英音演講60周年演講稿

　　篇一：英國女王伊麗莎白二世登基60周年演講稿(全球最美最標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的英音沒有之一!)

　　英國女王伊麗莎白二世登基60周年演講稿

　　（倪寧 譯）

　　My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

　　各位上下議院的議員們：

　　I am most grateful for your Loyal Addresses and the generous words of the Lord Speaker and Mr. Speaker.

　　我非常感謝主議長和議長先生的衷心贊揚(yáng)。

　　This great institution has been at the heart of the country and the lives of our people throughout its history.

　　這個(gè)偉大的機(jī)構(gòu)（議會(huì)）已經(jīng)成為國家歷史的心臟和我們民眾生活的生命。 As Parliamentarians, you share with your forebears a fundamental role in the laws and decisions of your own age.

　　作為國會(huì)議員，你分享了你的祖先中的一個(gè)根本性法律。

　　Parliament has survived as an unshakeable cornerstone of our constitution and our way of life.

　　議會(huì)已經(jīng)成為不可動(dòng)搖的基石，存在于我們的憲法和生活方式中。

　　History links monarchs and Parliament, a connecting thread from one period to the next.

　　歷史聯(lián)系著君主和議會(huì)，像一根紐帶把一個(gè)時(shí)代和下一個(gè)時(shí)代連接起來。So, in an era when the regular, worthy rhythm of life is less

　　eye-catching than doing something extraordinary, I am reassured that I am merely the second Sovereign to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.

　　所以，在做不平凡事比平常生活更受關(guān)注的時(shí)代，我很高興我能成為第二個(gè)慶祝鉆禧年的君主。

　　As today, it was my privilege to address you during my Silver and Golden Jubilees.

　　到今天為止，你們能參加我銀禧和金禧的盛典，我很榮幸。

　　Many of you were present ten years ago and some of you will recall the occasion in 1977.

　　十年前你們中的很多人也出席了。你們中的一些人依然能回憶出1977年的情景。 Since my Accession, I have been a regular visitor to the Palace of Westminster and, at the last count, have had the pleasurable duty of treating with twelve Prime Ministers.

　　我在位期間，我是威斯敏斯特宮的�？�，至今為止，我和12位首相有過愉快的合作。

　　Over such a period, one can observe that the experience of venerable old age can be a mighty guide but not a prerequisite for success in public office.

　　在這樣一個(gè)時(shí)代，年長者的經(jīng)驗(yàn)很管用，但對(duì)于擔(dān)任公職來說卻不是成功的先決條件。

　　I am therefore very pleased to be addressing many younger

　　Parliamentarians and also those bringing such a wide range of background and experience to your vital, national work.

　　我也很高興向很多年輕議員提建議，我也把廣泛的背景知識(shí)和經(jīng)驗(yàn)運(yùn)用到日常國家事務(wù)中。

　　During these years as your Queen, the support of my family has, across the generations, been beyond measure.

　　當(dāng)女王的這些年，來自我家庭的幾代人的支持難以衡量。

　　Prince Philip is, I believe, well-known for declining compliments of any kind. But throughout he has been a constant strength and guide. 菲利普親王因?yàn)榫芙^各種贊揚(yáng)而出名。但是，他是一個(gè)堅(jiān)定的支持者和向?qū)А?He and I are very proud and grateful that The Prince of Wales and other members of our family are travelling on my behalf in this Diamond Jubilee year to visit all the Commonwealth Realms and a number of other Commonwealth countries.

　　威爾士王子和其他家人將代表我在鉆禧年出訪所有的英聯(lián)邦王國和部分英聯(lián)邦國家，他和我都感到非常高興和自豪。

　　These overseas tours are a reminder of our close affinity with the Commonwealth, encompassing about one-third of the world’s population.

　　這些海外行程將使占世界三分之一的人口的聯(lián)邦成員國緊緊聯(lián)系著。

　　My own association with the Commonwealth has taught me that the most important contact between nations is usually contact between its peoples.

　　我與英聯(lián)邦國家交往的親身經(jīng)歷告訴我國家之間最重要的聯(lián)系通常是人民之間的聯(lián)系。

　　An organisation dedicated to certain values, the Commonwealth has flourished and grown by successfully promoting and protecting that contact.

