette Liz Brewer has for us. Which words does she use instead of "I have forgotten"? 

Liz Brewer, author of "The Ultimate Guide to Party Planning & Etiquette"
You can say "Oh, just your name... it has just slipped my mind for the moment". And they say "Paul", (you say) "Oh no, no, no, I know you are Paul, it was the surname". Or they give you the surname and then you add the other. As I say, small talk is a code towards getting information and going further. Once you [bad word]  then you can have these wonderful in-depth conversations. Those are the kinds of things you want to probably do later. 

Rob
Liz Brewer says "your name has just slipped my mind", it's a gentler way of saying that they've just forgotten the person's name. And pretending that you knew the person's name but you want the other name is a clever trick. 

Neil
Yes, it might sound like you forgot the name, but [bad word]  And this author shows that you have to interact with people in a charming way. 

Rob
Yes... well, my co-presenter... your name has just slipped my mind for the moment...
 [bad word] on, Rob. You know! You know it's Neil. 

Rob
Yes, it is Neil. I'm just practising my social skills there. 

Neil
Well, I'm afraid you have to practise some other time because... well, I don't want to [bad word] but we [bad word] out of time. Let me give you the correct answer to the quiz question now. 

Rob
Yes. You asked me "When do babies usually start talking?" and you gave me three options. 

Neil
Yes, and the options were 9 months, 16 months or 18 months. 

Rob
And I went for the first one, 9 months. Was I right? 

Neil
You were wrong. The correct answer was (c) 18 months. Now, according to the website [bad word]  there are some milestones in speech development. At 6 months, your baby begins babbling with different sounds. For example, your baby may say "ba-ba" or "da-da". And then, after that, at 9 months, babies can understand a few basic words. At the age of 18 months babies say up to 10 simple words. 

Rob
Ah, interesting stuff. And we are still learning words now, aren't we?

Neil
We are. Well, enough of this small talk. Let's remember some of the words we used today, Rob. 

Rob
They were:

small talk

awkward

etiquette

breaking the ice

private [bad word] 
slipped my mind 

Neil
That's it for this programme. Do visit www [bad word] to find more 6 Minute English programmes. Until next time. Goodbye! 

Rob
Bye bye!

• Тексты песен
• BBC: 6 Minute English
• Is English Changing?

Transcript

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Alice
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice…

Neil
And I’m Neil. So Alice, can you think of an example of how the English we speak is changing?

Alice
Yes, I can – teenagers saying ‘like’ all the time…

Neil
Oh, that’s, like, really like annoying, like?

Alice
Well, the subject of today’s show is how and why the English language is changing. And teenagers definitely have their own code – including text speak when they’re on the internet or using their phones. Fomo, bae, plos – do you have any idea what those terms mean, Neil?

Neil
I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, Alice. They’re pretty baffling – and that means ‘hard to understand’. But that’s the idea, isn’t it? We oldies aren’t supposed to understand!

Alice
Yes, exactly! Apparently, ‘plos’ means ‘parents looking over shoulder’ – which proves your point! Text speak is a lot to do with inventing cool new terms – and these change quickly. In a year, or even six months time, words that were once popular, have disappeared completely.

Neil
OK, I have a quiz question forming in my mind, Alice – so I hope you’re feeling up to the challenge, Alice. Can you tell me, what kinds of words are slow to change? Is it…
a) nouns?
b) pronouns?
Or c) adjectives?

Alice
I think it’s a) nouns. The way we name things probably doesn’t change that quickly.

Neil
We shall find out if you are right or wrong later on in the show. But let’s think about English grammar for a minute, and what changes are occurring here.

Alice
I noticed you said ‘shall’ there, Neil. And to my ear, that sounds pretty old fashioned.

Neil
And you’re very right, Alice. The modal verb ‘shall’ is on the way out – meaning it’s disappearing. Why do you think that is?

Alice
Well, perhaps it’s because ‘will’ sounds more natural these days. Let’s listen to linguist Bas Aarts, talking to writer and presenter, Michael Rosen on the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth, for his explanation.

