Newsgroups: sci.lang
From: Andre@shappski.demon.co.uk (Andre Shapps)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!udel!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!peernews.demon.co.uk!shappski.demon.co.uk!Andre
Subject: Re: Shortwave radio as language-learning tool
References: <howYcXA.padrote@delphi.com> <3j1ptp$mnk@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>
Organization: Myorganisation
Reply-To: Andre@shappski.demon.co.uk
X-Newsreader: Newswin Alpha 0.7
Lines:  47
X-Posting-Host: shappski.demon.co.uk
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 23:45:45 +0000
Message-ID: <846530592wnr@shappski.demon.co.uk>
Sender: usenet@demon.co.uk

In article: <3j1ptp$mnk@lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk>  etg10@cl.cam.ac.uk (Edmund 
Grimley-Evans) writes:
> 
> >    I am writing an article on the use of shortwave radio as an aid to
> > learning languages. I have heard of people who learned English this way,
> > listening to VOA broadcasts. I wonder if anyone would care to share their
> > anecdotes with me, or point me to some other articles which have been
> > written on the subject. Thanks.

Living so close to (well in, actually) Europe, we receive radio in most European 
languages on MW and even some reasonable quality FM broadcasts. In addition most 
of the major European stations are available by satelite and hence cable.

I have tried learning languages by listening to foreign radio stations just on the 
off chance that it helps, but I honestly couldn't swear that it does. Anecdotally, 
an Australian friend of mine whose father is Chek said that he learnt English 
entirely by listening to the radio, which is the reason that his English is 
slightly strange.

I can't see how much you could learn with radio as your only reference. Perhaps 
you'd end up imposing your own meanings on words and phrases. Maybe you would 
happily listen to the radio, oblivious to the fact that you've developed a 
completely coherent, yet incorrect, interpretation of the language in question. 
Unlikely I think.

Of more use I have found is TV, which we also have in abundance from mainland 
Europe. Indeed, the Dutch have been able to receive our broadcast channels for 
many years (it's now available to the on cable as well) and Dutch people I've 
spoken to include that fact as a factor that helps them learn English (along wiht, 
presumably, an excellent system of language teaching in schools).

Again on its own it's not that much use, but this time last year my French was up 
to the level of someone who'd learnt if for 5 years in an English school, i.e. 
negligable. After having the French channel TV5 on constantly while working for 
several months I still couldn't speak, but I found that by half way through a two 
week holiday in Morroco I got really confident. I can honestly say that most of my 
French comes from watching French TV, which I now find I can follow quite 
comfortably.

Of great help on TV5 are the French movies they show. They are usually good and 
always have subtitles in French at the bottom of the screen, which may be to help 
deaf people, but I think it's to help non francophones to learn French. It really 
does.
-- 
Andre Shapps

