11 January, 2014
How to Understand
Native English Speakers
My
students often complain to me that native English speakers speak too fast. They
say that movies and TV shows seem too difficult to understand, and this causes
them to get discouraged.
The truth
is, native speakers can be difficult to understand, however, this is NOT just
because of speed…..Even more than speaking quickly, the reason why native
English speakers seem difficult to understand is that they change and transform
their pronunciation of words and sentences.
This
transformation of sounds means that there is a huge difference between classroom
or written English and the real English that native speakers speak in everyday
life.
How to Understand
Native English Speakers: Plan of Action
In order
to better understand how native English speakers speak, you must:
Understand
that written, classroom English is different than natural, spoken English.
When you
are practicing your speaking and listening skills, recognize that you are
learning a different language.
Listen
to/watch videos of native-level English speakers while reading the transcript.
Re-listen
to and take notice of how the speakers are transforming their language, and how
this compares to careful written English.
The more
you understand the differences between written English and spoken, the more you
can train your ears to listen to native speakers and understand them.
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