General tips for new learners (Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies) Language Learning Forum

General tips for new learners
Tags: Beginner \| Learning Technique/Method
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Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies

59 messages over 8 pages: << Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Cainntear
Pentaglot
Senior Member
Scotland
linguafrankly.blogsp
Joined 5946 days ago
4399 posts - 7687 votes

Speaks: Lowland Scots, English*, French, Spanish, Scottish Gaelic
Studies: Catalan, Italian, German, Irish, Welsh

Message 57 of 59

07 July 2011 at 9:06pm | IP Logged

garyb wrote:

"t" - same problem as "d", "l", and "n"

Have you ever noticed what those 4 consonants spell?

TDLN...
DTLN...
DTNL...
DNTL...
D NT L...
DeNTal!

It's a self-defining mnemonic!*

(* Depending on which language you're learning, that is...)

Dreadslinger wrote:

Thank you for the answer, garyb! That was actually very enlightening. Honestly, I've never seen a course that describes pronunciation (of vowels in particular) that... I don't know, lazily? In the texts I've read there is always some extra explanation. For Finnish in particular, I remember that the book I was studying spent three whole chapters covering the nuances of pronunciation. I think you're probably correct in that I have a natural ability for pronunciation, but I think I must also have gotten lucky in my finding of textbooks which expand further on the rules.

Your books must be ones aimed at "serious learners" and formal university study -- the consumer-focussed books are all pretty much like the example given, regardless of language. God forbid that we teach proles how to talk properly.
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Dreadslinger
Newbie
United States
Joined 4828 days ago
18 posts - 30 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Russian

Message 58 of 59

08 July 2011 at 6:26am | IP Logged

lol Indeed. I don't like to buy anything, particularly books, without poring through them to ensure they're exactly what I want/need. Which is my contribution to this thread.

Don't buy any books or other resources without checking them out first! Go to the library and see if they have the book you're thinking about buying. Same with CDs/DVDs.

Most bookstores have nice comfy chairs in which you can sit for a good long while and check your resources. Take an afternoon and sit in the reference section reading. And it's already been said, but I think it bears repeating: Go online and read reviews. Hop on this very forum and start a thread asking the many serious linguists on here if they have any experience with it.
It's a good general practice to research what you buy anyway, so why wouldn't you do so with your learning materials?
1 person has voted this message useful

Dreadslinger
Newbie
United States
Joined 4828 days ago
18 posts - 30 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Russian

Message 59 of 59

09 July 2011 at 6:08am | IP Logged

Jeffers wrote:

Dreadslinger wrote:

I think that the pronunciation guides (in English, anyway) are written under the assumption that the reader speaks English with no accent. Or, if you want to be technical, with a "Midwest American" accent, which is how I speak.

Midwesterners often say they have no accent. So do northwesterners (e.g. Seattle) and Canadians. Funny thing is, they all sound different to each other.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you sound funny to the rest of the English speaking world. That's not an insult, as the rest of them sound funny to you. That's just the fun of language.

Just thought it worth mentioning, I absolutely understand your point, but to be clear, I've never heard any accent in any language which I think "sounds funny", and I've heard more than my fair share, just in English. lol

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