Just the speed
I know this is a question for which the only answer would be learning, listening and experience, but whereas I can read Spanish pretty good (I have to look up occasional words) my mind has trouble processing spoken speech at normal speed. That is, if what they were saying was in print, I would have a good idea what was being said, but my brain just doesn't get the words that fast. I'm not talking here about the problems with accent, or slang or unusual constructions, just the velocity. I watch Spanish language TV and newscasters speak clearly and crisply. I suppose a lot of people have that problem and of course having contact and conversation with native speakers would help a lot and I can always ask them mas despacio por favor, but perhaps someone might have some advice for my particular problem? If only I had a gadget that would slow down speech...
11 Answers
try to google on podcasts. there are quite a lot of good podcasts which you can download and play in i-tunes. i listen to notes in spanish. you can find it in the i-tunes store uder podcasts. it's free and really usefull!
it's a good way to practice your listening skills
If only I had a gadget that would slow down speech...
There are no magic pills or potions. You might be translatin all you heard into English. I am sorry, I dont have any advice.
Valerie said:
Difster, my mom moved to the South from New Jersey, and she couldn't understand the folks down here at first!
Pergolesi, I agree with Samdie's advice about repeated listening (i.e. to recordings). I remember listening to songs and it was as if a veil was between me and the meaning... but as I listened more and more they slowly came into focus... I envy James' sudden transition.
I do listen to songs alot, I love Mexican folk music and popular forms like Norteño. Yes, with repeated listening the words get clearer and clearer, though sometimes I have to look up the lyrics on the internet. I have found that recording the Saturday morning kid's shows on Univision helps and I can go over them several times. I especially like the Spanish version of "Pinky Dinky Doo" which is cute and quirky--plenty of repitition and simple vocabulary. Playing it back I can turn on captions if I really want to know what is being said, tho I've found that reading captions actually gets in the way when I'm trying to listen.
As to accents, yes, I have difficulty recognizing common phrases that are very familiar to me when they're spoken in normal conversation, though this is a slightly different problem that speed itself. The examples in Better At Listening were not easy for me. But I often have that problem with English speakers as somebody already pointed out...I had a Scottish woodworker friend who spoke English, not a dialect, but his emphasis and rhythm was such that I kept having to ask him to repeat himself. I guess we all get a bit fast when we're in conversation. Thanx for the comments, it is very helpful.
Difster, my mom moved to the South from New Jersey, and she couldn't understand the folks down here at first!
Pergolesi, I agree with Samdie's advice about repeated listening (i.e. to recordings). I remember listening to songs and it was as if a veil was between me and the meaning... but as I listened more and more they slowly came into focus... I envy James' sudden transition.
I grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs and when I went to Marine Corps boot camp, there were a lot of guys from the deep south and they had a hard time understanding me because I spoke way to fast for them.
Heidita said:
This problem affects all of us learners, not just you, so don't feel bad. When a native speaker speaks a language at normal speed, the words all blur together into one long stream of sound.
I agree with this, though I must say: Spanish a an extremely fast spoken language. I guess especially in Spain.
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This problem affects all of us learners, not just you, so don't feel bad. When a native speaker speaks a language at normal speed, the words all blur together into one long stream of sound.
I agree with this, though I must say: Spanish a an extremely fast spoken language. I guess especially in Spain.
This problem affects all of us learners, not just you, so don't feel bad. When a native speaker speaks a language at normal speed, the words all blur together into one long stream of sound. As babies we learn where to make the breaks, where one word ends and the next begins. This is called parsing, and it is difficult to do as an adult. The problem is compounded by the tendency of speakers to slur words, omitting some of the sounds. We all do this: "I'm gonna...," "Mencanta...," and so on.
When I was learning Japanese, I remember that there was a day when it was as if someone adjusted a dial in my brain, so that suddenly everything came into sonic focus, and I could hear all the words. It literally happened almost overnight. Not that one day I couldn't understand anything, and the next day I had fluent comprehension, but there was a marked change.
I still have trouble keeping up with Spanish spoken on TV. In person I do much better, because the speaker can see my face and gauge my comprehension. But, of course, the best solution is just more practice...
Thanx, the "Better at Listening" is a really good site. Thanx for the encouragement.
Natasha said:
If you're good at reading, in the long run that's good, but in the short term it can make things more difficult because your brain is depending on seeing the letters in print.Yes, you have to practice . . . but I thought you might like this link. Check it out.Better at Listening
I see you watch the BBC (British Broadcasting Corp) so I thought you might like know about an addition service the BBC provides in video and text. Here is the link......http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/multimedia/video/default.stm
Use recordings of songs/TV programs. With repeated hearing you should gradually be able to distinguish more and more of what is said. With each repetition (as some parts become familiar) you can concentrate on the remaining parts that are still difficult. Listening to slow speech is not really very helpful because people don't normally speak that way.
If you're good at reading, in the long run that's good, but in the short term it can make things more difficult because your brain is depending on seeing the letters in print.
Yes, you have to practice . . . but I thought you might like this link. Check it out.
