I have read on Yahoo that a lot of people watch videos or read books of the language they are studying to help. But how can you do this if it doesn't make sense at all?! I know very few words of the language I am studying (bokmål, if anyone is wondering), and with the talking rate of the fluent speakers, how am I supposed to understand a single thing they are saying in videos?
2007-01-20 22:27:42 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
When you're starting out, it may not help that much, but you'll still get pronunciation down, and eventually you'll begin to tell when one word ends and another begins... Then you'll start understanding context of the words and figuring out what they mean.
Of course, these shouldn't be meant as the primary means of learning. They're meant to help assist your studies; they'll help boost your vocabulary, tone, accent, and develop a more natural flow to the language.
2007-01-20 22:36:04 · answer #1 · answered by Ultima vyse 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the first thing to do: RELAX!! don't try too hard. don't watch the videos or read books to understand everything. watching n reading things does help even if you know only a few words in the language -- videos are better because you have visual things in it that you can follow.
guess the context from what you see and just try to 'feel' the language, get inside of it. even if you don't understand a word, you'll get the rhythm, intonation patterns, some pronunciation peculiarities, and in a little time you WILL find yourself recognizing some words that you have learned, then phrases, then you'll start to get the new things..
it needs some patience if it gets on your nerves not understanding everything, but you'll like it soon.. just imagine you're in the environment and you don't have the choice -- you don't understand all things, and you don't have to, but you still enjoy it..
2007-01-21 06:46:13 · answer #2 · answered by hekki 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One thing you need to realize is that a huge percentage of communication is non-verbal. So even if you can't understand the words, you can understand what's going on in the video. Especially if it's a TV drama that follows a standard plot. In that sort of situation, you gradually start hearing the same formulas over and over again -- Hello, how are you? I can't believe you did that! -- and you start to pick up the proper intonation, and the way it is really used. The great thing about video/DVD is that you can go back to the parts you think you understood, and pick up more.
Unless you have a real talent for language, just passively watching over and over is not going to give you fluency. But, if you use it along with your studies, it's a great tool. And, it will help a lot when you really have to meet with fluent speakers and they don't want to slow down for you.
2007-01-21 06:35:39 · answer #3 · answered by Madame M 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
One of the first things you need to do is to familiarize yourself with the SOUND of the language. First you need to hear before you can repeat. That alone will not do it as you need to have some context from which to make sense. So a book or two might help along with the listening.
2007-01-21 06:34:24 · answer #4 · answered by emiliosailez 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try having an english(or whatver language you nativly speak.) I also recomend the living Language set. I am actually trying to teach my self Japanese from that set. They have recordings from the book on how to pronounce, But the only down side is that you have to look in the book
2007-01-21 09:52:19 · answer #5 · answered by Uchihaitachi345 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LISTEN HARD
2007-01-21 06:31:45 · answer #6 · answered by devora k 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