Questions tagged [listening]
Questions related to listening, especially developing and improving listening skills.
46
questions
7
votes
1
answer
162
views
Can comprehension happen before meaning?
I'm trying to find the right terminology to describe the learning process that might be happening when a language learner goes from comprehension to meaning, rather than the other way around.
Imagine ...
CommunityBot
- 1
1
vote
0
answers
17
views
How can I improve my listening for a selection of Chinese HSK6 words?
I downloaded Mandarin Corner's mp3s where, for each of the 2500 Chinese HSK6 words, Teacher Eileen says the word twice, then its example sentence twice. I note down the words which I don't near-...
- 2,368
1
vote
1
answer
37
views
Are there any good resources where I can listen to very casual real English conversations among native speakers?
When watching a video on Netflix or Youtube, I can usually easily understand English conversations.
However, when it comes to real conversations among native speakers, I sometimes cannot even ...
- 139
3
votes
2
answers
175
views
How do I improve my English listening and speaking skills?
I am 17 from Egypt have been learning English for like 15 years so its supposed to be similar to my native spoken language (Arabic-Egyptian dialect).
During those 15 years, I've been somewhat good at ...
- 1,244
7
votes
4
answers
387
views
Is dictation any more effective than just writing in brain?
Many people, including some here, seem to recommend dictation on improving listening skills, but I wonder if the dictation is any more effective than just listening to the script and writing it in my ...
- 49
5
votes
2
answers
136
views
How to understand nested subordinate clauses quickly in oral English? How to avoid getting lost when you are in the middle of a subordinate one?
I am Chinese, and my native language is not English. I have learned the syntax of English, and I can analyze and understand a sentence in reading. However, this is not the case during listening.
...
- 49
13
votes
3
answers
285
views
How can I improve the listening and speaking skill as a self-learner?
I learn any languages mostly alone, without any school or tutors (as it is insanely expensive and also quite inflexible). I learn it mostly online, starting with apps like Rosetta Stone and Memrise as ...
- 1,253
18
votes
1
answer
436
views
Can listening during sleep help language learning?
What are the effects of sleep listening on language skills and aren't there any negative effects of it on overall physiological health? Are there any studies or your personal experiences proving that ...
3
votes
0
answers
532
views
Is there a way to become un-stuck after hearing something unexpected? [duplicate]
I'm learning standard Chinese and I recently realized that my listening skills are worse than I hoped. Once I hear something unexpected such as a common word but spoken with a different accent, the ...
- 205
1
vote
2
answers
787
views
How many words/characters do I need to understand Chinese sitcoms?
I'm not sure how to ask this question since English words and Chinese characters are different, but hopefully someone will understand what I'm saying: basically, I'm wondering how many different words/...
3
votes
2
answers
96
views
Graded watching for Spanish
I'm wondering if there are any resources for "graded watching" in Spanish. I've made a similar post for Korean, my other target language.
This is a resource that I saw someone mention ...
- 11
2
votes
0
answers
19
views
How can I systematically verify that I can hear correctly words belonging to a vocabulary list?
I've been studying the Chinese HSK6 vocabulary, and the majority of words I can read correctly. What worries me is that sometimes (often?) when I'm listening, I don't recognize certain words. If ...
- 2,368
1
vote
3
answers
128
views
How to make my English conversation fluent?
I can read/write English well but a problem arises when speaking and listening. I am not a native English speaker. I know English; my vocabulary is strong enough to speak but I get stuck when speaking ...
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
79
views
Can someone learn English by listening?
I have learning English through English grammar. Still it would be improved but damn I have not learned or comprehend! never and never I no understood by listening! only I can understand words or ...
CommunityBot
- 1
11
votes
4
answers
345
views
What's the most efficient way of improving English listening skills?
I am a native Chinese speaker, and I have lived in Toronto for 8 years since the time I was 18 years old. But my English listening skills are pretty poor. I cannot understand the movies in the theater ...
