One type of upset (the stress is on UP) is when the underdog wins. The underdog is the person, group, or team that is not expected to win. For example, if you followed American Idol in 2009, you might have thought, based on the media, that Adam Lambert would win. Last night’s result, that Kris Allen (the underdog) beat Adam Lambert, was clearly an upset.
The other meaning of upset, which is pronounced with stress on SET, describes how Adam Lambert fans feel about his coming in second.
If you’re learning English in the US, and you haven’t started watching American Idol yet, there’s no better time like the present to start. Why? Well, imho…
You get repetition. Each week, the comments are generally the same, so you have opportunities to hear the same phrases over and over again.
You are exposed to both British and American English accents.
You can see the differences in communication styles (blunt, honest, beating around the bush).
You see how hand gestures, facial expressions, and body language affect the intended meaning behind the words.
You have something to talk about with your friends at the water cooler……and the best reason is…
You can improve your fluency by singing along!!! You know you want to. Admit it.
The 8th season of American Idol commenced yesterday, and I started thinking about the courage it takes to try something new and daring. Here’s what I imagine most of the contestants are feeling:
nervousness, dread of being judged, fear of doing or saying the wrong thing, anxiety about saying something incorrectly, and hesitation.
…sort of like speaking a new language for the first time.
The only difference is that the contestants are actually going to be judged, and in a lot of cases, their lives depend on the reaction of their judges.
The good news for you is that all you have to do is get past your own hesitation. No one is going to judge you…at least not as harshly as Simon Cowell.
A while ago, an ESL student asked me why Americans always lie. Stunned by his question, I lied and said, “They don’t.”
Upon reflection, I realized he might have been referring to any one of the following language styles that ESL students (or anyone for that matter) encounter trouble with when first experienced:
a) the use of sarcasm,
b) the use of euphemisms,
c) the exchange of pleasantries, or
d) softening the blow
Paula Abdul is an expert at b) euphemisms for American Idol contestants who do not perform their best. To the annoyance of her fellow judge(s), she rarely used direct speech when she wasn’t thrilled about a performance. She softened the blow by saying something like,
“That was the wrong song choice.”
However, she never told contestants to give up or that they would never have a career in singing. Communicating with someone like this requires a little more inference on the listener’s part. It’s important to dig a little deeper into what is actually being said…indirectly.
Here is an example of how Paula uses euphemisms to explain when it might be a good time to throw in the towel.
The irony is Paula had a song in the late eighties called Straight Up. The expression straight up means straightforward or direct. But Paula was the least likely judge on American Idol to be direct with contestants. Does her use of euphemisms make her a liar?
The only time you hear “boo” on American Idol is when Simon Cowell is speaking. He is direct, straightforward, and downright blunt. Do these attributes make him an unsympathetic and hurtful judge?
Absolutely not! He seems rude because he is so direct. However, Simon is an effective direct speaker because he was hired to give his opinion. The key to his effectiveness is that he knows that his audience is the person standing on stage. It doesn’t matter what the viewers of American Idol think about Simon’s opinion, but it matters tremendously to the contestant being judged.
Watch every contestant nod and smile as Randy and the others speak but hold their breath when it’s Simon’s turn.
Unlike Simon, most of us were not hired to give our opinions, so it is important to be aware of how, when, and to whom you use direct speech. If you use it, you could have two results.
Either
a) you will seem rude and opinionated, or
b) what you say will seem important.
If you use direct speech appropriately, you will achieve b. If you use it incorrectly, your audience might “boo”.
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