Two Japanese inventors have unveiled a gadget that can stop someone from talking. The device they call the Speech Jammer literally jams people’s speech. It prevents a speaker from getting the words out of his or her mouth. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the prototype "gun" that is pointed at someone from a distance and stops them talking. It does not physically harm the person it hits. The technology is based on medical devices used to help people with speech problems such as stuttering. It uses a system called Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) that plays someone’s voice back to them at a split-second delay.
Messrs. Tsukada and Kurihara said they wanted to create something that would stop people talking too much in discussions. They wrote: “We have to establish and obey rules for proper turn-taking. However, some people tend to lengthen their turns or deliberately disrupt other people when it is their turn rather than achieve more fruitful discussions.” They added: “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can remotely jam physically unimpaired people's speech whether they want it or not.” Other uses of their device include maintaining silence in public libraries and aiding peace-making. “There are still many cases in which the negative aspects of speech become a barrier to the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” they said.
1. SPEECH JAMMING: Walk around the class and talk to other students about speech jamming. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.
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inventors / gadget / words / industrial science / prototype / distance / stuttering / discussions / turn-taking / deliberately / fruitful / maintaining silence / peace-making |
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. SILENCE: How would the speech jammer work in these places? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you wrote. Change and share again.
Place |
Benefits |
Problems |
Library |
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Classroom |
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Train |
|
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Shopping mall |
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At home |
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Movie theatre |
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4. JAMMING: Students A strongly believe a speech jammer is very useful; Students B strongly believe it isn’t useful. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
5. BE QUIET: Who would you most like to use the speech jammer on? Rank these and share your rankings with your partner. Change partners and share your rankings again.
- a friend
- someone on TV
- people on the train / bus
- a family member
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- a neighbour
- another student . colleague
- your partner
- a politician
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6. GADGET: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word ‘gadget’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
BEFORE READING / LISTENING
1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
| a. |
A new machine permanently destroys people’s speech ability. |
T / F |
b. |
The speech-jamming device is kind of like a gun. |
T / F |
c. |
The device hurts the throat of anyone it is pointed at. |
T / F |
d. |
The gadget uses technology used for people who stutter. |
T / F |
e. |
The inventors wanted to stop people talking too much in discussions. |
T / F |
f. |
People can speak normally if the speech jammer is pointed at them. |
T / F |
g. |
The inventors believe their device would have little effect in libraries. |
T / F |
h. |
The inventors believe the gadget can help with conflict resolution. |
T / F |
2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.
| 1. |
unveiled |
a. |
productive |
2. |
prevents |
b. |
originated from |
3. |
prototype |
c. |
ending |
4. |
based on |
d. |
model |
5. |
delayed |
e. |
revealed |
6. |
establish |
f. |
put to use |
7. |
obey |
g. |
hindered |
8. |
fruitful |
h. |
stops |
9. |
utilized |
i. |
follow orders |
10. |
resolution |
j. |
set up |
3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)
| 1. |
inventors have unveiled |
a. |
out of his or her mouth |
2. |
prevents a speaker from getting the words |
b. |
or not |
3. |
It does not physically |
c. |
much in discussions |
4. |
speech problems |
d. |
second delay |
5. |
a split- |
e. |
proper turn-taking |
6. |
stop people talking too |
f. |
such as stuttering |
7. |
obey rules for |
g. |
harm the person |
8. |
achieve more fruitful |
h. |
of conflicts |
9. |
whether they want it |
i. |
a gadget |
10. |
the peaceful resolution |
j. |
discussions |
WHILE READING / LISTENING
GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.
