English by Stéaviñ | EBS Tutorials
is a YouTube channel that appears on the surface to be a simple English pronunciation guide. The videos are 10-20 seconds on average and all follow a similar format where Stéaviñ pronounces a word, uses it in a sentence, and pronounces it one last time.
In actuality, the videos probably won't help you with English very much. They're filled with mispronounciations, puns and wordplay, nonsensical sentence examples, obscure word choices, and meandering conversations with someone named Chuck, all delivered in a dry, monotone voice. In short, it's an Affectionate Parody of word pronunciation channels.
The channel began posting in 2016, but only uploaded sporadically until beginning a semi-regular upload schedule in 2021.
Tropes. English by Stéaviñ provides examples of the following tropes ...Chuck. Tropes.
- Aerith and Bob: How to Pronounce Red is a conversation between Jane, Mary Anne, and Rétuzziaro.
- Big Eater: Many of the words are food or are recorded while Stéaviñ is eating or cooking something.
- Call-Back: Sometimes examples will use mispronounced words from previous videos with the same incorrect use.
- The Comically Serious: Stéaviñ almost never changes his tone of voice, no matter what stupid thing he's reading. The delivery can make videos that don't even have a joke in them hysterically funny.
- Last-Second Word Swap: In How to Pronounce Meat Hose: "Taco Bell is a good place to meet... some friends, but not today because the meat hose is broken."
- Malaproper: In a lot of videos. Sometimes the mispronunciation is the joke, but sometimes it's for the sake of a larger pun. Or to slip the word "anus" into examples.
- Running Gag: A lot of the examples end with Stéaviñ adding "...Chuck?" to the end of the sentence.
- Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: In How to Pronounce Bread: "Fred fed Ted bread, said... Tom." Also counts as a Bait-and-Switch, since if you're familiar with the videos you were probably expected him to say Chuck.
- Surreal Humor: A lot of the humor comes from how similar to a basic language guide the videos feel and how fast they go off the rails in such a short window.
- The Unreveal: How to Pronounce Stéaviñ has him start to pronounce his name before the video cuts out. It cuts in in time for him to say "...Chuck?", then cuts out again before he can finish saying Stéaviñ.
- What's a Henway?: In How to Pronounce Maths, Stéaviñ tricks his neighbor Jimmy into saying "I won a maths debate."note