　　該機(jī)構(gòu)提供固定的價(jià)值，鼓勵(lì)和保持成員之間的聯(lián)系，促進(jìn)聯(lián)邦國繁榮和發(fā)展。 At home, Prince Philip and I will be visiting towns and cities up and down the land.

　　在國內(nèi)，菲利普親王和我將會(huì)訪問南北方的城市和郡縣。

　　It is my sincere hope that the Diamond Jubilee will be an opportunity for people to come together in a spirit of neighbourliness and celebration of their own communities.

　　我真誠地希望，鉆禧典禮將成為人們團(tuán)結(jié)的一個(gè)良好契機(jī)，傳遞友善的鄰里關(guān)系和他們的社區(qū)價(jià)值。

　　We also hope to celebrate the professional and voluntary service given by millions of people across the country who are working for the public good.

　　我也希望能夠表彰那些在公共領(lǐng)域工作的，來自全國各地自愿提供服務(wù)的數(shù)百萬人民和專家。

　　They are a source of vital support to the welfare and wellbeing of others, often unseen or overlooked.

　　他們是為公眾福祉提供重要支持的源泉，卻往往被忽視。

　　And as we reflect upon public service, let us again be mindful of the remarkable sacrifice and courage of our Armed Forces.

　　我們對(duì)公共服務(wù)進(jìn)行思考，讓我們再一次注意到我們軍隊(duì)做出的卓越貢獻(xiàn)和勇敢。

　　Much may indeed have changed these past sixty years but the valour of those who risk their lives for the defence and freedom of us all remains undimmed.

　　在過去的六十年里，許多已經(jīng)改變，但是為了守護(hù)國家和我們的自由而獻(xiàn)身的勇氣會(huì)永存。

　　The happy relationship I have enjoyed with Parliament has extended well beyond the more than three and a half thousand Bills I have signed into law.

　　我和議員之間的愉快關(guān)系很好地延續(xù)著已經(jīng)超過我簽署3500份法案的時(shí)間。 I am therefore very touched by the magnificent gift before me, generously subscribed by many of you.

　　結(jié)果我收到了非常壯觀的禮物，你們中許多人慷慨地付出了。

　　Should this beautiful window cause just a little extra colour to shine down upon this ancient place, I should gladly settle for that. 如果這扇漂亮的窗戶能為這個(gè)古老的地方增添色彩，我將為此感到高興。

　　We are reminded here of our past, of the continuity of our national story and the virtues of resilience, ingenuity and tolerance which created it. 在這里，我們想起過去我們國家的故事，國民的堅(jiān)韌性、創(chuàng)造力和寬容心。 I have been privileged to witness some of that history and, with the support of my family, rededicate myself to the service of our great country and its people now and in the years to come.

　　我親歷了其中的一些歷史，在我家人的支持下，現(xiàn)在和將來，我將致力于為我們偉大的國家和人民服務(wù)。

　　篇二：十招教給你發(fā)出地道英國腔

　　十招教給你發(fā)出地道英國腔

　　英格蘭、蘇格蘭、北愛爾蘭和威爾士各自擁有獨(dú)特的'口音，通過練習(xí)，就可以用聽起來頗為純正的英式英語與人交談。除了語言，你的行為舉止也要相配，這樣才能發(fā)揮最佳效果。下面的內(nèi)容介紹了英格蘭南部和威爾士所用的女皇英語或”標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音”，也就是外國人對(duì)英國人說話的固有印象，盡管這在現(xiàn)代英國其實(shí)幾乎從未用過。學(xué)習(xí)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音很大程度關(guān)乎發(fā)音，而要學(xué)習(xí)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)語言，還需注意其他方面，如正確的語法、較正式的詞匯和語言風(fēng)格。

　　1. “R”不發(fā)音

　　要知道，大多數(shù)說英音的人發(fā)R音的時(shí)候都不卷舌(除了那些來自蘇格蘭、諾森比亞、北愛爾蘭和蘭開夏郡部分地區(qū)的人)，但并非所有英式口音都相同。元音之后的R不要發(fā)音，同時(shí)拉長元音，還可以加上一個(gè)“uh”音(here就讀成“heeuh”)。在像“hurry”這樣的單詞中，不要把R和元音混在一起，要讀成“huh-ree”。

