Skip to main content

WHY CAN'T I UNDERSTAND SPOKEN ENGLISH? PART 1

Have you ever wondered why, no matter how hard you try, you always find yourself failing to understand native English speakers, or competent non-native English speakers? You may have tried to raise or to reduce the volume on your television when you are watching the latest movie your friends are talking about, but still, you just can't understand what the actors are saying. Sometimes you even try to incline your ear in a certain way only to get a disappointing outcome.

Well, listening to a recorded speech might be regarded less frustrating than a face to face conversation. Asking a speaker to repeat what they have said over and over again isn't a thing many people are comfortable with. However, in most cases, competent speakers would be glad to make themselves understood and they will try their best to even rephrase their sentences to make sure the other person gets the message.

The problem of failure to understand fluent English is very common and sometimes even people who have passed English with flying colours at school are not spared of this predicament. This, of course, can be easily understood, given the fact that most English examinations around the world are written tests. 

If you are struggling to improve your listening skills, it is important to understand why it is hard for you to understand so that yo can work on those barriers. In most cases, learners of English do not know the causes of their failures to understand fluent spoken English. 

One of the reasons why it is hard for learners of English to understand spoken English is that they tend to assume how words are to be pronounced. As a result, they get confused when they hear different sounds than they expected. However, many English words are not pronounced as they are spelt. For example, a single letter combination or even a single letter can be pronounced in several different ways. For example, the letter combination ch is pronounced differently in the words church and schedule. To overcome this problem, learners need to listen to how competent  English speakers pronounce words. If they know how to interpret the IPA, they can look up the word and practice using the given pronunciation guide.

In part 2, I will look at  more causes of failure to understand spoken English. I will also give some tips on how to get over some challenges affecting listening with understanding. 


Posted by
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Analysis of The Tribe of Graves By Basil Diki: Act 1 Scene 2

Posted by
Table of Contents An Analysis of The Tribe of Graves By Basil Diki: Act 1 Scene 2  Plot Overview The scene opens with the celebration of a wedding, with the couple seated on a mat as guests present gifts, share snuff, and ululate in joy.  The festive atmosphere is heightened by the rhythm of drums, and people compete to outdo each other in dancing. A remarkable unnamed young female dancer dominates the stage, leaving many young men too tired to keep up with her. Suddenly, the herdboy interrupts the merriment, rushing in to stop the drummers. He brings terrifying news of the arrival of Europeans, who he describes as "ghosts." Mushore, a staunch believer in traditions, interprets this as divine punishment for the lenient punishment given to Chikwete's son for committing bestiality. There's is a debate on how to respond, with Wedenga suggesting hiding from the Europeans while Zindonga and the herdboy refuse, considering it cowardice. Duri arrives to th...
2 comments
Read more

An Analysis of The Tribe of Graves: Act 1, Scene 1 Zimsec Literature Notes

Posted by
Table of Contents The Tribe of Graves: Act 1, Scene 1 Introduction Are you studying  The Tribe of Graves   for the  ZIMSEC  A Level Literature  exam or another exam? This guide is designed to help you understand the key elements of the play such as the plot, characters, themes and dramatic techniques. The guide aims to deepen your understanding of the play and bolster your literary skills for the exam. Plot overview The scene is set in pre-colonial Zimbabwe, before the arrival of the whites, the play opens with the King of the Rozvi people and his wife, Vahosi, in their bedroom. The King is restless, tossing and sweating in his sleep. Vahosi is concerned and asks him about his troubled sleep. The king reveals that he had had disturbing "enigma" but did not wake her up. He then reveals his dream. In the dream, his late father, his grandfather and some men were building a hut which was soon attacked by termites. Despite the advice to sto...
4 comments
Read more

ANALYSIS OF THE CHARACTER OF TAJEER IN THE PLAY A HOLE IN THE SKY, BY AUSTINE BUKENYA

Posted by
Tajeer is presented as a subject of ridicule, thanks to his role in the play  A HOLE INTHE SKY.   As a dynamic character, the audience is left with ambivalent feelings after watching the play. His ill-health doesn't generate pity since to many members of the audience, it comes as a payback for his evil deeds meted out to the poor villagers. It is his change of character towards the end of the play which makes the audience sympathise with him. By sending his men to evict Kibichi's family, Tajeer emerges as an inconsiderate character. He completely turns a deaf ear to the plea of the villagers as they request to be left alone in their ancestral land. Tajeer's greed blinds him to see the desperation that is likely to be experienced by the villagers if they are removed from their native land. For example, he erects a building directly on the stream thus blocking it completely. The villagers who reside downstream fail to obtain water as the stream is the only source of wate...
4 comments
Read more