Alan Palmer's Language Chat podcasts

Hello everybody,

Today I wanted to talk about my ideas on increasing fluency (which in my opinion is about how easy you can use a language at a high level)

I wanted to tell you about a new idea I have had about building up vocabulary and fluency at the same time. I have a lot of trouble remembering words and I believe that everyone agrees that the secret to learning a language is knowing enough words and enough of the structure of the language (sometimes call rules of grammar)

Some languages have complex grammar (like German) and other languages have simpler grammar (like Mandarin Chinese)

Whichever language we learn, we need a knowledge of enough words and grammar to converse with others who speak the language. Of course other areas of language ability are important - such as pronunciation, but generally speaking, with some words and grammar and a reasonably understandable accent - most people could make themselves understood and understand what was being said to them. In English this is often called "get by".

Anyway, to explain my idea. If you were wanting to learn some new words, let's pick three unusual unrelated words:

A noun: condominium

An adjective: straightforward

A verb: perform

To remember these words, explain them with easy language by using a dictionary:

Condominium = apartment (or flat)

straightforward = easy

perform = carry something out, act/sing/dance

Make up a sentence and write it down:

Nothing is straightforward, there is not enough space in my condominium that I cannot perform my dance

change it...

I cannot perform my dance. I need to practice every day in my friend's condominium. Nothing is straightforward - as it is too small

Say the sentences out loud.. then see if you remember the words and their meaning a little later. If you can't easily remember them - read the sentences again and see if you can remember them later still.

I'm going to try this idea myself with learning new words in the languages I am learning. I'll let you know how it goes!

Maybe this way it will not take so long to build up a good amount of words in my head and become more fluent.

Take care and see you next time

Hello everybody,

Today I wanted to talk about practicing phrases to make it easier to remember how to say things and the right words to use

I want to go shopping because my sister is coming and we enjoy going to the shops together.

It is surprising just what language you can practice with only one sentence:

Because my sister is coming, I want to go shopping and we enjoy going to the shops together

We enjoy going to the shops my sister and I and my sister is coming, so I want to go shopping

That is three sentences saying the same thing, more or less - but if you practice the sentence in different ways - then you can become more fluent.

You can then expand it a bit more:

My sister is coming to see me. We always like to go shopping together because we like going to the shops together.

It is always nice when my sister comes, because we like going to the shops together to do some shopping. I want to go shopping anyway - so I will wait until she comes

This way, you can build up the language practice.

Just keep thinking of different ways to say the same thing and If you make a mistake, it isn't such a problem because people will still understand

So, say for example you said

I want to go to the shopping when my sister comes, because we like shopping together

(saying "shopping" instead of "shops" will still be understood)

You could always simplify it more...

When my sister comes, we like going to the shops together.

We like going shopping together my sister and me

(maybe it should be "my sister and I" but most people in England would say "my sister and me"

Try making up a sentence, writing it in a few different ways and then saying it. Or you could just try making a sentence in your head and then say it - you will become more fluent!

Have you ever tried learning words from a visual dictionary? I like these type of dictionaries because you can see the picture and read the word. I have just found a very good one that shows many pictures and photos with the words in 4 languages. This is called "5 Language visual dictionary by Dorling Kindersley. English, French, German, Spanish & Italian

The ISBN number is ISBN 0-7513-3681-5

You can find it on www.amazon.com

It is quite expensive at around £20/ $27 but I think it would be worth every penny and a very interesting way to learn new words.

Bye for now and see you next time bye!

Hello everybody. This is a continuation of my podcast about difficult sounds in English.

English often uses stress or emphasis on syllables within a word. Stress is sometimes used in spoken English as a language technique to change the meaning of what is being said and emphasise a certain thing or idea. Normally this doesn't show in written English unless the word is written differently. Here's an example:

1. He wants me to give her the book

2. HE wants me to give her the book

3. He wants ME to give her the book

4. He wants me to GIVE her the book

5. He wants me to give her the BOOK

Easy sentence - but stressed words make a big difference to meaning.