　　在美式英語中，以“rl”或“rel”結(jié)尾的單詞發(fā)音時(shí)可以用一個(gè)或兩個(gè)音節(jié)，沒有區(qū)別。但在英式英語中就不同。以“rl”結(jié)尾的單詞，如“girl”、“hurl”等只發(fā)一個(gè)音節(jié)，R不發(fā)音;而“squirrel”則要讀成“squih-rul”，而“referral”則為“re-fer-rul”。

　　有些單詞用英式口音讀起來比較輕松。比如“mirror”讀起來就是“mih-ra”。別把它讀得像“mere”一樣，英國人幾乎從不這么發(fā)音。

　　2. 字母“U”在“stupid”和“duty”中的發(fā)音為“ew”，和單詞“you”一樣

　　不要像美式口音那樣發(fā)“oo”音，所以正確的發(fā)音應(yīng)該是stewpid ，或者schewpid 也很常見，但不是stoopid ;而duty 應(yīng)該是“dewty”，或更常見的“jooty”。在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音中，“A”(比如在“father”中)應(yīng)該是在口腔后部發(fā)的開嗓音，聽起來就是“Arh”。這點(diǎn)在幾乎所有英式口音中都不例外，不過在標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音中尤為突出。在英格蘭南部和標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音中，諸如“bath”、“path”、“glass”和“grass”這樣的詞也發(fā)這個(gè)元音(bawth、pawth、glawss和grawss，等等)。不過在英國其他地區(qū)，“bath”、“path”這些詞還是發(fā)“ah”音。

　　3. 輔音較多的單詞要發(fā)音清晰

　　“duty”中的T 發(fā)T 音：不要像美語中那樣發(fā)成D ，讀成doody，所以“duty”應(yīng)該讀dewty ，或者柔和一點(diǎn)，jooty 。讀后綴“-ing”的時(shí)候要加重“G”的后鼻音。這樣聽起來就應(yīng)該是“-ing”而非“-een”。不過有時(shí)候也會(huì)縮短為“in”，比如“l(fā)ookin”。

　　“human being”這個(gè)詞組要讀成“hewman being”，有的地區(qū)讀成“youman been”，不過也可以是“hewman bee-in”。

　　4. 略去“T”

　　包括倫敦腔在內(nèi)的某些口音中，單詞中的“T”不發(fā)音，而美國人會(huì)用“D”取而代之。不過在原本“T”的位置上通常會(huì)有短暫的停頓。所以“battle”的發(fā)音就應(yīng)該是“Ba-ill”，在第一個(gè)音節(jié)末尾含住舌根的氣息，然后在發(fā)第二個(gè)音節(jié)的時(shí)候才把它吐出來，這就是所謂的“喉塞音”glottal stop。 美國人也用喉塞音，比如像“mittens”和“mountain”這樣的詞，只是英國人用得更多罷了。

　　說河口英語、標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音，以及操蘇格蘭、愛爾蘭和威爾士口音認(rèn)為把“T”吞掉是懶惰粗魯?shù)男袨�，因此也就沒有這種發(fā)音方法。不過幾乎在所有口音中，在非正式情形下單詞中間的T不發(fā)音，都是可以接受的;而在詞尾加上喉塞音就更加普遍了。

　　5. 請(qǐng)注意，有些單詞的發(fā)音與拼寫是一致的

　　單詞“Herb”的發(fā)音中有“H”的音，而“Often”通常都讀成“Off tin”而非“Off in”。單詞“Been”的發(fā)音為“Bean”，不是“bin”或者“ben”�！癆gain”和“renaissance”讀成“a gain”和“run nay snce”，“ai”的發(fā)音和在“pain”中一樣，而不是“said”中那樣。以“body”結(jié)尾的單詞也都按照拼寫發(fā)音，如“any body”而非“any buddy”，不過“O”的發(fā)音是英式的短促音。

　　6. 請(qǐng)注意，“H”并不總是發(fā)音

　　單詞“herb”中的“H”是發(fā)音的，和美語中的“erb”相反。不過，在很多英式口音中，比如不少北部口音和倫敦東區(qū)口音，詞首的“H”往往略去不發(fā)。

　　7. 單詞“been”的讀音是“bean”，而不是“bin”

　　在英式口音中，“been”是較常見的發(fā)音，而“bin”則更多出現(xiàn)在非正式談話中不對(duì)單詞做特別強(qiáng)調(diào)的情況中。