INSERT
Presenter Michael Rosen and Bas Aarts, Professor of English linguistics at University College London
MR: Why would we lose ‘shall’? I mean, if especially as we hold it in the interrogative. We say, you know, ‘Shall we go swimming’?
BA: Well, because it’s in competition with ‘will’. If you have two words that more or less express the same meaning, one of the two is going to be pushed out of the language. And in this case, it’s ‘shall’.

Neil
Bas Aarts there. And interrogative means ‘a question’. So it’s not just in nature that we get survival of the fittest – you know, the struggle for life – it happens in language too. Similar words are competing with each other, and some lose while others win out – or succeed after a fight. Do you know of any other modal verbs that are on their way out, Alice?

Alice
Yes – ‘must’ is declining rapidly.

Neil
Why’s that?

Alice
‘Must’ sounds authoritarian, and people are choosing to express obligation – or having a duty to do something – in different ways.

Neil
OK, authoritarian means ‘demanding that people obey you’. For example: Alice, you must move on to the next point, now!

Alice
Oh, you scared me a bit there, Neil!

Neil
Exactly. I can see why people are shying away from – or avoiding – ‘must’. It sounds nicer to soften obligation by saying things like, ‘You might want to move on to the next point now, Alice.’

Alice
OK, then, I shall. Let’s talk about tenses. Progressive tenses – formed from the verb be and the suffix –ing – are usually used for ongoing situations, for example, ‘I’m doing the show with Neil at the moment’. But its use has been increasing rapidly. Let’s listen to Michael Rosen and Bas Aarts again talking about this.

INSERT
Presenter Michael Rosen and Bas Aarts, Professor of English linguistics at University College London
BA: It started increasing dramatically in the 19th century and has continued to rise in the present day.
MR: I think that’s a cue for me to say, ‘I’m loving it’, is that right?
BA: Well, that is one of the constructions that is coming in, I mean, I sometimes call it the Big Mac progressive because of course McDonald’s use that.

Neil
In this segment of the BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth, Michael Rosen quotes the progressive form ‘I’m loving it’ – a slogan used by an American fast-food chain in its advertising campaign.

Alice
The verb ‘love’ is a stative verb. It expresses a state of being – as opposed to doing – and is traditionally used in the simple form, for example, ‘I love it’. But these days, people are using stative verbs in the progressive more and more.

Neil
I’m hearing what you’re saying, Alice! Now, I think it’s time for the answer to today’s quiz question. I asked you: What kinds of words are slow to change? Is it… a) nouns, b) pronouns or c) adjectives?

Alice
I said a) nouns.

Neil
And you were wrong, Alice! According to Professor Mark Pagel, evolutionary biologist at Reading University in the UK, pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘you’ and ‘we’ evolve slowly – a thousand years ago we would be using similar or sometimes identical sounds. Similarly, number words evolve very slowly – our ancestors were using related sounds a thousand or perhaps even two thousand years ago. Whereas nouns and adjectives get replaced quite rapidly – and in five hundred years or so we’ll probably be using different words to the ones we use now.

Alice
Well, I got that completely wrong then! Who knew that one, two, three would have such staying power?

Neil
I suppose numbers are pretty fundamental to our day-to-day lives – sort of part of who we are.

Alice
OK, let’s hear the — hopefully — more permanent words we learned today.

Neil
There were:
baffling
on the way out
interrogative
win out
obligation
authoritarian
shying away from
progressive
stative

Alice
Well, that’s the end of today’s 6 Minute English. To recap, we’re enjoying the progressive tense.

Neil
And we’re loving ‘will’ and ‘should’, but avoiding ‘shall’ and ‘must’. Don’t forget to join us again soon!

Both
Bye!
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Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Neil
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Neil…

Alice
… And I’m Alice. My chair feels [audibly shifts about in her chair] uncomfortable today. How does yours feel?

Neil
Um… mine is fine — very comfortable, thank you.

Alice
Well, it would be nice if you offered to give me your chair, Neil.

Neil
What? No chance. Well, I would be uncomfortable then, wouldn’t I?

Alice
You should give me your seat, Neil.

Neil
Should I? Well, now might be a good time to mention that chivalry is the subject of today’s show.

Alice
Chivalry these days means polite behaviour usually by men towards women.

