Tag: English Speaking

  • Comprehensible Input

    Comprehensible Input

    Improve your language skills with comprehensible input. Learn how to speak English fluently and understand complex language structures.

    Comprehensible Input:

    A suggest that you will acquire language best when you study in such a way that you 1) listen to large amounts of comprehensible input, 2) have opportunities to use the target language to communicate with others, and 3) support your learning with some grammatical learning (focused on making input comprehensible and developing awareness). The Way you want Improve Your Spoken English and  better understanding How to Speak Fluently English in Week.

    A Brief History of Linguistic Theory:

    For much of the 20th century in the West, language researchers thought that children learned the language simply by forming habits, by imitating what was heard. In response to this, Noam Chomsky declared that language was too complex to be learned simply through imitation. Furthermore, if children were simply imitating what they heard, how could researchers explain the mistakes of children? It appeared that children were making mistakes because they were applying “rules” where they did not belong, producing speech like “you hurt me.” A phrase they would never hear in their environment.

    Apparently, children did not simply imitate speech but were actively constructing “rules” in their mind from the input they received to govern their speech. More importantly, they did not receive enough information about language in their environment to give them all the knowledge they needed to know the things that they knew about language. How could children do this? Chomsky hypothesized that humans are born with a “language acquisition device.” This device is a part of the brain designed specifically for language acquisition and is separate from its other parts. He believed all that was needed to get this device to start working, was input, exposure to the language.

    Later, researchers began noticing that second language learners also produced language that contained mistakes, yet these mistakes were not arbitrary but governed by “rules.” However, these “rules” could neither simply be attributed to the influence of the native language nor the target language. Researchers refer to this system of rules as “interlanguage.” This interlanguage is transitional. As learners grow in the language, their interlanguage system becomes more and more similar to the target language. In other words, as they make progress their language becomes more and more correct. This “series of interim systems that a learner constructs in the process of acquiring an L2 [second language]” is called the “interlanguage continuum”.

    Listening:

    Stephen Krashen (1985) proposed the Input Hypothesis. The Input Hypothesis claims that learners make progress in English acquisition through exposure to comprehensible input. Comprehensible input is defined as “understanding input that contains structures at our next ‘stage’ – structures that are a bit beyond our current level of competence”.

    This is often designated with the equation “i + 1”. The “i” represents the learner’s current competence in the second language; the “+ 1” symbolizes the features of the input that are beyond the learner’s competence, and which he is developmentally ready to acquire. Accordingly, input that is either too simple or complex will not help a learner make progress in spoken English.

    To explore this, asked the following questions with the following results: 

    Question: On an average day of study, how much time did you spend LISTENING to spoken English?Less than 1 hour  1 hour or more
    Successful Learners 36.36 %63.64 %
    Non-Successful Learners 81.81 %18.18 %

    The results are clear. The great majority of successful English language learners in this study 1) listen to English for 1 hour or more and 2) listen to the right kind of input, input where they can understand the main idea but not some parts. There are many aspects of the full Input Hypothesis that are seriously questionable. Nevertheless, I believe it is safe to claim that exposure to comprehensible input greatly benefits the language learner.

    On the other hand, 57.58 % of non-successful learners are listening to this same type of input. Why are they still poor speakers? Most likely, the amount of time spent listening to this kind of input is insufficient to achieve a higher level of proficiency, as indicated by the previous question. Finally, 42.42% of non-successful students are not only spending too little time listening, the time they do spend is not much use because the input is too difficult for them to comprehend.

    Gaining Access to Comprehensible Input:

    Perhaps you are convinced that comprehensible input is indeed important, but you think “How can I gain access to comprehensible input?” There are many things you can do.

    1. The Internet:

    The internet can be a rich source of free input. The following websites loaded with input:

    • Randall’s ESL Listening Lab – http://www.esllab.com/index.htm. This website has short passages, grouped by level (easy, medium, and difficult). It has pre-listening warmups and questions to quiz your comprehension.
    • The English Listening Lounge – http://www.englishlistening.com/. This website also has short passages grouped according to difficulty with comprehension questions. However, only a few passages are available for free. To get full access, you must pay $20 dollars a month.
    • Brian Teaman’s Virtual University – http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~teaman/vu/index-e.html. This website is really cool. It has video interviews with English-speaking people from all over the world. It is full of vocabulary, comprehension questions, and more.
    • Story Archives – http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html. This website has many news stories. Perhaps more appropriate for high-intermediate or advanced students. It has audio and video options. Contains both vocabulary and comprehension questions.
    • Arlyn Freed’s ESL/EFL Listening Resources – http://www.eslhome.com/esl/listen/#nonauthentic. This website does not contain listening resources but provides information about several websites that contain listening resources. Some designed for EFL students and some are not.

