Buondì.

There was lots of feedback on Wednesday’s article about listening, “Please reassure me!”.

What an interesting range of suggestions you came up with! I’ll copy and paste them here below, after the plus signs (+++). If you have time, do read though what people wrote to me and commented on the club website.

But reading the various contributions, it occurred to me that what might be helpful here would be a little ‘theory’, that is to say, the sort of thing that we language teachers learn on our training courses about how to help learners like you develop listening skills.

For in fact, listening is not one thing, but a set of different sub-skills. Which you use at any given moment all depends on WHY you’re listening.

And it’s therefore the case that the club members’ advice and suggestions (below, between +++ and +++) may be more or less appropriate/relevant according to which sub-skill you need to improve.

Insomma, if your’re pressed for time, scroll right down to the second set of +++. Otherwise, read your fellow club members’ suggestions, THEN look at the theory.

So here we go!

+++
Andy emailed:

“It sounds to me as if Martin is trying to run a little too early. Many moons ago I started learning the piano. I didn’t start with a Rachmaninov piano concerto but with simple nursery rhymes. I still can’t play Rachmaninov very well but can give it a good try … but it has taken more than 30 years! I fully understand where Martin is and my suggestion is that he has a few less demanding podcasts to listen to first which will get his ear into tune and boost his morale. Then go for something more demanding.
One of the world’s greatest concert pianists used to start and finish all his practice sessions with what he called lollipops. Pieces that he knew he could play well. He said it stopped him getting depressed! I think it was good advice.”

To which I replied:

“Maybe, but there’s a lot in live media that’s actually understandable, even at beginner level. Obviously a small fraction of the whole, but it’s a start.
Personally I think that a combination of simplified texts and authentic texts are ideal, so you’re getting stuff at both ends of the spectrum and therefore learning different skills. As if your beginner pianist was mastering Level 1 pieces but also studying the occasional, more-accessible few bars of ‘real’ music, not the whole concerto, obviously!”

Angela wrote in with this:

“Thanks Daniel, that made a lot of sense. I was out yesterday with three Italian women and one to one I understood them, But when the three were chatting together, I got lost and turned off….. Next time I will just listen.”

So I told her:

“I think that’s quite normal, Angela. It happens to me at home when my kids are speaking Italian to each other or to their mother. It’s one of those things, I’m afraid. Context matters a lot to comprehension – if you knew what they know, and what they were talking about, it would be easy!”

Kathy commented on the club website:

“I don’t know how much time Martin is giving any one thing he’s listening to, but for myself I find 2 things very useful (and “moralizing”). The first is to balancing listening broadly with listening deeply. It sounds like he’s listening to lots of different things and maybe bouncing around a lot. That’s fun once you’re comfortable with the language, but to get comfortable, it’s better to listen deeply – that is, to pick one thing, a podcast, a story, but something that isn’t too long at first (5-10 minutes?), and something that piques your curiosity – and listen to it over and over again. Pause to look a word up only when it REALLY niggles at you. Next time through, notice the word and how it fits in the sentence. Keep listening and looking things up but only sparingly. I guarantee that new words and phrases will keep coming to your attention as you focus more deeply, but they will be filling in details rather than be overwhelming chaos.. After a while, you’ll either be sick of the piece and move on, having learned some new words, or, if you’ve chosen well, you’ll find that you’re enjoying how the story’s details have emerged out of the fog. It’s so satisfying to find yourself smiling at the funny bits and tearing up at the sad parts (now that you understand them!)
The second thing I find motivating is, as Daniel says, to remind myself how far I’ve come – once I’ve done this with a few different pieces, I go back to an early one and marvel at how much I understand.”

And Melissa replied to Kathy’s comment:

“I agree completely that listening to the same piece over and over really helps. The first time you listen, concentrate on what you DO understand…maybe a place name, a borrowed word from your own language, a couple of numbers. Then ask you self what you CAN say about the passage, What is the general message of the passage? .is it cheery? Something to worry about? A dialogue between two people? How old are they and what is their relationship? What is the subject? Health? World news? An advertisement? An argument?
Then listen again, and see if you can add any more details. Can you distinguish any more words? Even with a very basic knowledge of the language you will probably be able to refine your answers to the questions above and distinguish a few more words, even if you don’t know what they mean. That is progress.
Each time you listen, your comprehension will improve. Then listen to it again after a few more weeks of study. You will be surprised at how much you know!”

(Other comments have been added since I wrote this yesterday – read them all here.)

Nancy sent me this claim she saw on Facebook:

“Reading to children six to seven days a week puts them almost a year ahead of those who are not being read to”, and added “this sure supports your point. Although I haven’t been able to convince an Italian mother to come read to me, listening to Easy News, RAI Radio, etc. may be the next best thing (less the cuddling!). I’m a believer!”

And finally, Donna emailed her suggestion:

“Something that has helped me in understanding spoken Italian is to listen to the same recording multiple times alternating between slow speed and normal. If you listen over and over to the same thing it helps your brain stop hearing what it expects to hear and start hearing the actual sounds. Also I found that once I became advanced enough to start listening for phrases instead of individual words my listening comprehension advanced much more rapidly.”

