Resource centre - Receptive skills - Listening comprehension
Why don't students understand when faced with a listening comprehension task? Larry Lynch suggests seven possible factors...
"Teacher, I don't understand."
"Huh?", "What?", "Can you repeat that, please?" "What did he say?", "Teacher, we
don't understand." Do any of these sound familiar? Undoubtedly they do.
When English EFL language learners have listening comprehension problems it can
be frustrating. If you use videos, CDs or audio cassette tapes, or even perhaps
when speaking your learners can have their lesson input interrupted by a lack of
listening comprehension skills. Comprehensible input (Krashen, 1989) is an
integral part of any English or foreign language class.
Contributing Factors
These seven factors can directly or indirectly contribute to your learners'
listening comprehension skills and comprehension.
1. 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.
2. 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.
Note: If you'd like or need a quick refresher on these poetic elements, you
should read, "How to Evoke Imagery, Emotions and Ideas in Writing Poetry That
Captures Your Readers Imagination" and "How to Write Poems That Capture the
Heart and Imagination of Your Readers" by the author. (L.M. Lynch, 2007)
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
With epithets like, "oh, she luv-ed him but chew-no it wuzn't not no guud, mahn
for demm boat."
These types of epithets derive not from a lack of English or other foreign
language skills in particular, but rather from pronunciation based on using an
"incorrect" spoken language rhythm.
So, What to Do About It Then?
In the next article segment, we'll briefly consider what approaches might be
taken to address these and other related problems in developing fluent oral
discourse and spoken exchanges in English or other foreign languages.
Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 80 countries. Get your FREE E-books, English language teaching and learning information at http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com
What do you think of this article? Add a comment ยป
An EXCELLENT and timely
article! Thank you for this most helpful and relevant contribution to the
difficulties faced in listening! I look forward, with great anticipation to your
follow-up.
I agree that it is sometimes
frustrating even frightening for students to be faced with video or music which
contain unfamiliar vocabulary, idioms and accents. However, it is also very
useful! When teaching we as teachers control the language we use and this limits
their exposure to real everyday English. The learning experience should contain
natural English unfortunately this is often not the case. Students who are
popular music lovers have a better feel for / knowledge of structure and
collocations. I frequently use music and lyrics to break the focus and show
students how they can pick up new structures and vocabulary through music.
Movies have another function, they are very useful for educating the ear to a
variety of accents, styles, intonation, etc, understanding every word is not the
function. Facial expressions, gestures and the story should all help students to
understand what is going on. The comprehension of every word should not be the
focus during a listening, unlike the the written word.
Thank you for your article
related to listening problems. I hope to read the next segment soon! Cheers.
HOW TO PRACTISE ENGLISH
LISTENING COMPREHENSION AND SPEAKING SKILLS.
In order to have good skills in listening comprehension in English and to speak
it fluently, a learner should practise listening to audio and video aids in
English (dialogues, thematic texts and narrative stories) with subsequent
speaking. It is preferable to have English transcripts of audio and video
material. I suggest that learners practise listening comprehension with
subsequent speaking on a variety of topics and with materials for all levels on
a regular long-term basis in the following sequence:
1. Listen to each sentence several times. Alongside listening see and read each
sentence in the transcript.
2. Make sure you understand everything clearly in each sentence in terms of
pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
3. Without looking into the transcript, try to repeat each sentence (say it
aloud) exactly as you have heard it. Being able to repeat a sentence means that
a learner has remembered its content.
4. Listen to that particular conversation or text (story) in short paragraphs or
chunks, say each paragraph aloud, and compare to the transcript.
5. Listen to the whole conversation or story without interruption several times,
and try to tell the content of the whole conversation or text (story) you've
heard. You can write key words and phrases, or main ideas as a plan, or
questions on that particular dialogue or text to make easier for you to convey
the content in English. It is important to compare what you've said to the
transcript.
It is a good idea to record one's speech on audio aid to compare it with the
original audio/video recording. I believe that for practising listening
comprehension and speaking in English it is a good idea to include various
practical topics for potential needs of learners with comprehensive vocabulary
on each topic. As you know the content of materials matters a great deal.
It's possible and effective to practise listening comprehension and speaking in
English on one's own this way through self-check using transcripts, books, audio
and video aids to provide additional solid practice and to accelerate mastering
of English.
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