The first sentence just has a basic meaning. There is no extra stress on the first sentence - so someone listening would just hear it as a statement.

Number 2 is emphasising the person who wants me to give the book

Number 3 is emphasising that the person want me in particular (that is no one else but me) to give her the book

Number 4 is emphasising that the person wants me to give her the book - that is, not do something different with the book

Number 5 means the person wants me to give her a book and not something else instead

So, it's interesting how English uses this stress on words to change the meaning of the sentence without changing the words in the sentence. You'll notice that all the words are the same in each sentence.

Take care and see you next time

Well, I decided that for all my podcasts, I'll write a little introduction and then put the transcript for the voice recording for you. So, welcome to "Alan's Weekend Words January 19th". Today some advice on pronuciation for all you English learners!

Hello, for my weekend words this week I want to talk about pronunciation difficulties for learners of English. It seems to me that there are some sounds that present more difficulties that others. For example the English "th" sound.

think

thought

thank

thesis

therapy

nothing

tether

teeth

are some words starting with or containing the sound 'th". For this sound place the top of your tongue against your top teeth - push some air through without too much pressure and say the word.

think, thought, thank, thesis,therapy,nothing,tether,teeth

The other 'th" sound is the same tongue position - but with less air movement and more voice. See if you can hear the difference between the two different 'th" sounds

the,there,those,with,feather

Try practicing these "th" sounds slowly then speed up

Make sure that you keep relaxed when you speak and don't worry if you find it difficult - just keep practicing when you have a little time.

The other sound I wanted to talk about today is the English "r"

The British version is softer sounding than the American:

run

ready

really

roaring

the american sounds more "strong" - in other words add more sound to your voice as you speak - with a little more energy.

run

ready

really

roaring

I can't really speak with an american accent very well - but I just wanted to show you an example.

Your tongue needs to be curled back about half-way in your mouth - but not touching any part of your mouth and then curl it back forward again and keep it quite loose as you do.

"a Rumanian runner was running a revolution around a really rocky racetrack"

Tongue twisters like this can be very useful for pronunciation practice

Take care and see you next time

http://www.englishsecret.com/pages/sound.jsp?pid=12

Buenos dias, bom dia,hallo, bonjour, jo napot,ni hao, Guten Tag!

So many languages. But of course, as usual, I am speaking in uhm, English my mother tongue and today, I wanted to speak a little about fluency, but today I'm trying to do this as a "chatcast" - and my way of doing chatcasts now is to just...chat without a text.

So, I will produce a text for the "PODOMATIC" site so that you can read what I've said, but I won't do that until after I've finished speaking.

So today, "fluency". What does it mean? In fact what made me think about it was, I was speaking with a friend at work today and we were discussing..uhm..language learning because he said that he would like to learn French and I was giving him some tips and hints and we were discussing what fluency was. He said he would like to have a conversation with people (in French) and he considered that would be fluency. And my opinion is, that fluency changes the more you learn a language, or your idea, should I say, about fluency.

Because the more you learn about a language, the more you think you need to learn. But my point of view is, that we should be able to be fluent... at any level.

To explain what I mean, if you're having a very simple conversation - someone says, "how are you?" and you say, "I'm fine thanks and how (are) is your family? how are your children?" You say, "my children are well, my family is well"

You are still speaking a language in a fluent way, because I think fluency means you can speak the language quite easily. But of course as the language level rises and the complexity of the sentences you're saying in your conversation becomes more difficult, then it affects the level of fluency. So my advice is try to stay in the level that you have and try and enjoy speaking at that level whilst trying to develop more language skills - and that way you develop your fluency.

So, what I'm trying to explain from my point of view is that anyone can have a "level of fluency" that allows them to speak the language and uhm, I think it's worth thinking about because many many people will say to themselves, " I'm not very fluent, I'm not as fluent as I'd like to be". So, take your time, enjoy the conversations that you have in the language you're learning and if it is English, then practice it and say to yourself, "I'm fluent, I just need MORE fluency as I speak about more complex subjects".