　　8. 聆聽語言的“樂曲”

　　所有的口音和方言都有自己的音樂性。留意細(xì)聽說英音的人的語調(diào)和語氣。句子一般是以升調(diào)、平調(diào)還是降調(diào)結(jié)束通常整個(gè)句子中語調(diào)變化會(huì)有多大不同地區(qū)的語調(diào)相差迥異。英式英語，尤其是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音在整句話中的語調(diào)變化一般都比美式英語要少得多，而且整體趨勢是在一個(gè)短語的結(jié)尾略微降調(diào)。不過利物浦和英格蘭東北部卻是顯著的例外。

　　9. 請(qǐng)一位英國人來說一些有名的句子：

　　“How now brown cow”和“The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain”，并留神細(xì)聽。在倫敦讀成圓口元音的單詞，如“about”，在北愛爾蘭常會(huì)變成平舌音。

　　10. 請(qǐng)注意，兩個(gè)或多個(gè)元音在一起，可能會(huì)增加一個(gè)音節(jié)。

　　比如，“road”這個(gè)單詞通常讀作“rohd”，但在威爾士和一些生活在北愛爾蘭的人口中，它的發(fā)音可能就會(huì)變成“ro.ord”，有些人甚至可能會(huì)說“reh-uud”。

　　【英音發(fā)音小貼士】

　　和其他任何口音一樣，傾聽并模仿母語者說話是最好最快的學(xué)習(xí)方法。記得嗎，小時(shí)候我們都是通過傾聽和重復(fù)聽到的話來學(xué)習(xí)語言的，同時(shí)也模仿聽到的口音。

　　聽英國人交談。這能增加你的詞匯量。

　　另外，英語中能輕松辨別一個(gè)人的口音的單詞之一是“Water”。在英國，它通常被讀作“war-tah”，而在美國它聽起來則更像是“wa-der”。

　　用英式口音說“at all”的時(shí)候，發(fā)音與“a tall”相近。

　　孩提時(shí)代，你耳朵不同頻率聲音的能力較強(qiáng)，這讓你能更好地辨別并重復(fù)身邊各種語言的語音。要有效地學(xué)習(xí)一門新語言，你就要一遍遍重復(fù)聽這種口音的例句，努力施展耳朵的能力。

　　除了口音以外，還要留意俚語用詞，比如“l(fā)ads”或“blokes”就是指男孩或男人，而“birds”或“l(fā)asses”(用于英格蘭北部和蘇格蘭)則是指女人�！癓oo”是廁所，但“bathroom”則是供你清潔洗澡的房間。

　　不太確定的時(shí)候，就去看Monty Python的喜劇或者科幻劇《神秘博士》吧，《哈利波特》也有幫助。

　　遇到特別強(qiáng)的區(qū)域性口音時(shí)，往往會(huì)用“ff”來替代“th”——“through”聽起來可能像是“froo”，而“birthday”則要讀成“birfday”�！渡衩夭┦俊分械腂illie Piper說起話來就是這樣。

　　通過聽別人說話來學(xué)習(xí)口音比較容易。如果你所在的地方能常常聽到BBC新聞，那就是正規(guī)的英音。正式的英式言談的確比美語更嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)，也更清晰，不過這在電視和廣播播報(bào)中得到了著意強(qiáng)調(diào)，這方面哪里的新聞播報(bào)員都一樣。

　　如果英式英語中用詞和美語不同，一定要用英式的。英國人會(huì)傾向于保護(hù)這些差異，尤其注意，“垃圾”和“水龍頭”要說“rubbish”和“tap”，而不是“trash”和“faucet”。另外，在說“schedule”

　　的時(shí)候，最好讀成“sh_”而不是“sk_”。不過“specialty”這個(gè)詞一定要讀出5個(gè)音節(jié)，別讀成3個(gè)(像這樣：spe-ci-al-i-ty)。

　　標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音被譽(yù)為女皇英語是可不是沒來由的，你可以自己聽聽伊麗莎白二世女皇殿下說話。在國會(huì)開幕大典上她總會(huì)作很長的演講，那是個(gè)觀察她說話方式的絕佳機(jī)會(huì)。

