A Listening Library?
A library is a collection of books, a place where anyone can go to get the information and resources they need. A listening library then is much the same - a place where language learners, and in this case, Turkish Language learners, can go to get the listening resources. It is also a place for learners to share their own listening files. We hope it will be a great source for listening material. As of now, the library has three sections. First is handcrafted audio, audio written by Turkish language learners and then corrected and recorded by native Turkish speakers. The second section is Narrow Listening where several Turks answer the same questions in their own words. Both are described in more detail on their respective pages. The third section is actually in print, a collection of useful articles about learning language.
Why Listen?
Well, for one, listening is a fun, stress free way to learn. You end up smiling like this guy when you are done. The problem though is finding listening material that is comprehensible. Listening material that is too hard is probably just an exercise in frustration. To build proficiency and to grow as Turkish speakers, we need to find material that is at our level. We learn language when we understand messages. That is why we understand more when we know the context or when we have clues to what is being said. The goal then of this site is to provide a clearing house of listening material that is comprehensible for a host of different levels of learners.
If you find the site useful, spread the word! Thanks.
If you find the site useful, spread the word! Thanks.
How do I use this site?
So how do you use this site? You can simply go to any of the listening pages, push play on the selected file and listen. Listen as often and as many times as you like. Or, you can download the audio file to your ipod or mp3 player or cell phone and take it with you wherever you go. This way you will always have listening material with you - comprehensible listening material. Greg Thompson talks about needing "massive amounts of comprehensible input" and we hope that this site will offer you a step up in increasing the amount of comprehensible input you receive each day. As a final step, it is important that you too contribute to the site, so get recording and send in a file or two.
Turkish Language Learners
We moved to Istanbul in January of 2008 and set off on our journey to learn Turkish. We did a lot of things right in our effort to learn Turkish, but we also made lots of mistakes, trudged through hard days, did things we now think were probably a waste of time and did not do enough of others. One of those was listen to comprehensible input. You can read articles about the importance and rational of comprehensible input in the articles page. Check a few out. We think that handcrafted audio and narrow listening are two great resources you can use to enhance your journey toward becoming a better Turkish speaker. Let us know what you think and consider contributing your own content to the site. Together we can create a great resource for all learners of Turkish. Blessings to you all on the journey.
--Aaron and Consuelo Myers
--Aaron and Consuelo Myers