- 151
0
votes
0
answers
57
views
How to force youtube site auto-generated to create closed caption for an uploaded video on its site
I have an idea for intermediate language learners who want to improve their languages skills by using video on youtube. Learners could improve listening skill by watching videos in target language. If ...
4
votes
1
answer
83
views
Negative questions in (English language) listening tests
I work for a company that produces ELT materials. We write various kinds of reading and listening passages, followed by comprehension questions.
Our staff writers use the "What is NOT true" ...
8
votes
1
answer
245
views
Is there any such paper that shows passive listening helps language learning?
I have been searching on Google Scholar to find a paper presenting research results on whether passive listening helps learning a language, but I could not find any. Is there any such work that shows ...
- 324
3
votes
1
answer
52
views
A platform for writing custom text, then hear it and try to write it down without mistakes?
I am searching for a platform where I can add my custom text (1000 words for example) and the platform should hide this text from me and I should be able to hear it only (slowly) and then write the ...
- 171
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
Graded watching for Korean
I'm sure most people here know of graded readers for language learning, but I'm wondering if there are any resources for "graded watching" in Korean. I'll be making a similar post to ask ...
- 294
12
votes
2
answers
191
views
How to use subtitles most effectvely?
I have an intermediate level in my target language (L2), which means that when I watch films without subtitles I understand relatively little. Turning on L2 subtitles increases my understanding to a ...
- 119
7
votes
1
answer
174
views
How do I make my Chinese listening robust to unknown words?
From my perspective, when reading sentences in Chinese, I might read:
[understandable part] [unknown word] [understandable part].
And I can usually understand the whole sentence to a large degree ...
- 344
14
votes
2
answers
546
views
Learning through videos: what makes a video easy to understand for learners?
How can you tell if a video is easy to understand for learners? What are the important factors for a video to be easy? I guess slow and clear pronunciation is important. But also the usage of common ...
- 1
6
votes
1
answer
155
views
Can Siri be used for foreign-language speaking and listening practice?
Siri seems to understand my Chinese, so I'm wondering if it's possible to talk with her in order to get speaking and listening practice. Currently, all I ever do is ask her for the weather. But it ...
- 181
4
votes
0
answers
52
views
Is there evidence that tongue twisters help with listening and pronunciation?
The motivation for this question is a Chinese.SE answer:
Have you tried practicing with tongue twisters (绕口令)? ... They can help with both listening and pronunciation. Repetition is really the only ...
- 19.7k
0
votes
0
answers
105
views
Russian listening for A1 level
I have a proficiency level of A1 in Russian and I'm looking forward to improve it. One way I imagine could be beneficial, would be listening everyday to native speakers in the form of podcasts, for ...
- 111
2
votes
2
answers
96
views
How important is IPA to learn pronunciation for learners with non-roman alphabet
I think there is general agreement that IPA is crucial for learning pronunciation of a language like English, because there are no strict rules of pronunciation, and plenty of exceptions.
IPA is ...
- 461
9
votes
2
answers
842
views
Japanese – how to learn it without using SRS?
I hate SRS (spaced repetition system), even though I have used it for more than ten years for various languages. I can’t stand the sight of it anymore, yet, I know of no better alternative for a ...
- 4,975
4
votes
1
answer
110
views
How can you understand the pronunciation differences if you don't understand them even on minimal pairs training?
The minimal pair training seems to be the best way for adults to distinguish the sound difference on a foreign language that doesn't exist in his/her native language. According to Fluent:
But it’s ...
CommunityBot
- 1
2
votes
1
answer
56
views
How can I add an audio to my SRS if it is missing on Forvo?
I like to have an audio file play automatically on my SRS. In fact I found out that most words I have trouble in memorizing lack the audio file, and thus I always add the audio file which I download ...
- 19.7k
3
votes
0
answers
35
views
Should I mix different dialects on minimal pairs deck?
