Speaker 1: I got access to the new advanced voice mode in ChatGPT, and while I'm still testing it out, it's pretty clear that this is a major step forward for English learners, for language learners in general. Well, what's different? You could always have, or for a long time at least, you've been able to have a voice call with ChatGPT. What's different? It's different. It feels much more like a real conversation. You don't have to wait for it to finish and then start speaking. You don't have those, as many of those awkward moments where you weren't actually done talking and then it interrupts. You can interrupt with your voice in the middle of something, right? And the other really key thing that we're going to focus on now is pronunciation. Or it has always been speech to text, text to speech. And so it's not actually listening to what you're saying, the sounds. It's just interpreting the words. Well, now it can actually listen to the sounds, and it can take requests if you want to know how to say something, or you want it to be slower or faster, or learn about intonation or stress, this sort of thing. You can just ask. And so it's like having a real-time pronunciation teacher. This has not been possible before. You can get feedback on your pronunciation. This has not been possible before. Again, I think this is a huge step forward. But let's test it out a bit, okay? So I'm going to start a conversation, and then I'm going to focus on, we're just going to focus on pronunciation, all right? Here we go. I want you to help me pronounce a word that's really tough for me. It's the word uruly, U-S-U-A-L-L-Y, uruly, uruly. Is that right?

Speaker 2: That was close. The word usually is pronounced as you-joo-ly. The first part, you, rhymes with you. Then comes you, which sounds like the S in measure, and it ends with a lee. Can you say it one more time, slowly? Sure. You-joo-a-ly. Let me try. You-ru-ly. That was close. Just focus on the you at the beginning. Try saying you-joo-a-ly.

Speaker 1: Should I say you-joo-a-ly or you-joo-a-ly? Which one is right? You-joo-a-ly or you-joo-a-ly?

Speaker 2: The correct pronunciation is you-joo-a-ly. The j sound in the middle is key, like the S in measure, so it's you-joo-a-ly. Give that a shot. You-joo-a-ly. Perfect. You nailed it that time. Great job.

Speaker 1: Can you say it a little faster so that I can hear it naturally? Sure. You-joo-a-ly. You-joo-a-ly. That's it. You've got it. Well done. Let's practice some tongue twisters. Is that okay? I heard that's a good way to practice my pronunciation.

Speaker 2: Absolutely. Tongue twisters are a fun way to improve pronunciation. How about we start with this one? She sells seashells by the seashore. Give it a try.

Speaker 1: He sells seashells by the seashore. Is that right?

Speaker 2: Very close. She sells seashells by the seashore. Let's try it again. She sells seashells by the seashore.

Speaker 1: She sells seashells by the seashore. Perfect. You nailed it. Ready for another one? Can you say it three times fast for me?

Speaker 2: Sure. She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore. Give it a shot.

Speaker 1: She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore. She sells seashells by the seashore.

Speaker 2: Great job. That was impressive. How does your tongue feel after that workout?

Speaker 1: It's on fire. I want to practice, if we could, minimal pairs. Can we do... I know B-I-T and B-E-A-T have one small difference. Can you help me with that?

Speaker 2: Of course. The minimal pair B-I-T and B-E-A-T differs in the vowel sound. B-I-T has a short I sound, while B-E-A-T has a long E sound. B-I-T, B-E-A-T. Give it a try. B-E-A-T, B-E-A-T. Great effort. Try to make the I sound in B-I-T a bit shorter and the E sound in B-E-A-T a bit longer. So it would be B-I-T, B-E-A-T. Try it again. B-I-T, B-E-A-T. B-I-T, B-E-A-T. Is that right? That's much better. Keep practicing, and it'll get even smoother. How about we try another pair, like SHIP and SHEEP? The difference is similar.

Speaker 1: Let's try connected speech. I know that native English speakers mush their words together when they talk, and that makes it sound more natural. So can we practice this sentence? What are you going to do about it?

Speaker 2: Absolutely. In connected speech, this sentence often sounds like, what are you going to do about it? The words blend together, making it sound more natural. Give it a try.

Speaker 1: Well, I want to copy you, but I can't go that fast. Can you say it a little slower for me?

Speaker 2: Of course. What are you going to do about it? Now you give it a shot.

Speaker 1: What are you going to do about it? It sounds weird when I say it slowly.

Speaker 2: That's totally normal. Connected speech often sounds strange when spoken slowly. Let's speed it up a little. What are you going to do about it? Give it another try at a faster pace. What are you going to do about it? Great job. It's starting to sound more natural. The more you practice, the easier it'll get. Keep at it. Can you say it in a British accent? Certainly. In a British accent, it would sound like, what you're going to do about it? Give that a try. What you're going to do about it? Spot on. That's a great British accent. You're really getting the hang of connected speech.

Speaker 1: Well done. Can you do it one more time? Can you do it in an Indian accent? Of course. What are you going to do about it? Try that.

Speaker 2: What are you going to do about it? That's it. Nicely done. You captured the accent well. Keep practicing and you'll get even better.

Speaker 1: All right. Great. Hey, I've been recording a video this whole time trying to test out the different ways I can practice pronunciation. Can you do a wrap-up for my video letting people know that they can like, comment, and subscribe, and they can also get a free course in the links in the description and that I'll see them next time?

Speaker 2: Sure thing.

Speaker 1: Here we go.

Speaker 2: Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. And be sure to check out the links in the description for a free course. See you next time.