Speaking and Listening Before Reading and Writing
Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening: The 4 Basic Language Skills, and How to Practise Them
Reading, writing, speaking and listening – the four foundational skills of language learning.
Y'all can't build a house without a strong foundation (well, that'southward if you lot want the house to stay upright in all atmospheric condition!). Similarly, yous won't become a well-rounded speaker of a language without building upon the four foundations of language learning.
It took me quite a while to realise this.
I studied languages for years at school – and fifty-fifty afterward schoolhouse without much success. I even moved to Spain to acquire Spanish. It was a lightning commodities moment that fabricated me realise I could spend hours learning how to read or write Spanish, only I had to actually start speaking to achieve fluency.
Every bit you go on linguistic communication learning, you will probably discover that you're stronger in some areas than others. Typically, people struggle most with listening and speaking.
How I Discovered My Achilles Heel: Listening Comprehension
Listening is the big ane for me.
When I was learning German I fix myself a goal of passing the avant-garde CEFRL exam. I passed four out of the 5 sections of the examination.
It was just my listening that wasn't upward to scratch.
I didn't mind too much – I could agree confident conversations in German, after only iii months of intensive study. That being my aim, I was happy with my result.
However, the experience helped me see that I need to focus more on listening when I'yard learning a new language.
The key gene of the four basic language skills is that they complement each other. Every bit a scientific discipline nerd, I know that Newton's third police states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So, if you want to be a well-rounded language learner, you need to ensure that yous're giving each skill the attention that information technology needs.
What are the Four Basic Languages Skills?
These are the cornerstones of learning a linguistic communication.
- Reading
- Writing
- Listening
- Speaking
The skills work in pairs. When you're reading or listening, you lot're consuming a language.
However, when yous're writing or speaking, you're producing a language.
Once you've mastered these skills, yous tin safely say that you're fluent in that language.
With that in mind, let's take a look at how y'all can strengthen each private skill, to ensure that you're making the almost out of your linguistic communication practice.
How to Meliorate Your Reading Skills
There's a very obvious place to start for those wishing to improve their reading skills: books!
Books not but help y'all learn a new linguistic communication. They're also a way to discover the civilisation behind the language.
Thanks to the Cyberspace, paper books aren't your only selection for reading practice. Almost languages have thousands of books available to download online – many of them free.
Here are just a few of my favourite reading resources, to get you lot started.
1. Picture or Comic Books
Picture books are an fantabulous resource for beginners. Chances are, y'all used picture books to help yous learn to read in your native tongue. So it makes sense you'd beginning hither with your target language too.
Once yous're beyond the accented beginner stage, I recommend comic books. They're fun to read, and the pictures help yous follow the story even if you don't know all the vocabulary.
ii. A Skillful Lexicon and a Pocket Notebook
A dictionary is a linguistic communication learner'due south all-time friend. As you lot delve deeper into your target language, you lot'll frequently come across new words. Past having a dictionary on hand, yous can find out what those words mean right away, and jot them down in your notebook.
I recommend investing in a pocket notebook. That way you can carry it effectually, add notes to it or review what you've already complied when you lot're waiting in line or on public send.
You can do the aforementioned thing digitally. Most all languages these days have a lexicon available as in app course. And with a notation-taking app like Evernote you can proceed your notes organised into virtual notebooks – for instance by topic.
3. Dual-Linguistic communication Books
Reading one book in two languages concurrently is a great way to better your language skills, and information technology tin give you a big confidence boost as you realise how much of the language you already understand.
4. Newspapers or Online Journals
With newspapers yous'll not only improve your knowledge of a language, just you lot'll likewise observe out more than most the politics, art and attitudes of the countries where the language is spoken.
Many newspapers are available to read online for free.
5. Blogs
Whatever your interests – nutrient, fashion, fettle, or just most anything – chances are there's a blog about them in your target linguistic communication.
I tin can guarantee in that location'll be plenty cloth online to final you a lifetime… and then some.
How to Improve Your Writing Skills
Maybe all this reading will get your creative juices flowing, encouraging you lot to sit down and do a little fleck of writing!
For many language learners, writing is the get-go fourth dimension they actively attempt to produce language, rather than eat the language. And even though I abet speaking from day one, I see writing as an important role of this process. I always recommend preparing a script before your first conversation.
Here are a few other ideas to get you started with writing.
1. Write a Letter of the alphabet to a Pen Pal
Did y'all ever accept a language class at schoolhouse where your teacher encouraged sending a alphabetic character to a pen pal in a far-off country? Well, they were certainly onto something there.
If you're at a beginner'south level, you can continue it to a few lines on a postcard. If you're more than advanced, gear up yourself the chore of penning (or typing, if your handwriting is hard to read!) a page-long letter.
Information technology doesn't even have to be a letter that volition ever see the calorie-free of day. Address it to your Mum, a friend, or even your dog. It doesn't affair. As long every bit you lot're writing, that'due south the key gene here.
