Listening to Podcasts
Dear English language learner,
Many English language learners study hard, but do not get desired results. One of the problems could be lack of exposure to authentic English. That’s why I keep telling them to listen to good quality English on a regular basis, and for an extended period of time. To my mind, listening plays a crucial role in one’s language learning and development.
It is possible to acquire a good command of spoken English by listening to lots of English and taking part in meaningful interaction in real-life situations. The first is possible in the comfort of your own home, with absolutely no help from anyone. Well, you might ask: where can I get the right material from? Here’s the answer.
Do you know “podcasts”? A podcast is basically an audio file, and is usually free. The dictionary definition of a podcast is: a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series, new instalments of which can be received by subscribers automatically. Moreover, you can choose a topic from practically hundreds and thousands.
The following are just a few of the links you might like to try.
- https://audioboom.com/
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts
- If you are interested in podcasts especially created for language learners, then you can try these: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/podcast/0.html (for American English) and http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish (for British English).
- And here’s a list of top 10 podcasts by the Guardian, UK to help you learn a language: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/feb/09/top-podcasts-learning-language-german-japanese
So, friends, do start listening to podcasts and share your experiences with me.
Happy learning, happy sharing!
–Dharmendra Sheth