+++
Which brings me back to theory. Who’s right?

When, for instance, might it be advisable to listen multiple times, over and over, until you understand as much as possible?

Lots of people seem to think that’s the best way.

And when, in contrast, would it be more logical to move on, to NOT dwell on the parts you don’t understand, which could be 90+% of what you’re hearing?

It all depends on WHY you’re listening.

‘Understanding’ is not one thing. So the resources we devote to it (time, attention, mental energy) and the strategies we employ (listening to the same text repeatedly, listening only once for the general idea, predicting, guessing) will be different based on what our needs, and so priorities, are.

‘Understanding everything‘ is not how we listen in real life, however satisfying it might be as a language-learner. Life is not a dictation! So why prepare for real-life conversations as if it was? Listening in such a way as you could repeat word-for-word what you’ve heard is actually quite unusual. Conference interpreters do something similar, but otherwise?

But as I was saying, ‘understanding’ is not one thing, as many learners imagine, but a collection of sub-skills. This page summarises it nicely ( http://www.bchmsg.yolasite.com/listening-sub-skills.php ). Look at the first three, in particular.

Many of our club members’ comments above refer to #3:

3-Listening in detail
It is the intensive listening for scanning. This is when we listen we listen very closely, paying attention to all the words and trying to understand as much information as possible.
Example: A member of a jury listening to a statement from a witness.

Now in my personal opinion, that one, sub-skill three is NOT what you are normally doing when you listen in real life, in conversation, to the radio, in shops. In fact it’s actually quite rare, and rather advanced.

Whereas #1:

1-Listening for gist:
It is extensive listening for skimming. This happens when we listen to get a general idea about a topic.
Example:listening to a summary of the day’s news on the radio.

and #2:

2-listening for specific information:
This is when we listen to something because we want to discover one particular piece of information.
Example: Listening to weather report to discover the weather in your city.

are much more typical of what we actually DO with our foreign languages. It’s therefore those first two sub-skills that we need to be practising the most, and that are also, in fact, most achievable for learners!

Spend your time on #3 and it’s going to be a.) hard b.) potentially demotivating, and c.) not very helpful for picking up foreigners in bars.

Whereas focus on #1 and #2? Now you’re talking! Those are the skills you need to figure out what’s going on around you, to be orientated, to be aware, to be involved.

Modern language exams mostly test #1 and #2, because those are the ones that are needed in real-life situations.

Testing #3 happens too, of course. But it’s not the whole of listening, just a sub-skill.

Here endeth today’s lesson!

This article ‘Five essential listening skills for English learners‘ is an accessible read, and has practical suggestions for improving each sub-skill (just substitute ‘Italian’ for ‘English’ as you read it.

Want some homework?

Go back up this article to the section with the club members’ comments. Read each one again and decide which sub-skill their suggested approach most applies to.

Knowing that, you’ll be able to evaluate if/when their advice is good, and when perhaps it might be the opposite of what you should be doing!

A lunedì, allora.

25% Off Our New Italian Easy Reader – Final Reminder!

And here’s a final reminder about this week’s new, super-advanced (C2-level) ‘easy Italian reader’ ebook, La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena.

Thanks to the many people who’ve already grabbed a copy!

The -25% Launch Offer ends on Sunday night, after which La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena will sell for the usual easy reader price of £7.99.

So if you’ve been meaning to buy this one, better do it now, before you forget!

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P.P.S.

Have you listened to and read Thursday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news, yet?

If so, and based on the above, HOW do you think you should be listening to it? You can read what I think here.

An email from a club member last week ended with a request: “Please reassure me!”

Well, I’ll try.

But first, a quick reminder about this week’s super-advanced (C2-level) ‘easy Italian reader’ ebook.

Bcause, as always, the club has bills to pay.

La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena is a fictional account of behind-the-scenes goings on at the Siena Palio, Italy’s most famous urban horse race.

If you’re a confident reader and tolerant of there being lots of words and expressions you won’t know, you should find La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena to be well-worth £5.99.

But check out the free sample chapter (.pdf) anyway, to get an idea of the level, length and format of the ebook.

La carriera – dietro le quinte del Palio di Siena | Free sample chapter (.pdf) | Catalog

Now, where was I?

Martin emailed me to say:

I do read (most) of your emails and often find them reassuring and supportive – thank you. I am trying to follow your guidance to listen to media as often as possible. I listen to Italian radio, podcasts, films etc; but I am finding it a bit demoralising. It is tough. Some words do leap out so my brain is hearing something, but I comprehend very little. I find I have to concentrate intently and can’t multitask – I hear a word and whilst trying to remember what it means another 20/30 words have whizzed by unheard L. I presume understanding will only come when I increase my Italian vocabulary? Please reassure me!

Reading it again now, I’m struck by the word ‘demoralising’, which of course goes right to the heart of the matter.