    2. Radio:

    Many students in my study, both successful and non-successful speakers, listened to radio broadcasts, such as the VOA (Voice of America). This can be a good thing, especially for very advanced students, but one must be careful. The stories on the VOA are often very difficult; and since they are on the radio, you only get to hear them once. Most students will not comprehend enough of each story for this activity to be helpful. Of course, one can still listen to the VOA, but it should not be the primary source of listening input.

    3. TV/Movies:

    Many students also watch English TV and movies. Sometimes these are better than radio because they contain pictures. Pictures are helpful because they can help make the input more comprehensible. The problem with TV and movies is that they often long and difficult, so that you may lose concentration and comprehend little of what said. Perhaps the best way to view TV shows and movies are to view them in short periods.

    With friends, you can predict what you think will happen, then watch the segment, and finally discuss it. You can watch the segment again and again. Also, if you have a transcript of the program, you can read it to check your comprehension.  Also, you must not simply read the Chinese subtitles while trying to comprehend spoken English in movies. If you do, most likely you will ignore the English input and severely weaken the benefits of the activity.

    4. Wild English:

    Many students also listen to wild English. These are great short segments of language concerning topics that many students interested in. The great thing is that you can listen to the passages as many times as you need to. Plus, the transcript is available with English grammar tips.

    5. Purchased Materials:

    Perhaps some of the greatest (but also most expensive) forms of comprehensible input are instructional books with cassettes/CDs. For example, when I first came to China, I did not even know how to count to ten in Chinese. Soon, however, I bought Chinese for Beginners with the accompanying listening book and cassettes from the Beijing University and Cultural Press. These materials are wonderful. They provided me with vocabulary and grammar support to understand the reading and listening passages.

    For one lesson, the same vocabulary, and grammatical features would reinforced through several different listening passages about a similar topic, such as “going to dinner” or “Chinese history.” Then the next lesson would build on this knowledge and introduce new vocabulary and grammatical features while reinforcing the old ones. I studied my book, listened to the cassettes, and answered the questions every day and made great progress in the Chinese language. My progress was greater than many foreigners in China. However, I would not have progressed nearly as far if I did not have these materials. If I only watched TV or listened to stories on the internet, I do not believe I would now speak Chinese as well as I do.

    6. A Word of Caution:

    All of these: radio, TV, movies, and wild English, can be wonderful sources of comprehensible input. However, you must keep in mind your level and what comprehensible input truly is. If you find yourself simply hearing sounds and not comprehending the main idea of the passages, then you’re listening to practice is not helping you as much as it should. You can still engage in these activities, but you need to use more strategies to help you understand what you hear. Perhaps you need to look new vocabulary up in the dictionary or listen to shorter sections of the passage.

    The bottom line is that if you are not comprehending the main idea of your input, you either need to employ more strategies (i.e. dictionary, repetition, shorten the length, etc.) to make it comprehensible or find different, simpler sources of input.

    Strategies for Understandable:

    Strategies are helpful for comprehending a listening passage. Listening is part of Improve Your Spoken English; When you are listening, try the following:

    Before Listening:

    1. Look at the title of the passage and any pictures.
    2. Ask yourself questions: What do you know about this topic? What do you think this passage will be about? What information do you hope this passage will tell you?

    During Listening:

    1. Focus your attention on what is being said.
    2. Listen to the main idea.
    3. Listen for key words and ideas.
    4. Relate what you hear to what you already know. (Amato, 1996, p55)

    After Listening:

    1. Ask yourself: a) Did the passage match my guess? b) What did I learn from this passage? c) Summarize the main idea of this passage in 1-2 sentences.
    2. Write down any new words you feel are important.
  • Improve Your Spoken English

    Improve Your Spoken English

    Looking to improve your spoken English? This book is your ultimate guide to developing fluency and confidence in your communication.

    Improve Your Spoken English: 

    Every college student in China seems to be studying English. I see them listening to radio programs on their dormitory bed, studying the dictionary in the back of the classroom, and completing grammar exercises in the cafeteria; “This article Written by F.J. Noonan“. Now start how to Improve Your Spoken English by him.

