Reads Pronunciation Novels & Stories

I want to know why he cares. But as he starts pointing to the words and reading them out loud, I realize I don’t want the answers to my questions nearly as much as I want to sit here with him. So I keep my mouth shut and listen. He explains vowels and consonants, checking with me to make sure I understand why he pronounces each word the way he does. I nod along, captivated by the soothing sound of his voice and his patience as I ask clarifying questions.

"I read it to you. Then we run it from the top without the paper." "And if the elder rejects it as coached." "The elder tests for two things. Correct pronunciation and natural recall. Natural recall means you don't hesitate mid line. It doesn't mean you learned it before the age of ten." He looked at me. "Six hours of drilling gives you natural recall. The pronunciation I can teach you. The rest is you." "Start," I said. He read the first line. The old pack tongue was nothing like modern speech. The sounds sat differently in the mouth. I tried to repeat the opening line back I got three words right and mangled the rest.