　　一旦掌握了技巧，也聽過英國人說話，你可以嘗試用這種口音朗讀書中的片段。這既很有趣，又是一種很好的練習(xí)。

　　無論說什么，都要發(fā)音清晰，每個(gè)詞都念得清楚得當(dāng)，而且要確保單詞間有一定間隔。

　　許多地方有不同的語言風(fēng)格和用詞習(xí)慣。用網(wǎng)上的英式字典查一查更多英式用語，請(qǐng)記住，除了像tap/faucet和pavement/sidewalk這樣較明顯的差異外，要是你想全盤應(yīng)用本地人的地方用語和語言風(fēng)格，他們頂多會(huì)覺得你是個(gè)討喜的開心果，最糟糕的結(jié)果則是認(rèn)為你自命不凡，屈尊俯就。

　　聯(lián)系英格蘭、威爾士、蘇格蘭和愛爾蘭中某種口音的另一種方式是認(rèn)定某一英語新聞?lì)l道的某位新聞播報(bào)員，堅(jiān)持復(fù)讀他們的講話。這樣每天看半小時(shí)，只需幾周時(shí)間，你的語言模式會(huì)大有長進(jìn)。

　　試著想象嘴里含了一個(gè)梅子。在發(fā)元音的時(shí)候，口腔上壁抬高，而舌頭則盡可能下壓。盡量正常說話(別弄得笨拙可笑)。舌頭的位置再加上加強(qiáng)的共鳴效果，應(yīng)該能讓你在“假裝”英式口音方面順利起步。

　　英國有幾百種不同口音，所以把它們一概歸為英式口音其實(shí)是相當(dāng)不正確的。無論走到那里，你都會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)不同的發(fā)音種類多得難以置信。

　　想想你的聽眾。如果你想真正讓別人以為你是英國人，就要考慮到地區(qū)因素，而且要多加努力，這可比在學(xué)校演出里裝個(gè)皮毛要難得多。

　　如果你想聽聽這種口音較為當(dāng)下的版本，可以去看幾集電視劇《東區(qū)人》和《只有傻瓜和馬》。現(xiàn)在的人的確還是這么說話，尤其是倫敦東部和埃塞克斯及肯特郡部分地區(qū)的工人階級(jí)，不過在年長者中更為明顯。

　　記�。河靶侵炖虬驳卖斔�(《音樂之聲》中女教師的扮演者)和艾瑪沃特森(《哈利波特》中赫敏的扮演者)說的是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音，不過她們的口音和明星主廚杰米奧利弗以及達(dá)人秀評(píng)判西蒙考威爾的口音(河口英語，大概是英格蘭南部傳播最廣的日常會(huì)話口音了，介于倫敦東區(qū)口音和標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音之間)大不相同，也與比利康納利的口音(格拉斯哥口音)大相徑庭。

　　隨著聽辨能力的加強(qiáng)，說就變得水到渠成了。當(dāng)耳朵能“聽出”一種聲音時(shí)，口腔就有較大的把握能發(fā)出這個(gè)聲音。

　　你也許聽到過倫敦東區(qū)口音(倫敦最東部)。這種口音在21世紀(jì)越來越少聽到了，不過如果你想模仿，留意他們的發(fā)音幾乎像唱歌，而且所有元音幾乎都被替代，并且吞掉一些字母。比如“change”中的“a”就變成了“i”的音。狄更斯作品改編的電影中或許有這種口音的樣板，如《窈窕淑女》。

　　發(fā)揮創(chuàng)意，樂在其中。帶著你所學(xué)的新知識(shí)自己探索。試著對(duì)你的朋友用英式口音說話。他們會(huì)告訴你你說的怎么樣!

　　還有， 不要 用鼻音說話，也就是說別用鼻咽說話。

　　如果你要去英國，牛津大學(xué)和劍橋大學(xué)都是傳統(tǒng)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音和“皇后英語”口音的最后據(jù)點(diǎn)之一。不過越來越多的學(xué)生現(xiàn)在都帶著英國乃至世界各地的口音說話，而這兩個(gè)城市及周邊地區(qū)的本地人則用自己的本地口音(往往都非常獨(dú)特)。如果你假設(shè)他們用“典型英國腔”說話，可能會(huì)冒犯他們。別以為牛津郡或劍橋郡的口音就是標(biāo)準(zhǔn)英音，這可是個(gè)常見的陷阱。

　　拜訪口音的發(fā)源地，并觀察當(dāng)?shù)厝苏勗挼姆绞健?/p>

　　一次只學(xué)習(xí)一種口音。河口英語和紐卡斯?fàn)柕摹盙eordie”口音大不相同，很容易讓你混淆。 去英國旅行，真正聽聽他們是怎么說話的。

　　試著找一個(gè)英國人做你的電話聊友!

