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Viewing Is Watching TV a Good Way to Learn a Foreign Language?Is Watching TV a Good Way to Learn a Foreign Language?
By Ken O'Brien One of the easiest ways nowadays to get access to a foreign language is through TV. There is a multitude of satellite channels available in a large number of languages. So is it a good idea? It can certainly help. One of the positives, of course, is that you can get to hear the language spoken very naturally. You can hear inflections, accents, and the sounds. What is even better is that it is usually a standard version of the language. News stories tend to short and usually we can find the same type of stories in our own language, especially international stories. The trouble, of course, is that if you are a beginner it is hard work. In fact, for elementary or less-advanced learners it can be very tiring trying to listen to a foreign language. Subtitles, of course, can help to identify what is being said. Unfortunately, TV subtitles do not always match exactly what the speaker says. However, subtitles are not such a bad thing. We still benefit from listening to the sounds even when we are reading the subtitles. Think of how people who are not native speakers speak your native tongue. It usually reflects their own language and ways of saying things. By exposing our ears to the rhythm and sounds of the new language, we still get some benefit. So what can we do? Here are some thoughts • Start with news programs. • Use subtitles when you watch. • Record the news and replay the stories. International stories tend to be better for this. • Read the same in your own language. • Pick some words out of what you have heard and find out what they mean. Language learning takes a lot of time. Sometimes for every step forward, we jump back a step or two as we learn new things. Either way, anything we can do to help ourselves can only be good. So be patient and enjoy. About the Author: Ken O'Brien has over 12 years of experience in language teaching and education. He runs http://www.educatedlinks.com, a website of educational links, articles, and other resources. He also speaks a number of foreign languages. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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