每日口說挑戰如何靠「講故事」來控制經濟狀況？(How Stories Control Our Economic Reality)

[Transcript]

Intro:
Hello VoiceTubers, it’s great to have you here again! Did you know that people’s behaviours can be affected by stories? The way people react to these stories can affect the economy. For example, let’s say economists report that there will be a looming recession, consumers will definitely worry and restrict their spending. As a result, businesses stop producing as many goods, causing workers to lose their jobs. The story becomes a reality. Click on our link and watch the video for more details on how stories control our economic reality. But before that, let’s take a look at today’s pronunciation challenge.


Sentence:
There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.

Pronunciation tips:
shortage : sounds like shaw+tij, the ‘j’ sound is also quite obvious in the plural form = shaw-ti-jis
increase : verb pronunciation versus the noun pronunciation
minimum : three short syllables.

Here’s the sentence one more time at a slower pace.

Now moving on to our vocabulary words:

Vocabulary:
1. increase (v.) 增加 KK [ɪnˋkris] IPA /ɪnˈkriːs/
Def: To make something become larger in amount or size.

Example:

We need to increase security at the airport because a famous k-pop singer is arriving tonight.
我們需要加強機場的保安措施，因為今晚這位著名的韓國流行歌手要抵達了。

2. minimum (n.) 最小值; 最低限度 KK[ˋmɪnəməm] IPA /ˈmɪn.ə.məm/
Def: The smallest amount or number allowed or possible.

Example:
Customers need to reach a minimum order value to qualify for free shipping on Amazon.
顧客在雅馬遜必須消費最小訂購量才能達成免運的條件。

3. forecast (v.) 預測 KK[ˋfor͵kæst] IPA /ˈfɔːr.kæst/
Def: To say what you expect to happen in the future.

Example:
They forecast a large drop in unemployment as Covid-19 restrictions ease.
隨著新冠肺炎限制的鬆綁，他們預測失業率將會大幅下降。

Outro:

Stories are effective in influencing people’s decisions from as small as changing their shopping habits to putting off a house purchase. If you’re keen to learn more about this topic, you can check out a book called “Narrative Economics”, written by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller. In his book he examines how stories help drive economic events. He explains that some narratives go viral because they contain real truth and knowledge and are useful. However there are these other kinds of narratives that are interesting and stimulating and these ideas get spread from person to person more, encouraging changes in public thinking and are important causes of major economic events.

So it turns out that psychology is the driving force behind the economy. And that’s why many politicians utilize this and tell their stories of a promising future to earn people’s likes (and votes).

Alright, and this leads me to the end of today’s episode. Thank you for joining me and don’t forget to record your challenge sentence! I look forward to seeing you again next week.

There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.

There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.

There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.
關於文章、政治家或研究宣稱增加最低工資是一場冒險的賭博或就業殺手很多，末日預測、價格會上漲的預測也很多。

There are no shortage of articles, politicians or studies showing, for example, that increasing the minimum wage is a risky gamble or a job killer, no shortage of doomsday forecasting, that prices would rise.