How To Understand FAST Spoken English

Summary

这个视频分享了几个提高英语听力的技巧,包括多样化听力练习,不仅听准备好的演讲稿,也要听非正式对话; 学习linking sounds, intrusive r等发音技巧; 适应母语人常用的schwa等不明显的元音; 关注说话人的非语言信号,不局限在句子结构上; 学习常见的缩写词。总的来说,要深入了解发音,才能在快速英语中听懂。

Takeaways

• 👂 提高英语听力的首要建议是多样化听力练习，比如收听真人实时对话、播客和脱口秀，而不是仅限于TED演讲或官方讲话。
• 🗣️ 通过与英语母语者对话是快速提高英语听力的有效方法之一，推荐使用iTalki等在线平台。
• 📚 理解快速英语的关键之一是熟悉并模仿英语中的连读音，这有助于理解英语为何听起来像是连续不断的一个词。
• 🔊 掌握和练习使用包括'intrusive r'和省略'h'等特定连读音，这在英国英语中尤为常见。
• 🎶 将句子像唱歌一样练习可以帮助理解和模仿英语的连读现象，使得听力练习更加有效。
• 🌀 了解并熟练掌握英语中的弱读音（schwa音），这是英国英语中非常常见的元音音。
• 👀 在听力练习时，不要期待完整的句子结构。注意观察说话人的非语言提示，如面部表情和手势，以更好地理解对方的意图和情绪。
• 😎 学习和熟悉英语口语中常用的缩略语，如'gonna'（going to）、'wanna'（want to）等，这些在快速对话中非常常见。
• 📈 为了更好地理解快速英语，应该对英语的发音、连读和弱读音产生兴趣，主动研究和模仿。
• 💡 最后，要想真正提高理解快速英语的能力，需要从声音、连读到弱读音等各个方面进行练习和研究。

Q & A

为什么视频中有些发言较易理解,而另一些发言较难理解?

容易理解的发言来自准备好演讲稿的公开演说,难以理解的发言来自使用方言、无准备的年轻人的非正式谈话。

为什么连接音很重要?

连接音把词语联系在一起,英语母语者说得很快,如果不理解连接音,就很难跟上思路。

什么是间插的r音?

很多英国人会在词语之间插入一个额外的'r'音,这叫间插的r音,例如'I saw a'听起来像'I sawr a',这可能会让人困惑。

学连读音有什么好方法?

把句子唱出来,让所有的词语连接在一起,不要停顿,这有助于理解连读音。

母音中立音在英语中很常见吗?

是的,中立音在英语中很常见,出现在很多词语中,理解中立音对跟上英语语速至关重要。

英语母语者真的会说完整的句子吗?

不会,英语口语和写作不一样,我们会重复或改变话题,很少说出完整的句子。

生词和缩写会不会让理解口语更难?

会的,要学会常见的英语口语中使用的缩写,这可以减少生词和缩写造成的困难。

模仿英语方言的发音会有帮助吗?

会的,熟悉英语方言的发音可以帮助我们更好地理解口语,就像在学习一个角色。

听懂快速英语最重要的こと是什么?

最重要的是熟悉英语的语音规则,包括元音,辅音,连接音等,这是理解英语口语速度的关键。

视频中提到的iTalki对提高英语口语有帮助吗?

是的,iTalki提供真人英语老师的一对一辅导,与母语人士交谈是提高英语听力最有效的方式之一。

Outlines

00:00

😄第一段主要讲了英语口语学习的技巧

这一段主要介绍了一些提高英语口语听力的技巧。作者认为,学习者应该多样化听力练习,不仅听TED演讲,也要听非正式对话;还推荐在iTalki网站找到母语老师进行交流练习。作者认为,与人交流是提高听力最有效的方式。

05:02

😊第二段继续讲听力技巧,重点是连接语音

这一段着重讲解了英语里常见的连接语音,比如元音连接时插入的y音,辅音连接时直接读在一起,以及一些特殊的英式发音。作者建议学习者掌握这些语音,能自己发出这些音,这样听别人快速说时就不会感到困难。

10:02

🤔第三段讲解插入r的语音现象

这一段继续深入讲解英语口语里的语音连接。插入r是一些英式口音会出现的情况,是为了连接两个单词,在不该读r音的地方也发出r音。这对听力理解有挑战。学习者需要掌握这类发音规律,提高听说能力。

15:05

😮第四段介绍中性元音schwa的特征

这一段着重讲解了中性元音schwa的发音方法和识别方法。Schwa出现频率很高,需要注意。学习者需要学会这个发音,注意辨识词中的schwa,才能在快速语流中分辨单词意思。

20:09

🤗最后一段总结了以上听力技巧

最后一段概括总结了之前的几点听力技巧:学习语音声调,能够模仿英语口语;理解schwa等语音特征;注意音标拼读,分辨词意。学习者需要重视语音,才能大幅提高英语听说能力。

Keywords

💡linking sounds

视频中提到的“linking sounds”指的是英语口语中不同单词之间的连接音。这些音可以帮助单词之间流畅地连接在一起,不留空隙。比如“I actually”中的“y”音。理解这些连接音很重要,可以帮助听懂快速英语。