Neil
Though in the past it referred to a code of behaviour followed by knights in the Middle Ages. It was all about honour and courage in battle – and only later on about being polite to the ladies. Well, we aren’t living in the Middle Ages any more, are we?

Alice
No comment. Let’s go for our traditional question. I have a literary one for you today: Who wrote the novel Don Quixote, about a 50-year old man travelling Spain in search of knightly adventures in rusty armour and a cardboard helmet? Was it…
a) Miguel de Cervantes
b) Leo Tolstoy
Or c) William Shakespeare?

Neil
I think — I’m going to get it right today, Alice – I’m going to say a) Miguel de Cervantes.

Alice
Well, we’ll find out later on in the show if you were right or not. But first, do you think chivalry is dead, Neil?

Neil
No, not at all – these traditions are alive and kicking – in Poland at any rate. If something is alive and kicking it means it’s active. The BBC reporter Adam Easton saw it with his own eyes and is going to describe it for us.

INSERT
Adam Easton, BBC reporter
Medieval knights’ tournaments or battle re-enactments are popular across Europe. But there’s something about dressing up as a knight that particularly appeals to people here in Poland. In the summer there’s events every weekend and here in Malbork Northern Poland home to Europe’s largest medieval castle there’s one of the biggest of the season. There’s archery, crossbow, jousting, other horse skills, and more than a hundred thousand people come to watch these tournaments.

Alice
The BBC reporter Adam Easton. By the way, what’s a re-enactment, Neil?

Neil
It’s where you perform the actions of a past event. And in Malbork in Poland they stage battle re-enactments every weekend apparently – at least in the summer months!

Alice
Mmm… it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea – and that means it doesn’t sound like something I would enjoy doing – how about you, Neil?

Neil
Well, I’m not sure about the archery, crossbow and jousting. It all sounds like too much hard work. But I’d definitely enjoy the dressing up.

Alice
Excellent! Well, jousting is where two people fight on horseback using a lance – or long pole – to try to knock the other person off their horse, especially as part of a tournament – or sporting event. So with the dressing up, Neil – I’m curious. I can’t imagine you as a knight in shining armour, to be honest…

Neil
Come on, Alice. I’d look very appealing to any damsel in distress. A damsel in distress is a young unmarried woman in need of help.

Alice
OK. You might make a very fetching – or attractive – knight, Neil. But you should get used to actually helping the ladies … maybe offering me your seat. I’m still sitting uncomfortably here…

Neil
Come on, Alice, a knight needs to sit comfortably too. We’ve always been the ones with battles to fight!

Alice
But at some point in the history of chivalry – prowess – or skill – on the battlefield became combined with a set of conventions – or rules – governing other aspects of behaviour. This included a knight’s moral and religious duties and how to conduct their love affairs. Professor Laura Ashe at Oxford University explains.

INSERT
Laura Ashe, Associate Professor in English at the University of Oxford, UK
The really strange thing is the idea that love should somehow make you a better knight. I mean, this is what is suddenly claimed in the late 12th century and it makes very little sense, you know, if you imagine a footballer telling his teammates that being in love makes him a better footballer.

Neil
That was Professor Laura Ashe. And I agree with her. What has being a great footballer or a great warrior got to do with love?

Alice
Well, courtly love was a social code governing behaviour between aristocratic men and women that developed at the same time and amongst the same people as chivalry and the two became intertwined – or hard to separate – from then on.

Neil
And aristocrats are people of high social rank. OK Alice, I think it’s time you told us the answer to today’s quiz question.

Alice
Good idea. OK. I asked: Who wrote the novel Don Quixote, about a 50-year old man travelling Spain in search of knightly adventures in rusty armour and a cardboard helmet? Was it… a) Miguel de Cervantes, b) LeonTolstoy or c) William Shakespeare?

Neil
And I said a) Miguel de Cervantes.