So that's my chatcast for Friday evening and I'll hopefully make a new "Weekend words" over the weekend. But, we have my son's girlfriend with us today so, (we) we've got a visitor here. Maybe I will have time but hopefully you'll have a nice weekend. Take care and we'll speak again soon...BYE.

I hope you like my latest guitar tune recorded today...

hello everybody. Alan here. Buenos dias, ¿Cómo estás? hablo poco espagnol a hora!

Today I wanted to talk a little about learning Spanish. I'm starting to learn some Spanish. I wanted to start seriously to learn a few months ago, but for some reason or another I couldn't get started properly. It's always difficult starting a new language I think. Anyway, recently I started to visit Alba's podomatic spanish learning site here in Podomatic and also I borrowed a course "Michel Thomas" introductory course (2 CD's) from my local library. I think now I can get started correctly.

I think that the best way to start learning is to start with some good materials - and this is what Alba's site and the Michel Thomas course do. They allow you to learn without stress. I think too many people learning languages put themselves under a great deal of stress and strain in pushing themselves too hard. Trying to learn vocabulary lists, memorise phrases and expressions and remember as much as they can. Perhaps the easiest and best way is to try to learn in a relaxed way. I know this isn't easy if you are learning in a classroom situation and you have exams looming.. Well, in any case, I think things are a bit easier if you are easy on yourself - don't become your most strict teacher!

So, I'm going to see how my Spanish improves over the next few months. I might even try a small podcast in Spanish if I can.

It's always interesting to feel a new language developing in one's head. It reminds me of trying to complete a very big jigsaw puzzle, or crossword in some ways. As you find the answer to a clue or find a jigsaw piece that fits so to speak - so you can tell yourself - I'm learning well!

Some people are natural learners and can pick things up quickly. I wish I were one of these people, but unfortunately I'm not. Even so, it's best to keep interested and that is why my motto is "enjoy what you know and the rest can only grow" in other words enjoy what level you are and then you'll always find that you will learn more. Let's keep the language learning effort going! With podcasts, it's even easier than before because you can transport the recordings around on your MP3 player. I love downloading some language podcasts and playing them later when I have time to listen to them carefully - such as when I'm driving or my lunch break at work.

Take care and bye for now

Punctuation has been defined in many ways. Some grammarians use the analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of the language in shape. Another writer tells us that punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language:they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.

But the best of all, I think, is the simple advice given by the style book of a national newspaper:that punctuation is "a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.".

Examples:

"What would you do with the king?"

"What? Would you? With the king?"

"A woman, without her man, is nothing."

"A woman:without her, man is nothing."

"Why English is crap"

Have you ever asked yourself...

Why when the stars are out, that can be seen, but when the lights are out, they cannot be seen?

Why when one gets fit one is healthy, but when one has a fit one is ill?

Why a fast horse runs and fast colours don't

Why one can ship by truck and send a truck by ship?

Why a seeded loaf of bread has seeds in it, but seeded raisins have them taken out?

Why one's house goes up in flames at the same time as it is burning down?

Also, examples of the "double-negative" which is regarded as sub-standard English where there is no intention of having the two negatives cancel each other out. In other words it does nothing for language. However some people who pride themselves on speaking standard English are sometimes caught out by a no no.

"He can't make friend with no one"

"She doesn't never eat since she's been on that diet"

" I never saw nobody"

"They didn't know nothing"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7162692.stm.

New Year's resolution success tip have chance to

Only 25% of people succeeded in quitting smoking

Most of us will make a New Year's resolution - maybe to quit smoking or lose weight - but only one in 10 of us will succeed, say researchers.

But before you give up altogether, it is possible to boost your chances of success, UK psychologists report.

A year-long study of 3,000 people found men should set specific goals and women should tell the world about their resolution if they are to succeed.

And the key for everyone is not to leave the decision to New Year's Eve.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Men should set specific goals

Women should tell others about their resolution

Choose a new approach

Do not leave the decision to New Year's Eve

Study leader Professor Richard Wiseman, who is based at the University of Hertfordshire, found more than half of those in the study believed they would be able to stick to their resolution.

But by the end of the year, just 12% had been successful.

