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What makes an audiobook good? | ||
Tags: Audiobook | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| nonneb Pentaglot Groupie SpainRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4750 days ago 80 posts - 173 votes  Speaks: English*, Ancient Greek, Latin, German, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Hungarian, French | Message 1 of 11 09 September 2013 at 3:01am | IP Logged |
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For a while now (since I realized how convenient LR is), I've been considering recording some audiobooks in Ancient Greek with reconstructed pronunciation. A friend who's starting to study Ancient Greek as a part of a university program recently asked me for good examples of spoken Ancient Greek that wasn't just modern pronunciation, and the dearth of materials has finally convinced me that the time is now.
So here's what I need help with: 1. HTLAL-ers, what things make you enjoy certain audiobooks more than others? What things turn you off of certain audiobooks? I just saw in another thread that some of you can't stand amateur audiobook readers, so how can I avoid their problems? 2. What texts would you recommend I start with? What are some common beginning authentic texts which students of Greek traditionally tackle? I've been considering some Lysias, because he's a common author for students starting native materials, but he's also quite boring. I love the epics, but I'm afraid I'd make too many mistakes with the meter and/or butcher it in other ways. I'd like to make something that's about as close to authentic as a modern Anglophone can get, so I'm afraid I'll have to stick with prose first. The New Testament might be the most useful to the largest number of learners. Maybe a play? I'd appreciate any advice. Edited by nonneb on 09 September 2013 at 3:02am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| luke Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 7204 days ago 3133 posts - 4351 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Esperanto, French | Message 2 of 11 09 September 2013 at 10:10am | IP Logged |
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A book that you are familiar with and enjoy is a good start.
1 person has voted this message useful | |
| montmorency Diglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4827 days ago 2371 posts - 3676 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Danish, Welsh | Message 3 of 11 09 September 2013 at 10:47am | IP Logged |
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A perplexing question, since by definition, you are not a "native speaker", which would
be something I normally would look for, but this is obviously a different case. As well as seconding Luke's post, fairly obvious things like: 1. Consistent and sufficient volume 2. Use a good microphone 3. It should correspond to a text that the listener has a reasonable chance of obtaining, and should be a full, not an abridged version. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| schoenewaelder Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 5559 days ago 759 posts - 1197 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch | Message 5 of 11 09 September 2013 at 12:49pm | IP Logged |
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I think some people just have good natural reading voices. However, one thing that does
annoy me is when books are read too animatedly, or with large variations in volume. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Bao Diglot Senior Member Germany tinyurl.com/pe4kqe5 Joined 5765 days ago 2256 posts - 4046 votes Speaks: German*, English Studies: French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin | Message 6 of 11 09 September 2013 at 3:08pm | IP Logged |
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I've listened to amatuer readers I really liked, and amateurs as well as professionals that made me think 'just ... no. no. stop it.'
First of all the voice should be nice to listen to. Now, I don't have any training, but even I can tell when my voice sounds squeaky, shrill, hesitant or monotone. And when I'm unsure I record, listen to it, and practice getting the sound I wanted to get. It's ... like finding your voice? Some days it takes a bit longer than others. As a reader, you structure the text for your audience. You are all the commas, fullstops, question marks, italics. That doesn't mean that you have to exaggerate or act different voices, but you need to pay attention not only to reading the words, but also to delivering them at a pace which can be understood. Reading aloud strips you of many of the options people have to pace free speech, but it also doesn't have the main advantage of the written letter, which is that your readers can slow down, speed up and reread how it suits them. (They even can pause to curse you for bad writing without missing a word.) Edited by Bao on 10 September 2013 at 6:23pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Jeffers Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4908 days ago 2151 posts - 3960 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Hindi, Ancient Greek, French, Sanskrit, German | Message 7 of 11 09 September 2013 at 8:16pm | IP Logged |
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I would suggest starting with something designed for learners: the Reading Greek texts from JACT. Any of these would be really useful.
The Intellectual Revolution: Selections from Euripides, Thucydides and Plato Reading Greek: A World of Heroes: Selections from Homer, Herodotus and Sophocles A Greek Anthology (Reading Greek) New Testament Greek: A Reader (Reading Greek) JACT has done a CD with some, but not all, of the texts from the main text of the course: Speaking Greek CD (Reading Greek) 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| geoffw Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4687 days ago 1134 posts - 1865 votes Speaks: English*, German, Yiddish Studies: Modern Hebrew, French, Dutch, Italian, Russian | Message 8 of 11 10 September 2013 at 5:06am | IP Logged |
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Pay attention to speed. I've heard some amateur readers who sound like they're trying to finish as fast as possible
and it's impossible to follow. But then I heard another one that was ... so ... slow, ... that ......... I .... simply ......couldn't .... stand .... waiting for the next word all day long, which was worse. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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