📘 Part 3: Noise

This episode's vocabulary

Din (noun) - a loud, unpleasant confused noise that lasts for a long time.

To clunk (verb) - to make the sound of heavy objects hitting together, or to cause this sound to be made.

Heavy goods vehicle (noun) - a large truck used for transporting goods.

Commonplace (adj.) - happening often or often seen or experienced and so not considered to be special

To roar (verb) - if a vehicle or aircraft roars somewhere, it moves there very quickly making a lot of noise.

Cacophony (noun) - an unpleasant mixture of loud sounds.

Rumpus (noun) - a lot of noise, especially a loud and confused argument or complaint.

Racket (noun) - an unpleasant loud continuous noise.

To mitigate (verb) - to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad.

Noise pollution (noun) - noise, such as that from traffic, that upsets people where they live or work and is considered to be unhealthy for them.

Hustle and bustle (phrase) - noise and activity.

Lambing season (noun) - the time in the year when sheep give birth to lambs.

To rev (verb) - to increase the operating speed of an engine while the vehicle is not moving, usually to warm it to the correct temperature.

To screech (verb) - to make an unpleasant, loud, high noise.

Vroom (exclamation) - used in writing to represent the sound of a car engine at high speed.

Ruckus (noun) - a noisy situation or argument.

To low (verb) - to make the deep, long sound of a cow.

Eardrum (noun) - a thin piece of skin inside the ear that moves backwards and forwards very quickly when sound waves reach it, allowing you to hear sounds.

Hair-raising (adj.) - very frightening.

Questions and Answers

M: Are cities becoming noisier?

R: Well with increasing population and urbanization. Yes, they're generally becoming noisier. It's hard to escape the din of construction work or the clunking of heavy goods vehicles going around everywhere, isn't it?

M: And do you think there's more noise today in the city than in the past?

R: Oh, definitely. Due to all the urbanization we just talked about. The sounds you would usually associate with transportation and industrialization are going through the roof. It's quite commonplace to hear planes roaring overhead or the cacophony of traffic in general. In addition to the general rumpus created by people. It's only natural though since there's more of everything that makes a racket these days due to the growing population.

M: Do you think the world will be noisier in the future?

R: Given that the world's population is increasing all the time and the sources of noise are multiplying with it? I suppose, unless significant efforts are made to mitigate noise pollution, then there's definitely going to be more hustle and bustle than before. In the distant future, who can say?

M: Where is it noisier, in cities or in the countryside?

R: Generally speaking, cities are noisier than the countryside. But there can be exceptions depending on factors such as location or local activity. I mean, I imagine it gets pretty loud on a farm and lambing season, for example, compared to the average city park.

M: And what can be done to reduce the noise from the traffic?

R: I suppose various methods could be employed, such as building sound barriers, using low-noise pavement and reducing the speed limit, so you don't hear so much revving of engines and screeching of brakes. Not to mention crashes. Although I've only heard that on a few occasions.

M: How can people consider other people's feelings when they chat in public?

R: They could definitely be considerate of others' feelings by speaking quietly or maybe finding a quieter location to talk. Especially if it's about sensitive matters. Most people don't want to air their dirty laundry in public and even fewer want to hear about it in the passing.

M: What kinds of noises do people hear in their daily life?

R: Oh, wow. A variety of sounds I suppose, like traffic with the vrooming of cars, the ruckus of construction work, and workers. Animals, like when cats meow or cattle low. And the various beeps and clicks of technology being used and ticking over.

M: And how do people usually respond to noises?

R: Oh, in all manner of ways. But the most common I've seen are by covering their ears to shield their eardrums moving away from the source to escape the sound or complaining to those responsible for the noise, especially if it's sudden or unexpected.

M: What are the effects of loud noise?

R: It could have all kinds of various negative effects for sure, on both physical and mental health, including things like hearing loss, sleep disturbances and increased stress levels. I suppose the positive ones would be having your awareness raised like waking up from an alarm, though if you're not used to it, it's more likely to be a hair-raising experience than an awareness-raising one.

M: Hey, Rory! Thank you for your answers!

Discussion

M: So we can say that cities are becoming noisier. So it's like a process, like from day to day they are becoming noisier and noisier. And Rory talked about the population which is increasing and due to urbanization cities are becoming noisier.

R: Yes. An urbanization is just the process of cities becoming cities, places becoming more urban.

M: And what did you mean when you said it's hard to escape the din of construction work?

R: The din? It's just like the noise that's created. It's a loud noise or a series of noises that come together to create this racket or something that makes listening difficult.

M: So the din.

R: The din. If you think about everything that happens with construction work, like all this machinery, vehicles moving around. So that creates a din.

M: So a din - a loud unpleasant confused noise that lasts for a long time. For example, the din of the traffic. Din. The din of the traffic or the children were making a terrible din. But usually, we use noise, right? But here, in this context, it's difficult to escape the din of construction work. So the din of construction work or the din of traffic. Okay, dear listener? Please use it only in this context. So remember the phrase, it's difficult to escape the din of traffic, or the din of construction work. Okay? Because you can't say like the din of my breath, or the din of , I don't know, forest. Can we say that?