　　去倫敦，那里的英式口音比一些其他地方更清楚。

　　篇三：美國大牛人Sarah模仿八國英語口音

　　美國大牛人Sarah Jones模仿八國英語口音

　　如果恰好您對(duì)于各種口音有強(qiáng)烈的興趣，這篇TED是絕對(duì)要列為必看之列的。TED牛人女演員——莎拉·瓊斯（SARAH JONES）惟妙惟肖地模仿了八國人說英語，驚為天人。里面包括了英式口音、美式口音、印度口音、法國口音、中式口音、阿拉伯口音，這短短的20分鐘內(nèi)，Sarah Jones好像領(lǐng)著你去了一次環(huán)球旅行。莎拉·瓊斯一個(gè)人分別扮演了一位固執(zhí)的猶太老太太、一個(gè)語速極快的多米尼加裔女大學(xué)生以及其他眾多精彩角色。

　　被莎拉·瓊斯模仿的八個(gè)國家和地區(qū)為：英國（British English）, 紐約皇后區(qū)（New York Queens）, 澳大利亞（Australia）, 多米尼加（Dominican American）, 法國（French）,德國（Germany）, 印度（India), 中國（China）,約旦（Jordan）。代表了八種不同的口音：英音，美音，西班牙音，法語音，德語音，印度音，漢語音，阿拉伯音。即使你的英文水準(zhǔn)不是很高，還是能一下就聽出她是在什么時(shí)候模仿中國人說英語。

　　開始英音---42秒，美音 ----2分13秒，澳大利亞---- 6分06秒 多米尼加 ----10分20秒 法國 ----- 10分58秒 德國 ----- 11分40秒 印度 ----- 13分 中國-----17分31秒，約旦。

　　當(dāng)然，從Sarah的本意出發(fā)，這次旅行的重點(diǎn)并不僅僅是口音，還有文化與交流的問題。我們生活在一個(gè)距離越來越短，聯(lián)系越來越緊密的地球村里。一種 語言就像是一把鑰匙，打開地球另一邊人們生活的大門。如果說你的語言是一個(gè)維度，它帶來了一個(gè)角度，多一種語言能力就是多一個(gè)思考的維度，多了一扇看世界 的窗，生活的厚度就這樣疊加起來越發(fā)豐富多彩。

　　特別推薦的原因是Sarah模仿中國口音的那段超級(jí)超級(jí)搞笑！她說的實(shí)在是很準(zhǔn)，讓人嘆服。其中還講到了中國人的思維方式與文化傳統(tǒng)，拿捏得還是很到位的，幽人一默。

　　Sarah Jones演講稿：

　　I should tell you that when I was asked to be here, I thought to myself that well, it's TED. And these TEDsters are -- you know, as innocent as that name sounds -- these are the philanthropists and artists and scientists who sort of shape our world. And what could I possibly have to say that would be distinguished enough to justify my participation in something like thatAnd so I thought perhaps a really civilized sounding British accent might help things a bit.

　　And then I thought no, no. I should just get up there and be myself and just talk the way I really talk because, after all, this is the great unveiling. And so I thought I'd come up here and unveil my real voice to you. Although many of you already know that I do speak the Queen's English

　　because I am from Queens, New York. (Laughter) But the theme of this session, of course, is invention. And while I don't have any patents that I'm aware of, you will be meeting a few of my inventions today. And I suppose it's fair to say that I am interested in the invention of self or selves. We're all born into certain circumstances with particular physical traits, unique developmental experiences, geographical and historical contexts. But then whatTo what extent do we self-construct, do we self-inventHow do we self-identify and how mutable is that identityLike, what if one could be anyone at any timeWell my characters, like the ones in my shows, allow me to play with the spaces between those questions. And so I've brought a couple of them with me. And well, they're very excited. What I should tell you -- what I should tell you is that they've each prepared their own little TED talks. So feel free to think of this as Sarah University. (Laughter)

