SECOND LANGUAGE, PROBLEMS OF LISTENING

WHAT IS SECOND LANGUAGE? 

Second language acquisition or second language learning is the process by which people learn a second language in addition to their native language(s). "Second language acquisition" refers to what the learner does; it does not refer to what the teacher does. 

PROBLEMS OF LISTENING FACED BY A SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNER

A foreign or second language learner can experience certain problems while listening to English language.

Regarding sound discrimination

Regarding words and grammar

Regarding the setting or cultural context

Regarding the knowledge about the speaker and the subject matter

Sound Discrimination: These problems are caused due to different accents, stress, intonation patterns, clarity etc.

Words and Grammar: The students who are not good at grammatical rules of spoken language, styles of language, different expressions etc. usually face this kind of problem. This is mainly due to the lack of exposure to different styles of speaking.

Setting of Cultural Context: Most of the listening problems are caused by the unfamiliar culture and the lack of knowledge about the context in which the conversation is taking place.

Knowledge about the Speaker and Subject Matter: A listener who is not familiar with the speaker or the subject matter under discussion finds difficulty in comprehending the message.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

These seven factors can directly or indirectly contribute to your learners' listening comprehension skills and comprehension.

Language Rhythms

Grammar in Context

Regional or National Accents

Pronunciation

Idioms and Expressions

Rhyming Sounds

Vocabulary

Vocabulary: ELT author, researcher and lecturer Scott Thornbury said, "... count one hundred words of a (reading) passage. If more than ten of the words are unknown, the text has less than a 90% vocabulary recognition rate. It is therefore, unreadable." (S. Thornbury, 2004) The same then is likely true for a listening passage. Remember, "You can never be too rich, too thin or have enough foreign language vocabulary" as the old saying goes.

Rhyming Sounds: Have you ever taught or learned poetry? If so, you'll remember that there are several types of rhyming patterns which can be used. Alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance and consonance, simile, metaphor and allusion, among others, all lend their particular ambience to written or spoken language in English. 

Idioms and Expressions: In every language there are frequently-used idioms and expressions that allow its speakers to convey nuances of thought to one another effortlessly and with greater clarity that simply "explaining" everything verbally. Not only is it helpful to know as many of these as possible, but if you don't, the meanings of many conversations or spoken exchanges may just be "lost" to the listener.

Pronunciation: Everyone speaks differently and uses forms of connected speech in distinctive ways. Elements including elision, contraction, juncture, liaison, register, accommodation, aspect, intonation and others, affect pronunciation and speech patterns on an individual basis. When learners are unfamiliar, or even ignorant of, these elements, listening comprehension can be significantly impacted.

Regional or National Accents: The same sentence when spoken by people from different first language (L1) backgrounds, regional locations, or ethnic backgrounds can be decisively varied. Unfamiliarity with such on the part of EFL learners can cause a definite lack of listening comprehension or "comprehensible input" as mentioned earlier.

Grammar in Context: When grammar and its aspects are taught as "separate" themes, that is, outside of a relevant context, learners can be "handicapped" as it were by not understanding just how and when particular grammar structures are used by native speakers during an oral discourse or verbal exchange. So when they, the learners, hear a grammar structure that they "know", but learned "out of context", they can often "miss it", misinterpret it or simply not understand what they're hearing.

Language Rhythms: One of the big differences between English and say, Spanish, is that one language is "syllable-based" while the other is "accent-based". This accounts for non-native speakers sounding "funny" when speaking a language other than their mother tongue.


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