If you lot're looking for a friendly person to write to, italki is a good identify to start.
two. Fix Yourself a Daily Goal on Duolingo
Duolingo offers plenty of writing exercises at all skill levels and so you tin can practise writing your target language as much as you want.
three. Offset a Blog in Your Target Language
I'm consistently amazed by how many opportunities take come my way from starting Fluent in three Months. I'd recommend anyone who'due south learning a language to first a blog. And if you're doing that, why not write some posts in your target language?
Even before I started this blog, I used to create videos in the languages I was learning.
Perhaps the most of import lesson I've realised is that everyone has a story that others will be interested in hearing.
Yous'll find that starting a web log will accept a double consequence. You lot'll be getting consistent practice writing in your target linguistic communication, for certain. However, you may also gain a customs of readers to support you along the way.
How to Meliorate Your Speaking Skills
Speaking: the skill of doom! Most linguistic communication learners find speaking their new language a daunting prospect. I know people who've been studying for years and still oasis't had a chat in their target language.
I get information technology. Speaking a strange linguistic communication for the first fourth dimension to a native speaker is a massive task. What if you get something wrong? Will people be offended that you've massacred their language? Will they recall yous're stupid and laugh at yous?
Personally, I think speaking is the most constructive thing you can exercise to improve your language skills. Yep, it'due south scary at first. But one time you've chatted with a few native speakers y'all'll quickly build your confidence.
And in my experience, I've never had anyone call me stupid or laugh at me for messing up my speech. In most cases, I'chiliad the ane left laughing at whatsoever mistakes I've made, and the other person is just thrilled to see that I'm trying.
This is why I've made information technology my mission to aid people go over their fright and start speaking in their target language from the day they start learning.
To strengthen this skill, you volition of course accept to find someone to do speaking with.
Hither's how to do simply that.
ane. Detect a Linguistic communication Instructor on italki
italki is hands down my favourite tool for language learning, as it's a quick, easy and affordable mode to observe people to chat with in your target language.
At that place are plenty of linguistic communication teachers at all kinds of levels available on italki. Don't be afraid to try a few, until y'all detect one that's perfect for you.
ii. Find a Conversation Partner Online
If you're just looking for someone to have a conversation with, rather than paid lessons, then attempt looking for a language partner instead. Italki is chock with linguistic communication learners like you lot who are looking for conversation partners to chat with.
Your conversation partner could exist a native speaker of your target language, an advanced learner, or fifty-fifty someone who is at the aforementioned level of learning equally yous.
3. Become to Meetups in Your Area
Most cities have a community of language learners – and chances are you tin can notice one online.
I've used Meetup in the by to find and connect with likeminded language learners in my metropolis. This is an excellent way to discover a potential language partner, or just make some new friends!
How to Improve Your Listening Skills
To have a chat with someone it'southward useful if yous can understand what they're saying.
I think listening is the hardest skill for language learners. I'm non but speaking from my own experience here, but also from what other language learners accept told me.
Ane of the reasons for this is that information technology's piece of cake to autumn into the design of passive learning. People seem to think that you can but lookout a strange film, or listen to some music and you'll instantly be on your manner towards mastering that linguistic communication. They then get frustrated when they find they're actually making little to no progress.
This is because you can't just let the words catamenia in and out of your ears – your brain is role of the process too. You need to study what y'all're listening to.
There are endless listening resources available – audiobooks, music, movies and podcasts. What we're going to examine is how best to brand these work for yous… without falling into the trap of passive listening.
1. Short Bursts Are Often More Effective
At that place's no rule saying you have to spend an hour a day practising your listening comprehension skills. In fact, I'd propose against it!
It's far more effective to give yourself curt 5 or ten minute bursts of study. That way you'll be more likely to really get on and practise something, rather than feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of an intense language session.
2. Give the Audio Your Full Attending
You can play foreign music in the background while you're cooking dinner or cleaning the bathroom, but it'southward unlikely to improve your listening skills.
Information technology's much better to sit downward and requite the audio your total attending. Treat it like a study session, and you'll get much more than out of information technology.
3. Write Downward Words You Don't Recognise
When I'one thousand studying sound, I tend to write downwards words I don't recognise. Subsequently I'm done listening, I can look these upwardly in my lexicon and add them to my vocab list for further written report.
4. Listen to the Same Audio Multiple Times
Don't but mind to the same piece of audio once. Learn it inside out, until you can recite it back to front. Once you lot're completely certain of what's being said, you can motion onto the next thing.
Don't be agape to mix information technology upwardly either. Study every resources you tin can get your easily on. This way you'll keep the experience both fresh and fun.
v. Follow an Sound Grade
An audio-based language course is i of the best ways I've institute to improve my listening skills. My favourite courses the podcasts past Innovative Language. You can read more than of my thoughts about them here.
Source: https://www.fluentin3months.com/reading-writing-speaking-and-listening/
0 Response to "Speaking and Listening Before Reading and Writing"
Post a Comment