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Openlwf Posted 15 years ago
Speech & Pronunciation
Listening problems: Accent & Sound variation
Hello,
I have a specific Listening problems: Accent & Sound variation in conversation.
The problem is that I can follow and understand the speaker pretty well, when it comes to a "standard" situation, say the sound of the conversation is very clear and in a "standard" accent, like American accent. However, as long as there's some change or variation to the sound, I find it harder to follow, and even sometime can not follow at all. To give an exact example, I can do it pretty well while I sit quietly before my laptop and pay all my attention to some online radio program; but I have problems with some real scenarios, like the sound of the person speaking on the phone is a little bit low or not very clear because of background sound noise, or like listening to an annoucement at a subway station where the sound has a lot echocing and is not clear. I can understand people speaking "Standard" American English, but have problems when listening to people whose accent I am not quite used to.
One friend of mine had the same experience with me when 2 years ago he came to US to study. He put lots of time in preparing his English and felt quite confident in it before his coming. But it completely frustrated him when he first came to US and transfered at Boston Airport. He totally lost when he tried to catch up the annoucements at the airport.
For sure lots of practice & listening can fix this problem gradually. But it's just so frustrating to see my listening skill improve so slowly on this issue.
Now I am trying to diverse the listening merterials to force myself to get used to different accents and sound varition. I listen a lot to a radio program called DNTO(http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Radio/DNTO ), in which I can experence different sound variation from different story tellor. I am thinking about listening to some radio programs with UK or Indian accent.
I guess I am not alone on this problem. So I am wondering if anyone has simliar problem and can give any advice.
Thanks in advance
James
I have a specific Listening problems: Accent & Sound variation in conversation.
The problem is that I can follow and understand the speaker pretty well, when it comes to a "standard" situation, say the sound of the conversation is very clear and in a "standard" accent, like American accent. However, as long as there's some change or variation to the sound, I find it harder to follow, and even sometime can not follow at all. To give an exact example, I can do it pretty well while I sit quietly before my laptop and pay all my attention to some online radio program; but I have problems with some real scenarios, like the sound of the person speaking on the phone is a little bit low or not very clear because of background sound noise, or like listening to an annoucement at a subway station where the sound has a lot echocing and is not clear. I can understand people speaking "Standard" American English, but have problems when listening to people whose accent I am not quite used to.
One friend of mine had the same experience with me when 2 years ago he came to US to study. He put lots of time in preparing his English and felt quite confident in it before his coming. But it completely frustrated him when he first came to US and transfered at Boston Airport. He totally lost when he tried to catch up the annoucements at the airport.
For sure lots of practice & listening can fix this problem gradually. But it's just so frustrating to see my listening skill improve so slowly on this issue.
Now I am trying to diverse the listening merterials to force myself to get used to different accents and sound varition. I listen a lot to a radio program called DNTO(http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Radio/DNTO ), in which I can experence different sound variation from different story tellor. I am thinking about listening to some radio programs with UK or Indian accent.
I guess I am not alone on this problem. So I am wondering if anyone has simliar problem and can give any advice.
Thanks in advance
James
Top answer
To give more details about myself on this issue, I am pretty sure accent & sound variation is the only big issue now in my English learning case. I tried to listen some Radio programs intesively and found out that the only things I really didnt understand were few vocabularies not used so often, slangs, and some stuff involving local cultrual background. So overall only very very little stuff was new to me, and I was supposed to follow them without difficulty.
- To give more details about myself on this issue, I am pretty sure accent & sound variation is the only big issue now in my English learning case.
- I tried to listen some Radio programs intesively and found out that the only things I really didnt understand were few vocabularies not used so often, slangs, and some stuff involving local cultrual background.
- So overall only very very little stuff was new to me, and I was supposed to follow them without difficulty.
- But I didn't.
- Just wondering if any specific advice on this accent & sound variation problem.
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3 Answers
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To give more details about myself on this issue, I am pretty sure accent & sound variation is the only big issue now in my English learning case. I tried to listen some Radio programs intesively and found out that the only things I really didnt understand were few vocabularies not used so often, slangs, and some stuff involving local cultrual background. So overall only very very little stuff was
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The problems you describe are common to everyone who learns a foreign language, so don't feel like the Lone Ranger.
Your strategy seems sound. I would just continue to do as you have been doing. Listen to diverse materials.
A novel approach might be to create distracting noises with a white noise machine or by putting on another radio or TV station (or several!) while trying to
Your strategy seems sound. I would just continue to do as you have been doing. Listen to diverse materials.
A novel approach might be to create distracting noises with a white noise machine or by putting on another radio or TV station (or several!) while trying to
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Thanks CJ,
I do have a Radio of my own. I guess I can try some approaches you suggested.
Another thing I'll try right soon is listen to The Office (U.S. TV series), which I found was a totally real scenario: blue sound, quick speed, dynamic accent.
James
I do have a Radio of my own. I guess I can try some approaches you suggested.
Another thing I'll try right soon is listen to The Office (U.S. TV series), which I found was a totally real scenario: blue sound, quick speed, dynamic accent.
James
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