Ali

Transcript of the podcast

NB: This is not a word-for-word transcript

Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Alice

Neil: … and I’m Neil. Hello

Alice: Hello, Neil. You went to university, didn’t you

Neil: Yes. University – the best days of my life. I made fantastic friends, went to great parties

Alice: Did some work

Neil: Well, yeah, I did some work, but probably not enough

Alice: Well, the subject of today’s show is student mental health. So, Neil, do you think you’re looking back at your university days through rose-tinted spectacles? And that means looking at a situation as being better than it really was

Neil: I did feel out of my comfort zone when I arrived. Yes, everyone seemed to know everyone… knew where to go

Alice: Yes, well, being out of your comfort zone means being in a situation that you aren’t familiar with and which makes you feel nervous. Did you talk to anyone about your feelings, Neil? Did you get any counselling? And that means professional help with personal or psychological problems

Neil: What? No, not me. I’m one of those men who isn’t good at talking about their feelings, Alice. I just felt a bit homesick that’s all – I missed my friends and family. But let’s move on, shall we! Why don’t you ask me today’s quiz question

Alice: Alright then. So here it is: In a survey of students at Imperial College London, how many students said they suffered from high levels of stress or a mental health condition during their time at college? Was it

a) 1 out of 4

b) 2 out of 4? or

c) 3 out of 4

Neil: Well, I’m going to go for c) 3 out of 4 because I do think that university life can be more stressful than people realize

Alice: Yes. And stress means pressure or worry caused by a difficult situation. OK, we’ll find out if you’re right or wrong later on. Now in the UK, there has been a rise in students using counselling services

Neil: Why’s that, Alice

Alice: Well, let’s listen to Kirsty, a student at Exeter University, talking about why she has had problems. And here’s a question for you while you listen: Did she enjoy her first days in college

INSERT
Kirsty McMurron, student at Exeter University

No. The thing is… it… is a real balancing act. When I first got to university I don’t think I’d really realized that I’d forgotten how to make friends you know, I’d been with the same school friends for seven years, and so I was trying to balance you know social success with academic success whilst learning how to look after myself at quite a young age. And I think that’s the experience of a lot of young people. And people really struggle with it

Neil: What’s a balancing act, Alice

Alice: It’s where you try to give your attention to two or more things at the same time. So here, Kirsty is trying to balance making new friends with doing her academic work and learning to look after herself

Neil: What does Kirsty mean when she says she’s learning to look after herself

Alice: Well, to look after someone means to protect or take care of someone – and in this case, Kirsty’s learning to take care of herself – for example doing her own shopping and cooking

Neil: OK, let’s listen to Dr Ruth Caleb of the counselling service at Brunel University in London talking about what practical stuff students could learn before leaving for university that might make life easier for them

INSERT
Dr Ruth Caleb, Head of the counselling service at Brunel University, London

Certain things that I think it would be very very helpful for students to have put in place are an ability to do the practical things of life – to do the washing, to do the cleaning and so on – being able to cook. Budgeting is extremely important in university life. And also spending time on your own comfortably

Neil: Yes, that’s excellent advice. I couldn’t boil an egg when I arrived at uni

Alice: Oh, really? Can you do it now, Neil

Neil: Just about, just about

Alice: Yeah? Great. And what about budgeting? This means planning how much money you have and how you will spend it

Neil: I’m still pretty bad at that. However, I am very good at spending time on my own comfortably

Alice: Yes, I can believe that – feet up, watching TV with a takeaway

Neil: Takeaway, of course a takeaway cause I can’t cook anything

Alice: No

Neil: … not even an egg. You know me so well. So how about the answer to today’s quiz question, Alice

Alice: Alright then. I asked: In a survey of students at Imperial College London, how many said they suffered from high levels of stress or a mental health condition during their time at college? Was it

a) 1 out of 4

b) 2 out of 4? or

c) 3 out of 4

Neil: And I said c) 3 out of 4

Alice: Yes. And you are correct – well done, Neil! The survey, completed by over a thousand students, also found that almost 70% of those that suffer from stress do so at least once a week, and 9% of students feel stressed constantly. Stressed means anxious and worried

Neil: Well, I feel anxious just thinking about all that stress. Can we hear today’s words again

Alice: We certainly can. They are

through rose-tinted spectacles
out of your comfort zone
counselling
homesick
stress
balancing act
look after yourself
budgeting
stressed

Neil: Well, that brings us to the end of today’s 6 Minute English. We hope you’ve had a stressfree time. Please do join us again soon. You know where to find us, don’t you? Go to www.learningenglish.com , where you’ll find grammar points, vocabulary and more editions of 6 Minute English

Both: Bye