Think learning pronunciation is all about moving your mouth? Think again! The secret ingredient to improving your own spoken English is to become a better listener. You might be thinking, “But I do listen to English already!” While that’s true, there’s a difference between passive hearing and active listening.
Passive vs. Active Listening
- Passive: This is when English is simply playing in the background – think podcasts on while cooking or movies with subtitles. It’s good exposure, but not focused.
- Active: This means paying close attention to the sounds, rhythms, and patterns of the language. This is how you start tuning your ear to pronunciation details.
Why Active Listening Matters
You can’t pronounce what you can’t hear! Before you can accurately produce sounds, you need to be able to truly identify them. Imagine trying to play a song on guitar without ever hearing it first – pretty tough, right?
Level Up Your Listening – Fun Activities
- Podcasts & Audiobooks: Choose topics you enjoy and listen for short bursts (5-10 min.). Focus on imitating the rhythm and intonation, even if you don’t catch every word.
- Music with Lyrics: Blast your favorite song and follow along with the lyrics. Try singing along to mimic the sounds.
- Movies & Shows: Choose one actor and pay close attention to how they speak. Try shadowing them – repeating their lines as closely as possible.
Challenge Time: Pick one short audio clip (a podcast intro, a commercial, a song chorus). Listen several times and try to write down what you hear. Don’t worry about perfect spelling, just capture the sounds as best you can.
Next Time
In the next post, we’ll get physical! I’ll introduce you to the mechanics of speech – how sounds are actually made and simple ways you can get more familiar with what’s going on in your mouth!
Minh Nhut (Brian)