After posting this question, I investigated why I don't understand the sound difference, and I found out that one of the reasons must be the different dialects that exist in the deck. I installed the ...
- 19.7k
3
votes
1
answer
161
views
Learning japanese, 1 month progress (Tokyo)
I am a Japanese Language student here in Tokyo. I don't know if I'll get a downvote for this question, but might as well try. I've been studying Japanese for about a month now here in Japan using a ...
6
votes
1
answer
83
views
Is it a good idea to practice American English by listening to radio from the USA?
While I was looking for a better way to practice American English I found a website, where you can find radio channels from all over the world. Do you think it is a good idea to practice your ...
- 19.7k
4
votes
2
answers
86
views
How to look for resources that are available in multiple languages?
In order to efficiently learn multiple foreign languages simultaneously, I noticed that resources provided in multiple languages can act as a big help.
I have been using http://www.goethe-verlag.com/...
- 1,244
4
votes
0
answers
45
views
How to cope with noise in the background?
I find that my ability to understand speech deteriorates rapidly when there is noise in the background. The effect seems to be more pronounced the weaker the language is for me - English is fine even ...
- 3,425
18
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Can I understand 95 percent of CNN and talk show, movies, anything just in 3 years?
Can I understand 95 percent of CNN, talk shows, movies and anything? If I listen to English materials (podcasts and videos, …) for three years and I also listen to English materials for 3 hours every ...
4
votes
1
answer
192
views
Should I put more focus on the subtitle or the content when watching a movie to improve the listening skill?
I tried watching a few Chinese movie to improve my listening skill, but I wonder whether I should put more focus on following the subtitle or the content of the movie.
When I put more focus on ...
CommunityBot
- 1
11
votes
3
answers
246
views
Which is the more efficient method to improve the listening of the american english? [closed]
For some years now, I've been trying to get better in English and especially in terms of grammar, but my listening comprehension is still very low. I try to watch movies or series but listening ...
- 998
8
votes
0
answers
82
views
How do language learners identify "good" language models to imitate?
The company I work for provides educational resources for teaching English in a variety of classrooms across India. Some of these classrooms are in very remote rural and tribal areas. We've seen a lot ...
15
votes
2
answers
364
views
How useful is passive "background" listening?
I have seen many different opinions regarding the usefulness of, say, having a radio program on in the background while you work, do chores, etc. Some say that simply being able to hear the sounds and ...
- 5,132
9
votes
1
answer
102
views
French subtitles
I have been watching a lot of French-language shows on Netflix lately but with French subtitles. I find that the subtitles rarely match what is actually being spoken!
For example someone will say, "...
- 19.7k
5
votes
2
answers
256
views
How does the vocabulary learned through immersion compare to vocabulary learned via study?
When reading texts in L2, (sometimes) it can be easy to infer the meaning of a word based on its usage in the text. This can work similarly when listening or conversing. (Of course, to ensure there is ...
- 299
16
votes
3
answers
293
views
Is "difficulty" an inherent trait in language?
It's quite common to talk about the relative difficulty(1, 2, 3, etc) of languages. But do languages have an inherent difficulty?
Put another way, perhaps, are some languages easier or more ...
CommunityBot
- 1
6
votes
2
answers
114
views
Will having a part time or freelancing translation job affect my effort of thinking in second language?
I'm a native Persian speaker and I've been learning English since I was 11.
Of course in the first years of learning, I actually had a lot of mistakes in choosing methods that I will never repeat in ...
- 4,975
21
votes
4
answers
314
views
How can I help someone improve their listening comprehension?
A bit of background: My girlfriend is Taiwanese and will attend TesDaF (German test) in a week. She has been previously learning for about 8 months now while being in Germany. So far, all points (...
- 9
6
votes
1
answer
121
views
Technical term for aural proficiency in a language
I have encountered several individuals in the past who have a certain level of proficiency and understanding in listening to a certain language, but are on the whole unable to create and speak/write ...
- 4,975