I wonder what the opposite is? Not ‘moralising’, obviously. ‘Motivating’ perhaps.

OK, let’s assume that Martin felt exactly the opposite, that he found the whole process of not-understanding most of what he was listening to stimulating, that it cheered him up significantly, not getting anything of what he heard really made his day!!

Were that the case, obviously, then learning foreign languages would be easy, even addictive. We could devote hours a day to it, without undue effort, without worrying that we were doing the wrong thing, that we were wasting our time, that we would never get there… We’d be just having so much fun!

But of course, then everyone would be doing it, too. Learning Italian, or another foreign language, would be as easy and natural as, say, eating lunch or binge-watching the latest Netflix series in your own language.

But many people do feel like Martin does, at least for a while. They’re not having fun, they’re DE-moralised or -motivated, rather than the opposite.

Me too sometimes, with my own language-learning. It goes with the territory, I’d say. There are inevitably going to be ups and downs on the journey. Beginning a new language is always a high point. After that it tends to get harder before it gets easier.

I think of it as being like working as a sales representative: you have to keep trying to sell your product or service, knowing that you’ll get a ‘no’ as often as a ‘yes’. It’s part of the job, they say.

Bisogna essere (you need to be) resilient to sell successfully. You can’t let yourself be put off, or you’re in the wrong job!

But I digress. Actually I replied:

Daniel Stephens
Jan 15, 2020, 1:15 PM (7 days ago)
to Martin

I suggest:

1.) you try different types of content. On the radio, for example, there are different programs on different channels. Lots of sport at weekends, music in the evenings, news at the top of the hour. Some of it will be more familiar, some will me more appropriate for listening to when you’re doing other things and can’t concentrate.

2.) and this is the more important one… Redefine your definition of success from ‘understanding’ to ‘listening for a certain period of time’, i.e. half an hour. Understanding is a spectrum, and with a foreign language you’re beginning, and may remain, at one extreme end of it. However, moving along the spectrum will only happen if you put in the hours, and if you focus on ‘understanding’, and so become demotivated, that won’t happen. So just focus on listening, for a minimum period of time, and on making a habit of it. With time the content will become familiar, with more time it’ll be easier to understand, and eventually you’ll be able to get enough of it to make it more like listening in English.

Hope that helps!

The key takeaways, I think, are:

• Understanding is a spectrum running from ‘nothing’ to ‘everything’
• You have to put in the hours to gradually move along it
• Which means you’ll start by spending plenty of time ‘not understanding’
• So redefine success as ‘listening for a certain period of time’
• Focus on creating the habit of listening, not on understanding what you hear
• With time, that’ll come

It’s absolutely normal not to understand everything (anything?) you read or hear in a language in which your competences are nearer one end of the spectrum than the other.

The ‘trick’, if there is one, is to find something in that situation which is -moralising, -motivating, rather than the opposite.

One thing that helps with that?

Listen to something in a language you’ve never studied at all!

For example, I was enjoying an enviromental documentary on Swedish radio, which contained interviews with people connected with a massive German coal-burning power station, in German, obviously.

I knew the interviewees were speaking German, but only got a word or two, and only then by guessing wildly.

So when the ‘programleader’ translated into Swedish, I was like, Ah, that’s what they were saying!

Which made me realise just how much I COULD understand of Swedish, after approximately two years of daily practice.

Enough to follow, more or less, not everything, sometimes not anything, sometimes effortlessly. But I understand SO much more Swedish than a.) German, and b.) I did when I began.

The same thing happened just now – I’m listening to the Swedish radio morning news program as I write and they played a clip of a Chinese government spokesman announcing the latest mutuations in the virus that might kill us all (so why worry?).

It sounded like Chinese, but beyond that, zero, which is exactly what I’d have expected to understand.

Compare my Chinese with my Swedish and, wow, I have superpowers!

THAT’s how I motivate myself.

I look back at how far I’ve come, not in detail at what I can’t do, or ahead at how much there still is to learn.

P.S.

Have you listened to and read Tuesday’s bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news?

Many people already have.

F.O.M.O., or for the puntuation-challenged, FOMO, sounds like a character from Lord of the Rings but in fact stands for ‘Fear Of Missing Out’. Google tells me that the expression refers to the “anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere”.

Indeed.

Thousands of people are using EasyItalianNews.com to improve their reading and listening skills, to consolidate the grammar they’ve studied, to learn new words, or perhaps just because they enjoy it and it’s become part of their daily routine.

If you’re not, then FOMO!

EasyItalianNews.com is worth a look, or if you’ve already looked but not made it part of your study routine, it’s worth another look, and worth persisting with.

Time, remember? It’s the magic ingredient.

EasyItalianNews.com is FREE to use. It’s paid for out of profits from our online shop and by donations from users (see who.)

Subscribe and we’ll email you three bulletins a week.

There’s no obligation, unsubscribe whenever you wish. Though actually, DON’T!

Just read and listen to each edition, keep at it for a few months, and watch your confidence soar.

A mercoledì, allora.