    These same students come and ask the same question to teacher:

    “Teacher . . . my spoken English is very poor. How to improve my spoken English?”

    This short book is my answer to their question. This book will reference modern research, but it is not a book for scholars. This book will contain information that will benefit English teachers, but it is not a book for teachers. This is a book for you, the student.

    In my reading, much of the literature concerning language acquisition theory and research are designed for teachers. This is great for teachers. And I’m sure many students have benefited from this if their teachers have read them. However, I believe students should not be dependent solely on the ability of the teacher. I desire to give knowledge to the students themselves so that you will be empowered to take charge of your own learning.

    This knowledge is not given so that you can criticize your teachers. No matter who your teacher is; no matter what he does in the classroom, you can learn from him. My hope is that you will eagerly learn from whatever type of instruction you receive in the classroom, and then use this knowledge to guide your self-study efforts outside of the classroom.

    Improve Your Aptitude:

    First, let me be frank. There is no magic formula to becoming a fluent speaker of any language. One of the reasons this is so is that each individual is unique. Students learn differently. Moreover, just as some students are better at basketball or math than other students, some students are better at studying foreign languages than other students. One’s natural ability to learn another language is called language aptitude. The higher your language aptitude; the easier it will be for you to learn a foreign language. The lower your language aptitude; the harder it will be. However, no matter what your language aptitude, everyone is able to make progress.

    Improve Your Motivation:

    Motivation. The reason why we study. Though researchers describe numerous subtleties, two types of motivation reoccur throughout the literature: instrumental and integrative motivation. Instrumental motivation is one in which the learner desires to use the language as a tool to achieve some desirable ends. In contrast, an integrative motivation is one in which “learners may choose to learn a particular L2 because they are interested in the people and culture represented by the target-language group” (Ellis, 1997, p75). In various contexts, both motivations have proved important. Of course, students can have both types of motivation at the same time.

    Many students in China have a weak instrumental motivation for studying English. They just want to pass the CET-4 so they can get their bachelor’s degree. Others have a strong instrumental motivation. They study because they want to acquire a good job or study abroad. Some study English for integrative reasons. They simply enjoy it and want to make new friends. I recently conducted a survey among 33 successful and 33 non-successful English language learners in China. It produced the following results:

    Question: What best describes your motivation for learning English?Weak Instrumental (pass test)Strong  Instrumental (get job, study abroad)Integrative (make new friends, enjoyment)
    Successful Learners 9.09 %24.24 %54.54 %
    Non-successful Learners 42.42 %39.39 %6.06 %

    [12.12% of both successful and non-successful learners claimed they studied for “no reason”.]

    Debate surrounds the question of whether success is the result of one’s motivation or one’s motivation is the result of success. Nevertheless, these results are suggestive. Students who study only for the sake of passing a test are highly unlikely to be successful. Strong instrumental motivations are better. In this study, however, it appears that students with an integrative motivation are most likely to be successful.

    As one student responded, “If you learn English but cannot speak it fluently, you are like a blind being on the street. You [will] lose many precious opportunities to enjoy the beauty of this world. You are kept inside a dark box. But if you speak [English] well, you will learn about culture, people, and life. You feel your life colorful and meaningful. You are not isolated.”

    Before you finish the rest of this book, you ought to ask yourself, “Why am I learning English?” If you are only learning so that you can pass some test, you might as well stop here. First, you must realize that English is a key that unlocks doors to opportunities. Opportunities for jobs, travel, new friends, and much more!

    Improve Your More Than Diligence:

    Everyone believes that one must be diligent to learn English well. However, in my research, I found that the diligence of the student is not as great a factor as one would expect. In fact, there was little difference between the diligence (according to their own perceptions) of successful and non-successful English students, as shown in the following chart.

    Question: How would you describe your diligence in studying English?  A: Extremely diligent – I followed my a study plans all of the time.B: Very Diligent – I followed my a study plan most of the time.C: Sometimes diligent – I  followed my study plans sometimes, but often I was too busy with other things.D: Not Diligent – I only studied when I wanted to and wasn’t busy with something else.
    Successful Learners 9.09 %33.33 %42.42 %15.15 %
    Non-successful Learners 6.06 %30.30 %51.51 %15.38 %

    Possibly many of the successful learners actually were more diligent than the non-successful learners. But this at least shows that whether or not learners feel they are diligent or not is of little consequence to the success of their English study. 36.36 % of the non-successful learners feel they have studied extremely or very diligently for two years or more but still speak English poorly. In contrast, 57.58 % of successful learners described themselves as only sometimes diligent or not diligent at all, yet they speak English very well. Why do some very diligent students speak English poorly, while other un-diligent students speak English well?