Two Japanese inventors have (1) ____________ a gadget that can stop someone from talking. The (2) ____________ they call the Speech Jammer literally jams people’s speech. It (3) ____________ a speaker from getting the words out of his or her mouth. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the (4) ____________ "gun" that is pointed at someone from a (5) ____________ and stops them talking. It does not physically harm the person it hits. The technology is (6) ____________ on medical devices used to help people with speech problems such as (7) ____________. It uses a system called Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) that plays someone’s voice back to them at a split-second (8) ____________. |
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prototype
stuttering
device
delay
distance
unveiled
based
prevents
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Messrs. Tsukada and Kurihara said they wanted to (9) ____________ something that would stop people talking too much in discussions. They wrote: “We have to establish and (10) ____________ rules for proper turn-taking. However, some people (11) ____________ to lengthen their turns or deliberately disrupt other people when it is their turn rather than achieve more (12) ____________ discussions.” They added: “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can remotely jam (13) ____________ unimpaired people's speech whether they want it or not.” Other uses of their device include maintaining (14) ____________ in public libraries and aiding peace-making. “There are still many cases in which the (15) ____________ aspects of speech become a (16) ____________ to the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” they said. |
|
physically
barrier
obey
silence
tend
create
negative
fruitful |
LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps
Two Japanese inventors have ___________________ that can stop someone from talking. The device they call the Speech Jammer ___________________ speech. It prevents a speaker from getting the words out of his or her mouth. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology _____________________ "gun" that is pointed at someone from a distance and stops them talking. It does ___________________ the person it hits. The technology is ___________________ devices used to help people with speech problems such as stuttering. It uses a system called Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) that plays someone’s voice back to them at ___________________.
Messrs. Tsukada and Kurihara said they ___________________ something that would stop people talking too much in discussions. They wrote: “We have to establish and _____________________ turn-taking. However, some people tend to lengthen their turns or ___________________ other people when it is their turn rather than achieve more fruitful discussions.” They added: “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can remotely jam ___________________ people's speech whether they want it or not.” Other uses of their device include ___________________ in public libraries and aiding peace-making. “There are still many cases in which the negative aspects of speech become a barrier to the peaceful ___________________,” they said.
AFTER READING / LISTENING
1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘speech’ and ‘jam’.
- Share your findings with your partners.
- Make questions using the words you found.
- Ask your partner / group your questions.
2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.
- Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
- Ask your partner / group your questions.
3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?
4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.
5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:
- call
- getting
- pointed
- harm
- such
- split
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- create
- proper
- rather
- whether
- silence
- barrier
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SPEECH JAMMING SURVEY
Write five GOOD questions about speech jamming in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.
When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.
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STUDENT 1
_____________ |
STUDENT 2
_____________ |
STUDENT 3
_____________ |
Q.1.
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Q.2.
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Q.3.
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Q.4.
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Q.5.
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- Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
- Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.
SPEECH JAMMING DISCUSSION
STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
| a) |
What did you think when you read the headline? |
b) |
What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘gadget’? |
c) |
What’s your favourite gadget? |
d) |
What do you think of the speech jammer? |
e) |
Would you like to buy one? |
f) |
What uses can you think of for the speech jammer? |
g) |
Do you think this device will become a commercial success? |
h) |
Is there a need for a law to stop people misusing the speech jammer? |
i) |
Who would you like to use the speech jammer on? |
j) |
Could the speech jammer be harmful in any way? |
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STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
| a) |
Did you like reading this article? |
b) |
What three adjectives would you use to describe this device, and why? |
c) |
Do you ever get tired of people who talk too much or dominate a conversation? |
d) |
Why do some people like the sound of their own voice (talk a lot)? |
e) |
What are the proper rules for turn-taking in discussions? |
f) |
Do you think discussions are more fruitful when people talk for a shorter time? |
g) |
In which three places would you most like to use a speech jammer? |
h) |
Do you think a speech jammer would be useful in government debates? |
i) |
Could this technology help peace talks at the United Nations? |
j) |
What questions would you like to ask the inventors? |
LANGUAGE – MULTIPLE CHOICE
Two Japanese inventors have (1) ____ a gadget that can stop someone from talking. The device they call the Speech Jammer (2) ____ jams people’s speech. It prevents a speaker from (3) ____ the words out of his or her mouth. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the prototype "gun" that is pointed at someone from a (4) ____ and stops them talking. It does not physically harm the person it hits. The technology is based (5) ____ medical devices used to help people with speech problems such as stuttering. It uses a system called Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) that plays someone’s voice back to them at a (6) ____-second delay.
Messrs. Tsukada and Kurihara said they wanted to create something that would stop people talking too much in discussions. They wrote: “We have to establish and (7) ____ rules for proper turn-taking. However, some people (8) ____ to lengthen their turns or (9) ____ disrupt other people when it is their turn (10) ____ than achieve more fruitful discussions.” They added: “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can remotely jam physically unimpaired people's speech (11) ____ they want it or not.” Other uses of their device include maintaining silence in public libraries and aiding peace-making. “There are still many cases in which the negative aspects (12) ____ speech become a barrier to the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” they said.
Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.
| 1. |
(a) |
veiled |
(b) |
unveiling |
(c) |
unveils |
(d) |
unveiled |
2. |
(a) |
literally |
(b) |
literature |
(c) |
laterally |
(d) |
latitude |
3. |
(a) |
having |
(b) |
doing |
(c) |
getting |
(d) |
conversing |
4. |
(a) |
remoteness |
(b) |
distance |
(c) |
breadth |
(d) |
far |
5. |
(a) |
at |
(b) |
on |
(c) |
for |
(d) |
from |
6. |
(a) |
sliced |
(b) |
cut |
(c) |
split |
(d) |
divided |
7. |
(a) |
obey |
(b) |
do |
(c) |
stand |
(d) |
catch |
8. |
(a) |
fend |
(b) |
lend |
(c) |
send |
(d) |
tend |
9. |
(a) |
delightfully |
(b) |
delectably |
(c) |
debilitating |
(d) |
deliberately |
10. |
(a) |
prefer |
(b) |
rather |
(c) |
instead |
(d) |
opposed |
11. |
(a) |
whether |
(b) |
if |
(c) |
ever |
(d) |
even |
12. |
(a) |
for |
(b) |
from |
(c) |
of |
(d) |
as |
WRITING
Write about speech jamming for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.
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HOMEWORK
1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about the speech jammer device. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
3. SPEECH JAMMING: Make a poster about speech jamming. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
4. DEVICE: Write a magazine article about the speech jammer. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.
Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
5. LETTER: Write a letter to the inventors. Ask them three questions about the speech jammer. Give them three ideas on how it could be used. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.
ANSWERS
TRUE / FALSE:
| a. |
F |
b. |
T |
c. |
F |
d. |
T |
e. |
T |
f. |
F |
g. |
F |
h. |
T |
SYNONYM MATCH:
| 1. |
unveiled |
a. |
revealed |
2. |
prevents |
b. |
stops |
3. |
prototype |
c. |
model |
4. |
based on |
d. |
originated from |
5. |
delayed |
e. |
hindered |
6. |
establish |
f. |
set up |
7. |
obey |
g. |
follow orders |
8. |
fruitful |
h. |
productive |
9. |
utilized |
i. |
put to use |
10. |
resolution |
j. |
ending |
PHRASE MATCH:
| 1. |
inventors have unveiled |
a. |
a gadget |
2. |
prevents a speaker from getting the words |
b. |
out of his or her mouth |
3. |
It does not physically |
c. |
harm the person |
4. |
speech problems |
d. |
such as stuttering |
5. |
a split- |
e. |
second delay |
6. |
stop people talking too |
f. |
much in discussions |
7. |
obey rules for |
g. |
proper turn-taking |
8. |
achieve more fruitful |
h. |
discussions |
9. |
whether they want it |
i. |
or not |
10. |
the peaceful resolution |
j. |
of conflicts |
GAP FILL:
Speech jammer devices stops people talking
Two Japanese inventors have (1) unveiled a gadget that can stop someone from talking. The (2) device they call the Speech Jammer literally jams people’s speech. It (3) prevents a speaker from getting the words out of his or her mouth. Kazutaka Kurihara and Koji Tsukada from Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the (4) prototype "gun" that is pointed at someone from a (5) distance and stops them talking. It does not physically harm the person it hits. The technology is (6) based on medical devices used to help people with speech problems such as (7) stuttering. It uses a system called Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF) that plays someone’s voice back to them at a split-second (8) delay.
Messrs. Tsukada and Kurihara said they wanted to (9) create something that would stop people talking too much in discussions. They wrote: “We have to establish and (10) obey rules for proper turn-taking. However, some people (11) tend to lengthen their turns or deliberately disrupt other people when it is their turn rather than achieve more (12) fruitful discussions.” They added: “We utilized DAF to develop a device that can remotely jam (13) physically unimpaired people's speech whether they want it or not.” Other uses of their device include maintaining (14) silence in public libraries and aiding peace-making. “There are still many cases in which the (15) negative aspects of speech become a (16) barrier to the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” they said.
LANGUAGE WORK
| 1 - d |
2 - a |
3 - c |
4 - b |
5 - b |
6 - c |
7 - a |
8 - d |
9 -d |
10 - b |
11 - a |
12 - c |