　　Okay. Okay. Oh, well. Oh, wonderful. Good evening everybody. Thank you so very much for having me here today. Ah, thank you very much. My name is Loraine Levine. Oh my! There's so many of you. Hi sweetheart. Okay. (Laughter) Anyway, I am here because of a young girl, Sarah Jones. She's a very nice, young, black girl. Well you know, she calls herself black, she's really more like a caramel color if you look at her. But anyway, (Laughter) she has me here because she puts me in her show, what she calls her one-woman show. And you know what that means, of course. That means she takes the credit and then makes us come out here and do all the work. But I don't mind.

　　Frankly, I'm kvelling just to be here with all the luminaries you have attending something like this, you know. Really, it's amazing. Not only, of course, the scientists and all the wonderful giants of the industries but the celebrities. There are so many celebrities running around here. I saw -- Glenn Close I saw earlier. I love her. And she was getting a yogurt in the Google cafe. Isn't that adorable. (Laughter) So many others you see, they're just wonderful. It's lovely to know they're concerned, you know. And -- oh, I saw Goldie Hawn. Oh, Goldie Hawn. I love her, too; she's wonderful. Yeah. You know, she's only half Jewish. Did you know that about herYeah. But even so, a wonderful talent. And I -- you know, when I saw her, such a wonderful feeling. Yeah, she's lovely. But anyway, I should have started by saying just how lucky I feel. It's such an eye-opening experience to be here. You're all so responsible for this world that we live in today. You know, I couldn't have dreamed of such a thing as a young girl. And you've all made these advancements happen in such a short time. You're all so young. You know, you're parents must be very proud.

　　But I -- I also appreciate the diversity that you have here. I noticed it's very multicultural. You know, when you're standing up here, you can

　　see all the different people. It's like a rainbow. It's okay to say rainbow. Yeah. I just -- I can't keep up with whether you can say, you know, the different things. What are you allowed to say or not sayI just -- I don't want to offend anybody. You know. But anyway, you know, I just think that to be here with all of you accomplished young people, literally, some of you, the architects building our brighter future. You know, it's heartening to me. Even though, quite frankly, some of your presentations are horrifying, absolutely horrifying. It's true. It's true. You know, between the environmental degradation and the crashing of the world markets you're talking about. And of course, we know it's all because of the -- all the ... Well, I don't know how else to say it to you, so I'll just say it my way. The ganeyvish tetikeyt coming from the governments and the, you know, the bankers and the Wall Street. You know it. Anyway. (Laughter)

　　The point is, I'm happy somebody has practical ideas to get us out of this mess. So I salute each of you and your stellar achievements. Thank you for all that you do. And congratulations on being such big makhers that you've become TED meisters. So, happy continued success. Congratulations. Mozel tov. (Applause)

　　Hi. Hi. Thank you everybody. Sorry, this is such a wonderful opportunity and everything, to be here right now. My name is Noraida. And I'm just -- I'm so thrilled to be part of like your TED conference that you're doing and everything like that. I am Dominican American. Actually, you could say I grew up in the capital of Dominican Republic, otherwise known as Washington Heights in New York City. But I don't know if there's any other Dominican people here, but I know that Juan Eiquez, he was here yesterday. And I think he's Mexican, so that's -- honestly, that's close enough for me, right now. So -- (Laughter)

　　I just -- I'm sorry. I'm just trying not to be nervous because this is a very wonderful experience for me and everything. And I just -- you know I'm not used to doing public speaking. And whenever I get nervous I start to talk really fast. Nobody can understand nothing I'm saying, which is very frustrating for me, as you can imagine. I usually have to just like try to calm down and take a deep breath. But then on top of that, you know, Sarah Jones told me we only have 18 minutes. So then I'm like, should I be nervous, you know, because maybe it's better. And I'm just trying not to panic and freak out. So I like, take a deep breath.

　　Okay. Sorry. So anyway, what I was trying to say is that I really love TED. Like, I love everything about this. It's amazing. Like, it's -- I can't get over this right now. And, like, people would not believe, seriously, where I'm from, that this even exists. You know, like even,

　　I mean I love like the name, the -- TED. I mean I know it's a real person and everything, but I'm just saying that like, you know, I think it's very cool how it's also an acronym, you know, which is like, you know, is like very high concept and everything like that. I like that.

