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Shadowing: yay or nay?

 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies Post Reply
Poll Question: Do you shadow regularly?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
59 [52.21%]
54 [47.79%]
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67 messages over 9 pages: 13 4 5 6 7 ... 2 ... 8 9 Next >>
Rollo the Cat
Groupie
United States
Joined 5816 days ago

77 posts - 90 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Italian, Russian, Ancient Greek

 
 Message 9 of 67
29 June 2008 at 2:54pm | IP Logged 
I tried shadowing a few years ago and it didn't work for me. It was tiring, difficult, and gave me a headache. I tried
it again recently and found that I was able to do it not only successfully, but with little effort. In fact, shadowing is
actually a fun activity for me now.

The difference between successful and unsuccessful attempts at shadowing is in the almost indescribable different
mental states that we slip in and out of all the time. You have to identify the mental state you are in during the
brief moments when shadowing is working for you. Then you have to learn to reproduce that mental state more
and more.

Shadowing for me is a way to avoid translating. I listen to the speaker and read the text while I visualize the
meanings of the words and phrases. Doing this over and over helps me link images to the foreign language words.
2 persons have voted this message useful



Volte
Tetraglot
Senior Member
Switzerland
Joined 6221 days ago

4474 posts - 6726 votes 
Speaks: English*, Esperanto, German, Italian
Studies: French, Finnish, Mandarin, Japanese

 
 Message 10 of 67
29 June 2008 at 3:10pm | IP Logged 
qklilx wrote:
If conversation with a native is available, wouldn't it take precedence over shadowing in pretty much every way?


No, it would be a good supplement, not a replacement. Conversation and shadowing help improve different parts of your language ability when you're still fairly new to the language, I'd say. Conversation.... gets you conversational, at the cost of grammar and sometimes pronunciation; flow is the most important thing. Shadowing helps correct forms sink in, but doesn't help conversation as much or as directly. Personally, I learn and remember vocabulary a lot faster through shadowing than conversation as well.

1 person has voted this message useful



furrykef
Senior Member
United States
furrykef.com/
Joined 6254 days ago

681 posts - 862 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish, Japanese, Latin, Italian

 
 Message 11 of 67
29 June 2008 at 7:16pm | IP Logged 
Volte wrote:
if not, there is a real risk of being incomprehensible, as shown in the youtube video of the Japanese girl shadowing English.


What video?

1 person has voted this message useful





jeff_lindqvist
Diglot
Moderator
SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name
Joined 6691 days ago

4250 posts - 5710 votes 
Speaks: Swedish*, English
Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French
Personal Language Map

 
 Message 12 of 67
29 June 2008 at 7:46pm | IP Logged 
I think it's this one:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3jm9Fvfry8Q
2 persons have voted this message useful



CaitO'Ceallaigh
Triglot
Senior Member
United States
katiekelly.wordpress
Joined 6639 days ago

795 posts - 829 votes 
Speaks: English*, Spanish, Russian
Studies: Czech, German

 
 Message 14 of 67
29 June 2008 at 10:29pm | IP Logged 
I shadow, and sometimes blind shadow (I guess that's what it's called), but I don't do it in a park or natural setting, as has been recommended.

I do it because it's fun. I like pretending I'm singing along with the sound.

I think it helps. I'm shadowing an Uruguayan author now, and my accent is changing.

1 person has voted this message useful



fanatic
Octoglot
Senior Member
Australia
speedmathematics.com
Joined 6928 days ago

1152 posts - 1818 votes 
Speaks: English*, German, French, Afrikaans, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Dutch
Studies: Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Modern Hebrew, Malay, Mandarin, Esperanto

 
 Message 15 of 67
29 June 2008 at 11:11pm | IP Logged 
I voted that I don't shadow, but that is simply because I have never tried it.

I commence my learning by listening to the language and reading it for understanding. I will repeat what I hear or substitute words to make my own sentences and try to imitate the accent and tonation. I have never tried to speak along with the audio.

At least, not as a conscious strategy. Sometimes I have spoken along with some of the extreme Russian accents I have heard and "sing" the text along with the speaker. I have always regarded that as playing with the language and never taken it seriously. I have done the same with Italian as I enjoy playing with the accent. Italian and extreme Russian are two accents you can play around with.

Actually, shadowing sounds like a good idea.

Edited by fanatic on 29 June 2008 at 11:13pm

3 persons have voted this message useful



orion
Senior Member
United States
Joined 6803 days ago

622 posts - 678 votes 
Speaks: English*
Studies: German, Russian

 
 Message 16 of 67
30 June 2008 at 12:22am | IP Logged 
I have tried it numerous times with several languages. I did not get that much out of it.


1 person has voted this message useful



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