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 VIEWING

 Why is the man calling for help ? What’s happening?

 The man is calling for help because they are sinking.

 Explain what you have understood of the situation so far.

 A German coast guard trainee is being shown to a table with radio equipment,
then left alone by his own colleague . Apparently this is his first time in this job
position, consequently he is very nervous. Before long, he receives a message
from a ship which is sinking, saying "Mayday, mayday, we are sinking", to which
the coastguard replies in broken English “Hallo. This is the German Coast
Guard”. The voice replies “We’re sinking! We’re sinking!”

 What do you expect the recording to be ?

 I expect the recording to be a commercial.

 FINAL TWIST : Here’s the final twist.

 What does the young man ask ? Complete :

“What are you (th) sinking about ? “

 Explain what makes the situation funny.

 What makes the situation hilarious is that the young trainee is unable to make
himself understood or understand what is actually going on as he mistakes
“sinking” with “thinking “ It’s actually a phonetic issue ! The young trainee has a
real problem with the phonetic symbol /θ/ .There is a simple misunderstanding
which has hilarious consequences. The word “sinking” in a very serious distress
call is heard by the young man as a “thinking”.

 Imagine a suitable slogan for this commercial .

Berlitz could save your Life !


Speaking English with confidence could be a matter of life and death !
 What product is advertised ?
 The product advertised is actually language courses to improve your English
communication skills.
(The ad ends with the Berlitz logo, and the apt slogan "Language for Life"
underneath.)

What may refer to ?


 Berlitz may refer to a language school.

Who may the target audience be ?

 The targeted people may be anyone who want to improve their knowledge of
the English language / The target audience must be the people who would like to
speak English with confidence. / to become fluent in English.

 What is the message/the aim of the advertisers

 The commercial aims at advertising Berlitz as a solution to your communication


problems. This language school could help you speak English with confidence and
help you cope with “life” . The aim of the advertisers is to encourage people to
join Berlitz to improve their English communication skills.

 What emotion does the commercial appeal to?


 The commercial appeals to humour . Humour is perhaps one of the most
effective ways of getting a person’s attention in an advertisement, since everyone
feels good after watching it and remembers it .

What ‘s the effect of the final music on the viewer ?  The music which is
played after the Berlitz logo is revealed is Ode to Jyby Ludwig Beethoven . It
sounds as a bit of comic relief (moment de détente / note d’humour). Thank God
there’s Berlitz to help you learn English and survive ! Phew!

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