Giving up smoking seemed to be the hardest goal to stick to, with three-quarters of people lighting up again in the New Year.

Only 28% of people succeeded in losing weight and 29% of people who vowed to improve their fitness managed to do so.

Tips

Men were 22% more likely to succeed when they set goals for themselves, such as losing a pound a week rather than just saying they wanted to lose weight.

Telling others increased women's chance of keeping resolutions by 10%.

They benefited from family and friends encouraging them to stick to their goals.

Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment. Choose something new, or approach an old problem in a new way

Professor Richard Wiseman

Professor Wiseman said it was possible to increase the likelihood you will keep your resolution.

"Deciding to revisit a past resolution sets you up for frustration and disappointment.

"Choose something new, or approach an old problem in a new way.

"Think through exactly what you will do, where you will do it, and at what time."

He said those who made vague plans were more likely to fail - for example instead of planning to go running twice a week you should plan to go running at specific times every week.

He added: "Men may be more likely to adopt a macho attitude and have unrealistic expectations, and so simple goal setting helps them achieve more.

"Likewise, women might be reluctant to tell others about their resolutions, and so benefit more from the social support provided by friends and family once they have made their goals public."

Hello,

Text is below this time (for those who can't view my blog)

 Well hello everyone and welcome to my podcasts and also to 2008! This time, uhm, for this time I thought I would just chat. Usually I try to prepare a script of sorts, a text… and then I use the text to make the podcast. But this time round I thought it might be more interesting for you to just hear me speaking. I will make a text, but I will obviously listen to what I have said and then write it down afterwards. So, at the moment, I’m just speaking , uhm, as I think about things and hopefully you will find this podcast just as interesting as the others. Uhm, I’m using a new microphone. Hopefully it will have a good sound. It’s just something I got before Christmas but I didn’t have chance to try. So, I’m trying it today and hopefully it will be clear and you will be able to listen to what I am saying without any problem.

So, 2008 is here. It’s a quiet day in England and I’m just relaxing before I go back to work. So, what will 2008 bring I think for us this year? Let’s hope it brings some good things. You know, for my part I’d like to learn more French, German and as you know, I’m learning Mandarin and I’ve just started Spanish again so, language is my hobby, my main hobby. I do play guitar as you know, you’ve heard my guitar tunes and I’ll play a few more guitar tunes I think on my podcasts. I’ve also planned to make a musical podcast in other words make some songs and record them and do a bit of singing maybe and put them on another podcast website and then you can listen to them if you want to. So, it’s a bit different for me just chatting to you, because I’ve got to think as I speak, well will you find this interesting? I think for those of you who are learning English, it will be interesting for you to listen to just a very normal “everyday” conversation, or whatever I can make that seem to be – as I’m speaking really to myself but obviously I know people will listen to it.

So I just wanted to speak a little and hopefully you’d hear when I do the pauses and when I make some corrections and when I hesitate a bit. That’s. uhm, all the things that happen when people are speaking in their native language. No one is perfect of course in their native language, I make mistakes just like other people do. So, I thought maybe a “conversational type” podcast just speaking about not so much (laughs) would be just as interesting for you as one that I prepared about a certain subject – and I don’t have any subjects today because I’ve been relaxing over Christmas. I didn’t.. prepare anything. But I thought, well I’ll still make a podcast on January 1st – New Year’s Day and say hello to everyone. I’ve had (some) quite a lot of downloads. I think I’ve had something like 1700 last week which…well not downloads…”views”… I think downloads were about 600 but even so, 600 downloads is a lot

So, somewhere out I think there people are listening, hopefully getting something from my podcasts, uhm, and I do listen to other peoples’ podcasts. I find some of those interesting and some I find quite boring but it depends what subject your interested in doesn’t it?

So, anyway, Happy New Year to everyone. To all the people who have listened and who are listening and who will listen to my podcasts and for the moment and for the future and so – have a nice time. If you are still on holiday, if you are back to work or you’re busy doing other things….well you know, don’t work too hard and enjoy yourself in 2008.

And I’ll speak to you all very soon so bye for now