R: If the forest is on fire, then there's lots of noise happening.

M: Yeah, you see? Careful. And then Rory is very specific. And he talks about the clanking of heavy goods vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, like trucks, lorries everywhere. So and what noise do they make? The clanking noise. So clunk, a deep, low sound made by two heavy objects hitting each other. You see? So for example, like when you have a van, or a lorry or a truck, and when you close those heavy doors, they kind of, they make a clunking sound. If something goes through the roof...

R: It just means that it increases enormously.

M: So we can say, like, all different sounds, go through the roof. Can you use like noise pollution? Like noise pollution is through the roof?

R: If it's going through the roof.

M: It's going through the roof, like it's increasing.

R: Yeah.

M: And usually we associate these sounds with transportation, industrialization and urbanization. And that like it's quite common, or it's quite commonplace to hear planes roaring overhead. You see? Very specific words for different types of noises. So planes roar overhead. Okay? And which word did you use about the traffic in general?

R: Cacophony.

M: Cacophony.

R: Cacophony.

M: Oh, dear listener, it's so band nine. I think it's one of the best topics where you can show off your vocabulary. Like different names for different noises.

R: I can't think of anything else like maybe art. Art is quite good for that too.

M: Cacophony? Unpleasant mixture of loud sounds. Like, oh, what a cacophony! Like you go to the jungles, and everyone is kind of...

R: I don't think we need sound effects, Maria, I think you should just do them.

M: Oh, my gosh. Well, you imagine how it is in the jungles. Yeah, especially at night. Or, for example, when you go to the farm yard, you can hear all this cacophony of animal sounds, yeah? Or in the city, we are overwhelmed with a cacophony of traffic. Beautiful. In addition to the general rumpus created by people?

R: Oh, there's that word again.

M: What is this? I keep forgetting. Rumpus. Yeah, there we go.

R: Yes, that's just the noisy disturbance.

M: Okay, dear listener, you should make sure you use the phrases as Rory gives them to you. So it's difficult to escape the din of construction work. And the clanking of cars. Then, all the general rumpus created by people. So all the general noise created by people. And also this cacophony of traffic. You see? Different noises from traffic. Okay, dear listener? Careful, because it's very easy to misuse the words. Because again, we can't use, for example, din about some positive things. Yeah? Or like all this di, my teacher was making. No. All this noise the teacher was making. Or all this... What can teachers make? What kind of noise?

R: Shouting and yelling.

M: Yelling, yeah.

R: Not me, though. I would never shout and yell in the class.

M: No, Rory, never. Planes roaring overhead. Not Rory. Roar. Rory. Come on. Roar, Rory, roar.

R: I am not roaring.

M: Tigers or lions. Who usually roars? Lions, yeah... Like this. The sources of noise are multiplying. So the different sources of noise are doubling. They're increasing, and we can mitigate noise pollution. When we mitigate noise pollution, what do we do?

R: We try to take steps to stop it being a problem.

M: Yeah, reduce noise pollution, mitigate noise pollution. You've used hustle and bustle. Could you please give us another example with this expression?

R: Well, what did I say? The hustle and bustle of a city, the hustle and bustle of a workplace, a busy workplace.

M: Or something like kind of, do you think the world will be noisy in the future? And why? There's definitely going to be more hustle and bustle right? And we do not change this, dear listener. Just keep the phrase as it is. So there will be more hustle and bustle in cities than before. Okay? Not bustle and hustle. Not a hustle and the bustle. No. There will be more hustle and bustle in cities than before.

R: Is it a binomial?

M: Ooh, yeah.

R: Ooh. And if you want to learn more about binomials, sign up for our class with me. Later. This is going out when I'm still in Turkey. So my internet will be rubbish but keep an eye out for the classes, please.

M: Noisy and when we compare things we say cities are noisier than the countryside or cities are much noisier than the countryside, or far noisier, like you intensify, they're really noisier* than the countryside. And there are some exceptions. Maybe depending on the location, on the local activity, maybe there's a factory or a loud farm. What di you say about lambs? You said like, it gets pretty loud on a farm in lambing season?

R: Yeah, lambing season is when the sheep are giving birth to lambs. That is the sound that they make, yes.

M: We can reduce the noise pollution, we can mitigate noise pollution, and we can reduce the noise from the traffic. And different methods could be employed, so could be used. Such as what? Building sound barriers, so barriers from the sound. Using low-noise pavement. Rory, what? Low-noise pavement? So people just walk on the pavement and they don't make any noise when they walk? Well, I suppose low-noise pavements probably got some kind of material mixed in with the concrete to reduce the sounds made by people walking on it.

