Here’s an interesting reel of tape that I picked up at least
15 years ago, probably at the late, lamented Mammoth Music Mart in Skokie, IL. It's background is a bit confusing to me. It was apparently created for use at the U.S. Army Academy of Health Sciences, but it sounds to me as if it had to be for use by members of the military from other countries, who would
be serving with Americans, as most native speakers of English would be familiar with the vast majority of these phrases and words. Whatever it's background, the tape contains no less than 547 of what it calls “Typical
American Expressions”, each with an explanation and an example.
It would appear that this list may still be in use, as it can be found online here. For the dozen or so words I crosschecked from the tape, they are all both on that website and contain the same definitions and examples. But it’s much more fun, I think, to hear them read by this rather humorless and mechanical sounding announcer. Plus, these can be great fun for those who like to make any of the countless styles of sound montages there are to make.
1.) Typical American
Expressions, Introduction and 1-100 (MP3)
2.) Typical American
Expressions, 101-200 (MP3)
3.) Typical American
Expressions, 201-300 (MP3)
4.) Typical American
Expressions, 301-400 (MP3)
5.) Typical American
Expressions, 401-500 (MP3)
Any idea who the voice belongs to? It sounds VERY familiar to me but it's frustratingly just teetering there on the tip of my brain. Thanks!
Posted by: TalcumX | June 13, 2010 at 03:11 PM
Enough to make anyone go mad. Easily the best torture device posted on the blog.
Posted by: icanhazz | June 15, 2010 at 11:04 PM
Too bad the dude mispronounces "colloquialisms" about 1 minute into the tape.
Posted by: Lepidus vir | June 16, 2010 at 02:02 PM
That and "doodie hours"...
Posted by: RevoluTuck | June 23, 2010 at 02:48 PM
David Susskind.
Posted by: Skunkdr | June 25, 2010 at 10:05 AM