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Understanding fast spoken language | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| Neil_UK Tetraglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5051 days ago 50 posts - 64 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Esperanto, Welsh Studies: Polish, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Scottish Gaelic, French | Message 1 of 53 29 June 2010 at 9:52pm | IP Logged |
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So I'm an English native but also speak German and Spanish fairly well. I'm currently also learning Mandarin and Polish.
Anyway, my trouble is, although I can speak ok in these languages, as soon as I hear a native speaking them I can't understand a thing! They just speak so fast, and it's so very difficult to understand what I'm hearing, especially with their accents. I feel that understanding the spoken language is very hard. Do you have any advice about how I can develop my ear training in languages? I have a very highly trained musical ear as I am a musician, so my sense of hearing is very highly tuned...I would like to apply this to languages. Should I try listening to T.V and radio in the languages I'm learning? I've tried that but I don't understand very much as it's all so fast. Are there any courses that offer 'ear training' for languages so I can develop my listening skills more? Thanks. Edited by Neil_UK on 29 June 2010 at 9:53pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| johntm93 Senior Member United States Joined 5116 days ago 587 posts - 746 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: German, Spanish | Message 2 of 53 29 June 2010 at 9:57pm | IP Logged |
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Listen to music, TV, Movies, etc.
Use the search function, there's a million threads on this. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| frenkeld Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6732 days ago 2042 posts - 2719 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German | Message 3 of 53 29 June 2010 at 10:11pm | IP Logged |
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In addition to just listening a lot, consider finding some sources which allow you to listen while reading the transcript of what's being said.
Also, one can listen in a graded manner, start with the news, get good at it, and then move on to harder sources, e.g., movies, which can be harder than talking one on one to a person. Audiobooks are also professionally read. For Spanish and German (and several other languages), one possible source of news items with transcripts is this site: http://www.euronews.net/. Movies with subtitles in the target language can be helpful, even though the text won't always follow the spoken version exactly. I also find "overlistening" to be useful. Alternate between listening to a piece with and without the transcript, as many times as it takes to get comfortable following what's being said. Edited by frenkeld on 14 July 2010 at 9:53pm 5 persons have voted this message useful | |
| The Real CZ Senior Member United States Joined 5438 days ago 1069 posts - 1495 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Japanese, Korean | Message 4 of 53 29 June 2010 at 10:43pm | IP Logged |
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Listen a lot and watch TV and movies without subtitles. Over time, your hearing will get better. Also try finding some podcasts that are short and come with a transcript and listen to it several times, with and without looking at the transcript.
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| Declan1991 Tetraglot Senior Member Ireland Joined 6228 days ago 233 posts - 359 votes Speaks: English*, German, Irish, French | Message 5 of 53 29 June 2010 at 11:51pm | IP Logged |
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Practice. And remember, some languages are harder than others and will require more work. I find spoken French much more difficult than spoken German for example, and although Irish is the language I speak best, some dialects (the ones most different from my own) are extremely difficult for me to hear.
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| Ericounet Senior Member France yojik.euRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5224 days ago 157 posts - 414 votes Studies: English, German, Russian | Message 6 of 53 04 July 2010 at 4:59pm | IP Logged |
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Hi,
you could use the free software on linux: perroquet It works with films and subtitles: It plays a sequence and you have to type the dialogue; you get some help from the software. http://perroquet.b219.org/fr/special/language/select?languag e=en try it: it will improve your hearing and comprehension very fast hope this help :) Eric! ------ 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| dolly Senior Member United States Joined 5579 days ago 191 posts - 376 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Latin | Message 7 of 53 04 July 2010 at 5:44pm | IP Logged |
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This is what I use, as a student of French:
For listening comprehension of rapid, idiomatic French: Les Simpson DVDs with transcripts. Colloquial vocabulary: WordReference online dictionary and forum for lookups, Street French books for instruction. The Street French books have plenty of sample sentences written in contracted French. This is a big help. Grammar: Colloquial French Grammar: A Practical Guide by Rodney Ball. 5 persons have voted this message useful | |
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5627 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 8 of 53 04 July 2010 at 6:52pm | IP Logged |
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I am having problems with this in Russian, problems I can't remember having with English, French or Spanish.
Basically I can hear a sentence in which I KNOW all words, but because of the complex grammar and different word order the sentence still doesn't make sense. Has anyone experience this, and is this too a matter of getting more exposure? Maybe my brain isn't as fast anymore; I am over thirty. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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