    Perhaps the story of Yu Gong, the foolish old man who moved the mountain, illustrates the point. English is your mountain. If you want to learn English well, you should have Yu Gong spirit, diligence. But there is another side to this story. According to the story, an angel has mercy on Yu Gong and moves the mountain for him. How we all wish an English angel would come down and give us the gift of English fluency!

    However, this is just a fable. Left to his own method, Yu Gong would not have lived to see his mountain moved. His children’s children would have had to work continually to reach the goal. It simply would have taken too long. Though Yu Gong possessed diligence, he lacked wisdom. If he had simply moved his house, he would have accomplished his goal much sooner and spared his family a lot of unnecessary hardship.

    The same is true for learning English. It is not sufficient simply to study a lot, one must study the right way. If one wants to learn English well, he must have the Foolish Man’s spirit, but the Wise Man’s method.

    How to Improve Your Spoken English: Tips and Guides

    Immerse Yourself in English

    One of the most effective ways to improve your spoken English is through immersion. Also, This means surrounding yourself with the English language as much as possible. Here’s how:

    • Watch Movies and TV Shows: Choose English-language movies and TV shows, and pay attention to pronunciation, intonation, and colloquial expressions. Subtitles can help you better understand the dialogues.
    • Listen to Podcasts and Radio: English podcasts and radio programs are excellent for developing listening skills. Also, Choose topics that interest you to make the experience enjoyable.
    • Read Aloud: Reading English books, articles, or even social media posts aloud helps improve your pronunciation and fluency.

    Practice Speaking Regularly

    Regular practice is key to improving spoken English:

    • Language Exchange Partnerships: Find a language buddy who wants to learn your native language. You can help each other practice by having conversations in both languages.
    • Join English Speaking Clubs: Look for local or online English-speaking clubs where you can practice speaking with others.
    • Use Language Learning Apps: Apps like Duolingo, Tandem, or HelloTalk provide platforms to practice speaking with native speakers.

    Focus on Pronunciation and Accent

    Accurate pronunciation is essential for effective communication:

    • Phonetic Exercises: Use phonetic charts and exercises to practice the sounds of English. Websites like the BBC Learning English provide resources for this.
    • Mimic Native Speakers: Listen to native speakers and try to mimic their pronunciation and intonation. Tools like YouTube can be very helpful for this.
    • Record Yourself: Recording your speech and listening to it can help you identify areas for improvement.

    Expand Your Vocabulary

    A broad vocabulary allows you to express yourself more clearly:

    • Learn New Words Daily: Commit to learning a few new words every day, and try to use them in sentences.
    • Use Flashcards: Flashcards can help reinforce your memory of new words.
    • Read Extensively: Reading widely exposes you to new vocabulary in context.

    Enhance Your Understanding of Grammar

    While it’s essential to practice speaking, having a good grasp of grammar helps improve clarity and correctness:

    • Study Grammar Rules: Review basic grammar rules and focus on common mistakes made by English learners.
    • Practice Writing: Writing in English can help reinforce grammar rules and improve overall language skills.
    • Get Feedback: Have native speakers or teachers correct your grammar mistakes to avoid repeating them.

    Build Confidence

    Confidence plays a significant role in your language learning journey:

    • Set Realistic Goals: Set achievable milestones and celebrate your successes, no matter how small.
    • Stay Positive: Remember that making mistakes is a part of learning. Do not be too hard on yourself.
    • Engage in Public Speaking: Join clubs like Toastmasters to practice speaking in front of an audience and boost your confidence.

    Use English in Daily Life

    Make English a part of your everyday activities:

    • Think in English: Train your brain to think in English rather than translating from your native language.
    • Label Your Environment: Label items around your house in English to help you learn new vocabulary.
    • Write a Journal: Keep a daily journal in English to practice writing and organizing your thoughts.

    By following these tips and consistently practicing, you’ll find that your spoken English improves significantly over time. Remember, the journey to fluency requires patience, persistence, and practice. Good luck!

    The rest of this book will help you develop a wise man’s method. I suggest that you will acquire language best when you study in such a way that you; 1. listen to large amounts of comprehensible input, 2. have opportunities to use the target language to communicate with others, and 3. support your learning with some grammatical learning (focused on making input comprehensible and developing awareness).