This picture at left is "Pronunciation Guy." I have a few visual "mascots" that I use in teaching. The alligator is the most well-known, both in his toy version and his artistically rendered version. But "Pronunciation Guy" was created with his large mouth, seen from the side, for a specific reason. Sometimes I apply my knowledge of articulatory phonetics to try to help students sort out some of the mysteries of English pronunciation. Mostly L vs R, but also things like labiodental fricatives or schwas. I'm careful not to get too carried away, but Pronunciation Guy can be handy, because I can move his tongue and lips around in different drawings.
Work is so absorbing these days, I do very little else. A coworker asked me what I do in the mornings (since hagwon work is afternoon and evening work). I shrugged, and made something up, because lately, it seems like I just wake up and putter around and suddenly several hours have passed and I have to head off to work. I'm puzzled at my failure to use my own time effectively. More than puzzled – I'm distressed.
