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Listening when understanding nothing | ||
Tags: Comprehension/understanding | Listening | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| dbstraight Diglot Newbie United States Joined 5996 days ago 30 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish | Message 1 of 13 23 August 2008 at 11:49am | IP Logged |
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I would like to know if anyone can speak from experience on what benefits, if any, can be drawn from listening to your target language when you can understand NOTHING of what is being said, not even a single word. Does it help to get accustomed to the sound of the language? Does it make it easier to get pronunciation right later when you get down to studying the language?
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| Cainntear Pentaglot Senior Member Scotland linguafrankly.blogsp Joined 6011 days ago 4399 posts - 7687 votes  Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh | Message 2 of 13 23 August 2008 at 12:39pm | IP Logged |
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In general, I doubt it.
If I listen to something in an entirely alien language, it's all just ish-osh-oosh to me. It isn't until I start to be able to pronounce the sounds myself that my mind tends to make any effort to understand what the ear is hearing. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| qklilx Moderator United States Joined 6186 days ago 459 posts - 477 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Korean Personal Language Map | Message 3 of 13 23 August 2008 at 2:02pm | IP Logged |
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Mezzofanti supposedly did it to learn the rhythms and intonations of the languages he would prepare himself to learn, so I think if you have a good enough ear, and perhaps a few languages already in your store, it might be a somewhat useful technique.
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| hyij Triglot Newbie Sweden Joined 5937 days ago 5 posts - 5 votes Speaks: Swedish*, Mandarin, English Studies: Finnish, Arabic (Written) | Message 4 of 13 23 August 2008 at 3:50pm | IP Logged |
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I'd say don't put too much faith in it. In the beginning stages listening to the target language now and then is all well and good, but it's not gonna do you any miracles.
However, when you you're at a level where you can start guessing meanings, the more listening the better. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| alfajuj Diglot Senior Member Taiwan Joined 6211 days ago 121 posts - 126 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin Studies: Taiwanese, French | Message 5 of 13 24 August 2008 at 1:20am | IP Logged |
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It's only useful for getting a feel for the rhythm and intonation of the target language. That isn't unimportant but I would suggest that you shouldn't put too much time into it.
For example, you could put on some kind of talk shows in the target language on web radio while you're doing other things on your computer. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Eduard Decaglot Senior Member Norway Joined 6025 days ago 166 posts - 170 votes 2 sounds Speaks: Dutch*, NorwegianC1, Swedish, Danish, English, German, ItalianB1, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, French Studies: Portuguese | Message 6 of 13 24 August 2008 at 3:29am | IP Logged |
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It does help to growing accustomed to the language and the sounds of it. Also, it depends if the language is close to a language you know or not. As I heard Danish for the first time, I hardly understood a single word. Yet, as I already understood a bit of Norwegian and Swedish, the Danish sounds gradually became understandable.
I'd suggest to do as alfajuj proposes: listen with half an ear whilst doing something more useful. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Javi Senior Member Spain Joined 5981 days ago 419 posts - 548 votes Speaks: Spanish* | Message 7 of 13 24 August 2008 at 4:43am | IP Logged |
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Deleted message. Edited by Javi on 24 August 2008 at 6:32am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Autarkis Triglot Groupie Switzerland twitter.com/Autarkis Joined 5952 days ago 95 posts - 106 votes 4 sounds Speaks: German*, English, French Studies: Italian | Message 8 of 13 24 August 2008 at 5:43am | IP Logged |
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I don't believe it does anything besides upping your adrenaline and thus your frustration. However, it might also up your frustration tolerance to the sounds. So if you'd have to learn a language the sounds of which would offend you, you could get used to the sound of it this way. I mean, it's really quite comparable to listen to monkeys arguing in the zoo. ;) No offense intended!
From the point of view of comprehension, I'm pretty sure nothing at all is to be gained. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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