How to Hear English Everywhere
Two simple definitions
- to hear: to receive sound with the ears
- to listen: to try to hear
You are very good at languages.
That's obvious, because you already speak one language very well - your own!
And if you can learn and speak one language well, then you can certainly learn
and speak one or more other languages.
But did you ever ask yourself:
"How did I learn my own language?" In fact, you never really
"learned" it at all - you just started speaking it. One day, when you
were about two or three years old, you started speaking your language. A few
words at first, not full sentences. But you spoke. And very soon you made
progress without even thinking about it. It was like magic!
But it wasn't magic. It was the
result of hearing. For two to three years before you spoke, you heard
people speaking your language all day, and maybe all night. You heard people
speaking your language. Maybe you listened to people, but more importantly
you heard. them. Then, as if by magic, you started to speak. All that
hearing was necessary for you to start speaking. For two to three years words
went IN to your head. Then words came OUT of your head! That is why hearing
(and listening to) English as much as possible is so important to you now. The
more English you put in, the more you'll get out!
So how can you hear a lot of English
when you're not in an English-speaking country or family? Fortunately, there
are many ways of hearing English in almost all countries of the world.
Radio
You can receive English language
radio in most countries. Two of the best international networks are the BBC
World Service and Voice of America. Both of them have special programmes for
learners of English. You can find information about times and frequencies for
your country on their web sites. Click here
for links to radio stations.
Television
TV is an excellent resource for
hearing and listening to English. The pictures help you understand what is
being said. If you don't have access to English-language TV, you may be able to
watch TV on Internet.
Internet
It is now a lot easier to hear
English by Internet. If you're reading this at your computer, you can probably
listen to some English-language radio news right now, without even moving! To
be able to listen to radio on the Internet, you'll need to have special
software called a "player" installed in your computer. Most sites
work with two players - the RealPlayer from RealNetworks and the Windows Media
Player from Microsoft. Don't worry. Both these players are free and you may
already have them installed on your computer.
Music/songs
Songs in English are everywhere,
even on foreign-language radio and TV stations. Listen to them often. Buy some
cassettes or CDs, or make recordings, and try to write the words for an entire
song. But choose one that is not too difficult. That means it should be
reasonably slow, and with real words sung clearly. Some pop songs are very
unclear and are difficult even for native English-speakers to understand fully!
Cinema
Outside the English-speaking world,
many large cities have cinemas that show films in English, usually with
sub-titles. Make it a habit to go to these films. If you need to read the
sub-titles, at least you'll be hearing English even if you don't understand it.
Video
Video has one really great
advantage. You can play it again . . . and again. You can use video to watch
film cassettes that you buy or borrow. If there are sub-titles, you can cover
them with paper (which you can remove if you really don't understand after
listening several times). And you can use video to record programmes from
television and then watch them several times to improve your understanding.
Friends
Try to make friends with
English-speaking people so that you can practise your English through conversation.
Of course, this will practise your speaking as well as your listening. And if
you don't have a lot of time to go out and meet people, at least you can chat a
little by telephone.
Finally, don't worry if you don't
understand everything you hear. Hearing comes first! Understanding comes
next!