Front office management I

Common phonetic difficulties

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech

Introduction to frequently used foreign sounds

Before you start trying to speak a foreign language, spend some time tuning your ears to its sounds and rhythms. You can do this by listening to the language as much as possible via the radio, TV, movies and native speakers in your neighborhood. There are online radio stations in a wide variety of languages.

When you first try listening to your chosen language, you'll understand only a little or nothing at all, other than perhaps the names of people and places and the odd word, unless you're learning a language closely related to your L1. You may even find it difficult to believe that what you're listening to is a real language that people are able to converse in. However if you continue to listen to your L2 as much as possible, you will gradually become familiar with the the sounds and rhythms of the language and start to be able to pick out words and phrases. Eventually you'll be able to understand most if not all of what you hear in your L2.

There are a number of things you try to help you understand radio and TV broadcasts:

1. 
   Rather than just listening or watching at random, find out what programmes are on and choose one that sounds interesting. In this way you will have an idea of what the programme is about.
   
2. 
   Set yourself goals, for example when listening to the news try to work out the main points, names, dates and times.
   
3. 
   Brush up relevant vocabulary before tuning in. For example if you're planning to watch a cooking programme, revise food words first
   
4. 
   Even if you can't understand very much at all, try to identify word and sentence boundaries
   
5. 
   If possible listen to the news in your L1 first, then when you listen to it in your L2 you'll already be aware of the mains stories.
   
6. 
   Don't try to listen to or watch too much in one go: if you're finding it a struggle, take a break and/or do something else.
   
7. 
   Listening to songs in your L2 is another way to improve your listening comprehension, especially if you have the lyrics written out so that you can follow them as you listen.