　　And actually, I can relate to the whole like acronym thing and everything. Because, actually, I'm a sophomore at college right now. At my school -- actually I was part of co-founding an organization, which is like a leadership thing, you know, like you guys, you would really like it and everything. And the organization is called DA BOMB, And DA BOMB -- not like what you guys can build and everything -- It's like, DA BOMB, it means like Dominican -- it's an acronym -- Dominican American Benevolent Organization for Mothers and Babies. So, I know, see, like the name is like a little bit long, but with the war on terror and everything, the Dean of Student Activities has asked us to stop saying DA BOMB and use the whole thing so nobody would get the wrong idea, whatever. So, basically like DA BOMB -- what Dominican American Benevolent Organization for Mothers and Babies does is, basically, we try to advocate for students who show a lot of academic promise and who also happen to be mothers like me. I am a working mother, and I also go to school full-time. And, you know, it's like -- it's so important to have like role models out there. I mean, I know sometimes our lifestyles are very different, whatever. But like even at my job -- like, I just got promoted. Right now it's very exciting actually for me because I'm the Junior Assistant to the Associate Director under the Senior Vice President for Business Development. That's my new title. So, but I think whether you own your own company or you're just starting out like me, like something like this so vital for people to just continue expanding their minds and learning. And if everybody, like all people really had access to that, it would be a very different world out there, as I know you know. So, I think all people, we need that, but especially, I look at people like me, you know like, I mean, Latinos, we're about to be the majority, in like two weeks. So, we deserve just as much to be part of the exchange of ideas as everybody else. So, I'm very happy that you're, you know, doing this kind of thing, making the talks available online. That's very good. I love that. And I just -- I love you guys. I love TED. And if you don't mind, privately now, in the future, I'm going to think of TED as an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Dominicans. Thank you very much. (Laughter) (Applause) So, that was Noraida, and just like Loraine and everybody else you're meeting today, these are folks who are based on real people from my real life. Friends, neighbors, family members. I come from a multicultural family. In fact, the older lady you just met, very, very loosely based on a great aunt on my mother's side. It's a long story, believe me. But

　　on top of my family background, my parents also sent me to United Nations school, where I encountered a plethora of new characters including Alexandre, my French teacher, okay.

　　Well, you know, it was beginner French, that I am taking with her, you know. And it was Madame Bousson, you know, she was very [French]. It was like, you know, she was there in the class, you know, she was kind of typically French. You know, she was was very chic, but she was very filled with ennui, you know. And she would be there, you know, kind of talking with the class, you know, talking about the, you know, the existential futility of life, you know. And we were only 11 years old, so it was not appropriate.

　　But [German]. Yes, I took German for three years, [German], and it was quite the experience because I was the only black girl in the class, even in the UN school. Although, you know, it was wonderful. The teacher, Herr Schtopf, he never discriminated. Never. He always, always treated each of us, you know, equally unbearably during the class.

　　So, there were the teachers and then there were my friends, classmates from everywhere. Many of whom are still dear friends to this day. And they've inspired many characters as well. For example, a friend of mine. Well, I just wanted to quickly say good evening. My name is Praveen Manvi and thank you very much for this opportunity. Of course, TED, the reputation precedes itself all over the world. But, you know, I am originally from India, and I wanted to start by telling you that once Sarah Jones told me that we will be having the opportunity to come here to TED in California, originally, I was very pleased and, frankly, relieved because, you know, I am a human rights advocate. And usually my work, it takes me to Washington D.C. And there, I must attend these meetings, mingling with some tiresome politicians, trying to make me feel comfortable by telling how often they are eating the curry in Georgetown. So, you can just imagine -- right. So, but I'm thrilled to be joining all of you here. I wish we had more time together, but that's for another time. OkayGreat. (Applause)

　　And, sadly, I don't think we'll have time for you to meet everybody I brought, but -- I'm trying to behave myself. It's my first time here. But I do want to introduce you to a couple of folks you may recognize, if you saw "Bridge and Tunnel."

　　Uh, well, thank you. Good evening. My name is Pauline Ning, and first I want to tell you that I'm -- of course I am a member of the Chinese community in New York. But when Sarah Jones asked me to please come to TED, I said,