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Minimal Pairs ( recorded by
murramoody
),
Midwest Canada
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Corrected Textmore↓Axe, Axe.
X, X.
Back, Back.
Beck, Beck.
Bad, Bad.
Bed, Bed.
Bag, Bag.
Beg, Beg.
Can, Can.
Ken, Ken.
Ham, Ham.
Hem, Hem.
Jam, Jam.
Gem, Gem.
Man, Man.
Men, Men.
Pat, Pat.
Pet, Pet.
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An easy way to learn foreign languages ( recorded by
berlinguy030
),
'flat' midwestern American accent
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Corrected Textmore↓Listening and reading have made up the bread and butter of my language learning since I was 13. My highly effective language learning method has developed from that.
The method is simple. I study every day (1 – 2 hours max). Shortcuts sound sexy and give you a short-term buzz, but the effects fade away quickly. My method is efficient and gets you fluent in the long term.
Quality of study in the initial stages makes the difference between an excellent and an average student.
The four components
Four components are required to learn a language:
•Listening
•Repeating
•Writing
•Translating*(* Translating from your own language into the target language (the opposite of what people often do) is vital.)
My method allows me to retain 80% of what I study.
People want to speak a language quickly and some study for 10 hours a day. They reach burnout just as fast!
Tempo
The quicker you learn, the quicker you forget, if the information is not used regularly. Easy come, easy go as the saying goes.
Success is language retention in the longterm. Gradual and structured learning (creating, what I call a “linguistic core”) is a must. This enables the learner to hold a decent conversation following a two-year break in practice. In the same scenario, those who studied a number of languages at the same time (or one in an unstructured manner) are less likely to speak it well, if at all.
The Linguistic Core
Developing a linguistic core provides a solid grounding in the language.
Quality of study in the first 8 to 12 months is crucial.
Then the other necessary ingredient for good language acquisition – QUANTITY – can be added.
Preparation
Prepare and train your brain to receive content.
Absorb the sound and the essence of the language. This develops a “plasticity” towards the language.
Listening and reading are extremely effective once you have done this and developed a large passive vocabulary.
Learning is easier if you understand what you are learning.
If you already know a lot of words you are more likely to understand, enjoy and learn from an article or a podcast.
I will develop these ideas in subsequent blogs. Please feel free to leave your comments and questions and I will be happy to address them.
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News report ( recorded by
rnp2014
),
American English
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Corrected Textmore↓The article that I’m going to talk about is entitled “Why the Supreme Court should be the biggest issue of the 2016 campaign.” It was extracted from the Washington Post.
The Supreme Court is composed of 8 members, 8 justices and 1 chief justice, appointed for life by the President, with the consent of the Senate. The SC today has 5 Republican nominations and 4 Democratic nominations.
The liberal Supreme Court's oldest member (81 yo), Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the hospital last week after having a heart stent implanted. For several years, liberals have encouraged her to leave her job so that President Obama could appoint a younger justice who shares the same views and values as she ("...shares the same values or has similar point of point of views/perspectives."). However, after many years of health problems, she insists that she is still able to exercise and that she has no plans to retire before the end of President Obama’s term. That means that the makeup of the Supreme Court could be a bigger campaign issue in 2016.
Whether a democrat or a republican wins in 2016, each candidate may have the chance to have a swing vote in the court. If the president in 2016 is a Republican, Ginsburg’s seat will go to a conservative. And the already conservative court will move further to the right.
I’ve decided to choose this article because it is linked to our lecture about the Supreme Court and also because it emphasizes two key notions that we’ve seen, which are ‘swing vote’ and ‘judicial activism’. Therefore, the choice of a Supreme Court justice by a democrat or a republican President is important because it determines the American laws that pertain to gay rights, abortion, death penalty, etc. It’s a very political process.
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138
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Sainsbury's Christmas advert ( recorded by
Squidley95
),
Australian
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1429 ( recorded by
Steve2014
),
USA
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Corrected Textmore↓Which dog do you prefer: the black one or the white one? Either of them will be a nice present.
We tried to talk to her twice but both times she was very busy.
There were two menus on the list. I didn't like either of them.
Which dog does he prefer: the black one or the white one? Either of them will be a nice present.
He tried to talk to her twice but both times she was very busy.
Last year we went to Madrid and Lisboa. We liked both cities very much.
There were two menus on the list. You didn't like either of them.
They tried to talk to her twice but both times she was very busy.
You tried to talk to her twice but both times she was very busy.
I tried to talk to her twice but both times she was very busy.
I was invited to two christmas parties last month but I didn't go to either of them.
There were two beers in the refrigerator. It was so hot that you drank both of them.
There were two beers in the refrigerator. It was so hot that they drank both of them.
There were two menus on the list. He didn't like either of them.
Last year she went to Madrid and Lisboa. She liked both cities very much.
We were invited to two christmas parties last month but we didn't go to either of them.
There were two menus on the list. They didn't like either of them.
Which dog does she prefer: the black one or the white one? Either of them will be a nice present.
There are two glasses of wine on the table, which shall we drink? Oh, drink both.
Anna and they don't know the book because neither of them has it.
You asked two people for e-mail but neither of them knew who wrote it.
There were two beers in the refrigerator. It was so hot that she drank both of them.
Anna and you don't know the book because neither of us has it.
Anna and she don't know the book because neither of them have it.
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