Audio book vs reading3/18/2023 But this isn't enough if you want to achieve oral fluency in everyday interactions. However, you should use audiobooks or audio dramas to complement your reading. crime novels),with lots of dialog (if you haven't done so far). At your level (B1-B2 / B2 or above), you can still follow advice to read contemporary popular fiction (e.g.with all the media we have at our disposal nowadays! the feeling of self-assurance coupled with a certain nonchalance to be able to express yourself in the target language - even if you don't have the vast knowledge of a native speaker.Ĭan you achieve this level of fluency without living in a foreign country where your target language is spoken? Definitely, esp. The real "boost" came from working and studying in France for about 15 months because this is more than a simple question of "skills" (knowing enough language patterns in an automatic way, for example). the news), speaking, writing, translating, and grammar exercises.īut that wasn't enough. magazines and newspapers), listening a lot to the radio (esp. But, I was able to reverse that trend 180 degrees in the following semesters :-) After a break from French of about 18 months (because of the army), I was a wreck in all areas of French (listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and culture).įor the first two semesters, it wasn't even clear if I'd really survive studying French, at least at a university level. I mean advanced levels where your vocabulary reflects intellect, and your conversations are fueled by an understanding of the culture and history behind the language. And I don't mean fluency here, you can be conversationally fluent and be illiterate at the same time. The truth is, if the idea of being able read books in your TL doesn't immediately spark interest and anticipation of the fun ahead, you're at somewhat of a disadvantage as far as reaching advanced levels in a foreign language. Ten years ago I used to listen to audiobooks in English during my commutes - today I do the same but with French, German, and Spanish, because that what I enjoy doing in general.īut when someone doesn't have the joy of reading, it's difficult to explain to them how good this process is at building your language skills. So this is sometimes a weird conversation to have because for me the fact that I can read the same books I would wanna read anyway, but can also learn a language from them at the same time, is a complete no-brainer. One weird aspect when discussing reading books for language learning is the fact a lot of people just don't read in general, so when the subject comes up they automatically think of this activity as a chore they have to engage in - and that's part of the reason why so many people try to jump on the "Learn with Netflix" bandwagon, because they saw some video on youtube of someone doing it and it seems so "easy," compared to the "work" of reading books. But I venture to say the ones I know who focused the majority of their time on Books/Audiobooks achieved a high level of comprehension in a shorter period of time than the ones who focused exclusively on TV/Youtube input with subtitles. I've met people who have focused on either one exclusively and both with a high level of their second language. Generally Less variety of words compared to literature Reading transcripts (unaccompanied by the video) can be very confusing without visuals Passive listening is difficult sometimes without the visuals I can't say the same about authors and books. Every type of person is represented on youtube 10 fold, of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. Can observe conversations (acted or real life) More realistic pronunciation to everyday life Spoken too clearly compared to everyday life conversations No visuals and generally no sound effects Audiobooks are generally limited to one narrator voice Can read the book easily without the audiobook Better for passive listening because visuals are described sitcom shows, reality TV, VLOG youtube channels) Obviously we are free to use both but I'm comparing the pros/cons of Books/Audiobook to TV Shows/Youtube channels (ones that are dialogue heavy, lots of talking i.e.
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