Unit 1: Listening Task #1
Interviews with Successful Language Learners
| Dialog 1 | Dialog 2 | Dialog 3 | Dialog 4 |
Dialogue 1:A: Would you mind if I asked you some questions about your language learning experience?B: No, not at all. A: Could I have your name, please? B: Carol. A: Hi, I'm Charles. What languages do you speak? B: Mandarin is my mother tongue and I speak English and Hakka, which is a dialect of Chinese. A: How proficient is your English? B: Well, my English reading and speaking skills are very fluent. My listening skills are also good - at least with most standard American and British accents. My writing skills, however, are just fair. I seldom write anything more than post cards or e-mail in English. A: How did you learn English so well? B: Hmm, let's see, uh.... I had a desire to learn it, so I studied everyday. A: Uh-huh? B: And I looked for opportunities to practice - I made friends with native English speakers and found friends who liked to speak English and spoke well, and practiced with them. A: I see, did you have many foreign friends? B: Yes, a few at church. I would just talk to them - try to use English and listen to them. A: Oh.... Anything else? B: Well, I would try to think in English as well. I wouldn't translate Chinese into English, just try to think as much as I could in English. A: Hmm. B: And I tried to imitate the pronunciation and intonation of native English speakers. Sometimes I sounded funny - especially in the beginning, but I found that so much of the meaning is in the intonation and not just the words - so I realized that intonation and pronunciation were so important. A: Uh-huh? B: And, uh...oh, I use an English-English dictionary instead of a bilingual electronic dictionary. A: Well, thank you so much. B: You're welcome. Dialogue 2:A: Hi, could I ask some questions about your language learning experience? B: Sure, go ahead. A: What's your name, please? B: Don. A: Hi Don, I'm Charles. Uh, first, what languages do you speak? B: Well, English, Italian, French, and Mandarin. A: And how well would you say you spoke these languages? B: Well, I'm from America and English is my first language. I would say I speak Italian very fluently, then French fairly fluently and Mandarin least fluently. I'd say I can get by in a basic conversation, but nothing more. A: Let me ask you about Italian, since it is such a wonderful language. How did you learn it so well? B: Hmm, well, I think mostly it was the fact that I really wanted to go there. A: Uh-huh? B: So, I practiced all the time. . . reading, listening to tapes. You know, finding ways to practice. I would even listen to people's conversations and practice my listening. A: Interesting. B: I wasn't afraid to try to speak or to be in a situation where I couldn't understand - I would just keep trying. A: Yes. What tips would you give to someone who's learning a foreign language? B: Hmm, well, like I said, practice speaking and listening as much as possible. Don't be afraid to speak. Uh...let's see... and know that there is no real direct translation - in fact don't translate - try to think in that language. Try to copy a native speakers' tone and pronunciation. Oh, and most importantly - don't get stuck on 'why' questions - forget the details and try to get the bigger ideas. A: OK, well, thanks for your time. B: No problem. Dialogue 3:A: Hi, my name 's Charles, could I ask you some questions about your language learning? B: Sure, my name 's Drew. A: Uh, what languages do you speak? B: I'm Canadian. I speak English, Hungarian, and French. A: Uh-huh. And how proficient would you say your Hungarian is? B: Well, I'm fluent in terms of speaking, reading, and writing. My listening is also good if a person is speaking a standard Hungarian accent. I lived in Budapest for 5 years. A: So how did you become so proficient? B: Well, it wasn't just because I lived there. Many people live in Hungary for years and still don't learn the language. I was motivated to learn Hungarian and studied hard. Also, I had a Hungarian girlfriend and that gave me a good reason to learn and lots of practice. A: I see. Well, what tips would you give to someone trying to learn a new language? B: Tips. Hmm. OK, how about practice everyday? Find chance to speak - with friends, or classmates, or teachers. And, always look for the answer. Don't just forget things you don't understand - ask for the answer. Be curious and experiment with the language - even if you are wrong. Try to think in the language you are learning. And learn about the culture - watch movies, TV show and read in that language. A: Great tips, thanks for your time. B: You're welcome. Dialogue 4:A: Thanks for doing this interview with us. My name is Charles. B: Charles? I am Sei-ichi Yamada. You may call me Sam, for short. A: OK, Sam is easy to remember. What languages to you speak? B: Well, Japanese is my native language. And all Japanese are required to study English from junior high school. I was also active in the ESL club in college, then was sent by my company to Germany for five years. So I speak three languages: Japanese, English, and German. B: How fluent is your English and German? A: Last year my TOEFL score was 770 and my TOEIC score is 785. A perfect score is 800, so for a Japanese I suppose you could say that's high. My German is adequate for most daily conversations. I can understand the basic idea of newspaper articles in German, but don't write German well. B: What tips would you give for other language learners? A: Tips? First of all, it is good to develop all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Some people get lazy and focus on just listening and speaking skills without developing their reading and writing abilities. B: I see. A: I start off each day by keeping a 15-20 minute diary in English. Writing directly in English helps keep my writing skills sharp - and I also become more aware of things happening in English. B: OK. So you keep a some sort of daily English journal. A: That's right. I also read at least one full-length book a month in English. It is my rule. It doesn't matter what kind of book it is, but reading directly in English is important. B: So you read regularly. A: And as I read I create my own "user dictionary" of words or phrases I don't know. I make a conscious effort to use the words and phrases I write down in my personal learner's dictionary. B: So you kind of create your own dictionary of unknown English words and phrases - and practise these words from your dictionary regularly. B: That's right. Finally, I need regular chances to speak English in public, so I have joined the Toastmasters Club. A: Toastmasters? B: It is a kind of English speaking club. Almost every large city has one. People meet once or twice a month and talk in English about various topics. A: I see. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us. B: Glad to be of help. |
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- Practical English 3 -
UNIT 1 * UNIT 2 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 4 * UNIT 3 * UNIT 6 * UNIT 7 * UNIT 8
copyright (c) 1999 by Ming Chuan University
Ver. 2.3 - Updated 09 September 1999
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