M: Wow. Okay. Reducing the speed limit. Maybe also banning heavy vehicles from entering the city centre. And when we talk about engines, it's the rev of the engine. You know, like you get into your brand new Ferrari and you kind of, you start the engine and Ferrari goes like... And you enjoy this rev of the engine that a Tesla will never have. So we can reduce the speed limits so you don't hear so much raving of engines. You see? So planes, what do planes do? Planes roar overhead. So we hear the rev of the engine. Or when cars stop we can hear screeching of brakes. It's like... Like this. Rory, come on, make some noise. Like I'm doing my best here.

R: I'm not making noises like that, I live in a house with other people.

M: And an interesting topic is when people chat in public.

R: Oh, yes. I just love hearing other people's conversations.

M: Oh, boy. Yeah. So people should be considerate of other people's feelings. Considerate, like caring, attentive. Right? They should speak quietly. They should find a quieter location to talk. Like noisier, quieter. So it's about sensitive manners. Right? It's about like being sensitive. And I really enjoyed how Rory phrased it. Most people don't want to air their dirty laundry in public. Rory, could you explain this one?

R: If you air your dirty laundry in public, it just means you talk about the intimate details of your life in front of other people, which is not really a good thing to do.

M: Yeah. Most people don't want to air their dirty laundry in public and even fewer people, not less people, fewer people want to hear about it in the passing. In the passing? So when they pass other people, we don't want to hear what they talk about. A variety of sounds people hear every day, or are exposed to every day, for example, traffic with the... Oh, and now Rory is using another word.

R: Am I?

M: Yeah, for cars you use...

R: Oh, vrooming, vrooming.

M: Vrooming. Well, it's not even a word according to Cambridge online dictionary. Vrooming. Is this Scottish slang?

R: No, it's an expression describing what cars do.

M: Vroom. They like vroom. Cambridge online dictionary doesn't know this word. Okay?

R: Well, that's too bad because it is one.

M: Oh, okay, there we go. Sorry. Vroom, vroom. Yeah. Exclamation, informal. Vroom. It kind of represents the sound of a car engine at high speed. So if you're standing there, and then a brand new Ferrari just vroom. Does like this. Yeah? So it just goes past you. So give examples of noises people hear every day. So different noises, like traffic with the vrooming of cars. They... Oh, again, this rucksack.

R: It's not a rucksack.

M: But not a rucksack.

R: The ruckus.

M: Oh, ruckus. It's crazy. I don't know how you're going to remember this. Maybe remember 3 different...

R: You don't need to use all of them. You just need to use one or two. I just made it especially rich so that people can see it in different context.

M: So ruckus, mainly in USA, informal.

R: It is what one might call a generative example. Yes.

M: The ruckus of construction. Or you can say, remember, the din of construction work, the din. It's so strange, so...

R: Are you not going to praise my band nine vocabulary for describing...

M: I'm amazed at your band 10 vocabulary, band 25. I don't know, it's just through the roof, Rory.

R: Thank you.

M: People respond to noises like they give their own answer to noises. How? They cover their ears to shield the eardrums. So to protect the eardrums, eardrums are not drums you play with, like a musical instrument, no, they are inside your ears, eardrums. So move away from the source of noise. Complain about different noises. And also we use... What do we use to kind of... We put this in our ears, when we sleep, for example.

R: I put earplugs in my ears when I sleep in Turkey and it makes no difference to my life whatsoever. I don't understand how people can use them.

M: Right. I agree. Yeah. Loud noise could have all kinds of negative effects on people, physical and mental health could suffer. And Rory mentioned hearing loss. So we can just go deaf. Sleep disturbances, okay? So people are making lots of racket. Noise. So this could lead to sleep disturbances, increased stress levels, okay? Your neighbours are having a fight. So your stress levels increase. And some positive effects. Positive effects of loud noise? Really?

R: There can be positive effects.

M: Ah, so you can get up from an alarm. Ah, okay. So kind of you can hear your alarm. And what's a hair-raising experience?

R: Well, a hair-raising experience is just a frightening one.

M: How is it relevant to different noises?

R: Well, it's just saying that if you're not used to an alarm going off then it might be a frightening experience more than one that makes you aware of something. So you might go ah, oh, my god, what's going on?

M: Yeah, like you're sleeping peacefully and then your alarm goes off and you kind of like, ah, oh, my God. What's going on?

R: Well, it could be a fire alarm.

M: Yeah. Be very careful with the words you use for noise. Rory gave you different words. If you don't like this, the din of construction work or if you don't like this... What is it? I already forgot.

R: Oh, ruckus and rumpus. Oh my god, it's not difficult.

M: Rumpus. Okay, you see? If you don't like it, don't use it. But if you want a nine, this is for a nine. Sorry. Cacophony. Okay? Is the word of the day. Rory, what's your favourite sound? What's your favourite noise? You have like a favourite noise? Sound of money.

R: I like the opening and closing sound of the podcast episodes.

M: Really?

R: Which I think was written by our producer.

M: Nice. Okay.

R: Shall we play it now?

M: Yes. Let's play it now. Bye!

R: Bye!

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