Language Learning; Part Three

Chapter three, Learning By Listening, describes in further detail the importance of acquiring a language the same way a small child does: first by listening. Two kinds of listening “skills” are discussed in this chapter: Passive Listening, and Selective Listening.

Passive listening means absorbing the language by means of being surrounded by it even when not concentrating on it. The comparison is made to becoming familiar with various selections of music. People often turn music on and then go about other tasks or activities while the music is playing in the background. They are not necessarily paying attention to the music, but their brains naturally absorb the sounds, causing them to be able to recognize the songs, hum along, and recall the melodies even when the music is turned off. So it is with a language. Just as the eyes help the brain assimilate and recall visual images, the ears help the brain assimilate and store acoustic impressions, even when concentration is not being given to the sounds. Five helpful techniques are shared in this chapter for developing the skill of passive listening:

1) Provide the brain with plenty to listen to. 2) Be relaxed, avoiding anxieties. 3) Do not erect barriers to sounds. 4) Give the brain enough time. 5) Let the brain work while you are doing something else.

As helpful as passive listening is on a regular basis, however, it is not sufficient for mastering a foreign language. One must also engage in selective listening which means training the ear to identify specific tones, strange sounds, similar sounds, words and phrases, and grammatical forms. By conscientiously working to recognize and classify each of these elements of the language, one at a time, the language student will better be able to reproduce what he hears when he attempts to speak. The brain is truly a fascinating programming center capable of linking corresponding signals between acoustic impressions and the motor mechanisms needed for reproducing the sounds. Thus, listening and speaking are very closely related processes.