💡intrusive R

“Intrusive R”指在单词之间加上R音的发音方式,是许多英国口音的特点。像“I actually saw a”这句话,会发成“I actually sawR a”。熟悉这些音可以帮助理解英国人的英语。

💡schwa

视频提到schwa是英语最常见的元音之一,是一种比较neutral的中立音,像“uh”。这种音在快速英语中很常用。熟悉这种音和它出现的环境对理解英语口语很重要。

💡contractions

Contractions是缩写词,像“gonna”、“wanna”等。这些词在日常英语交流中很常用。如果不熟悉,会对理解英语口语产生困难。

💡hesitation sounds

“hesitation sounds” 如 “uh”、“eh”、“mm” 等词,表示说话人的顿挫或犹豫。英语口语中常有这些词,标志着说话人正在组织语言。这是一个正常的交流方式。

💡dialect

“dialect”指的是语言的某种方言或口音。视频提到熟悉英语不同dialect如爱尔兰英语的特点,有助于理解口语交流。

💡vowel sounds

元音发音和辅音发音都对理解英语口语很重要。视频提到要熟悉英语的元音变化,以帮助区分单词含义。

💡listening practice

多样化的英语听力练习,而不仅仅是准备好的演讲或台词,可以使耳朵适应英语口语的各种变化,从而加深理解。

💡authentic

“authentic”指的是真实的英语交际,而不是有准备的演讲或对话。与母语人士直接交流可以提供最真实的英语听力练习。

💡sounds

英语口语交流中使用到各种元音、辅音组合的“sounds”,而不仅是单词和句子本身。熟悉这些sounds以及发音方法,是理解英语的关键。

Highlights

多样化你的听力练习,不要只看TED演讲或皇室成员的演说

找一些即兴的现实秀、播客和脱口秀做听力练习,这更真实更有效

通过iTalki网上学习平台与英语母语者实际交流是提高听力的最佳途径

第一个技巧:英语口语中的链接音很难分辨,学习这些音的发音机制可以帮助理解

第二个技巧:英语口语中大量使用'to'的缩写,如gonna, wanna, tryna等

第三个技巧:英语口语中常见的尾音schwa发音,需要通过大量练习熟悉

第四个技巧:英语口语不像写作有完整的句子结构,注意口语者的身体语言和思路变化

第五个技巧:英语口语中常见새词和变化词汇,容易产生理解困难

要理解快速英语,必须熟悉其语音系统,包括辅音、元音和语调

模仿和练习英语口音是提高听力的关键

学习英式英语要注意“入侵的R”音,这在美式英语中不常见

把语句像歌曲一样念出来可以帮助练习英语单词联读

英语常把“h”音省略,这在部分英国地区尤为明显

注意英语口语中常见的填充词,如uh, eh, mm等

英语口语更像是思想的流动,而不像写作有完整的句子

Transcripts

Let me guess. You can understand English  speakers perfectly well when they talk  

at this speed. However, when ..... It's  harder to understand them. Let me help. 

[Music] Good morning, good afternoon and good  evening. Welcome to Smashing English! Before  

we start this video, be sure to subscribe  because we make new videos all the time,  

and I don't want you to miss any. So, with  that said, let's get on with the video. 

Okay, let's really learn how to understand  English native speakers, I have some tips  

that will help you. Okay, tip number one. I bet  you can understand this person. "People often  

ask me why I'm so interested in the mental health  of children and young people, and the answer is  

quite simple. Because I think that every child  should have the best possible start in life."  

And I'm pretty sure you will find it much harder  to understand this person. "I know other girls  

in relationships let these things slide, and  you know, let their boyfriends text every Tom,  

Dick and Harry." Let's try another example.  Can you understand this person? "The goal, the  

objective of economic policy should be collective  well-being. How happy and healthy a population is,  

not just how wealthy a population is." I'm just  guessing, but I think you can understand that  

person pretty well. But what about this person?  "That thing, I've not been able to sit back and  

enjoy it because you're always on the move  to the next thing, and on the move, the next  

thing. I think that's why, during lockdown, I  really struggled as well, because it was like,  

on to the next thing, and there is no next thing  now because we're all in Covid." Much harder?  

Let's figure out why. I gave you four examples  there. Two of them were quite easy to understand,  

and two of them were more of a challenge. Okay, so  the two examples that were easier to understand,  

they were talking in a public setting. They had  something that was prepared. They had a script  

or a speech written, and they were presenting to  a large group of people. The other two examples  

featured much younger speakers using a dialect  that maybe you are not familiar with. They were  

speaking in a setting where nothing was planned,  nothing was prepared, and they were just talking  

to one, maybe two people in quite an intimate  setting. So, my first tip is diversify your  

listening practice. Stop watching TED Talks.  Stop watching members of the royal family. TED  

Talks are great. I love TED Talks, but they are  presenting. They have written a script. They have  

planned and practiced what they are going to say,  and they want a large group of people to be able  

to understand them. So, of course, you'll be able  to understand them. That's their main goal. So,  

when you are doing English listening practice,  make it your mission to find things that are  

unscripted. Reality shows, podcasts, chat  shows. Diversify the listening practice,  

because then your ear is like a muscle. Your ear  will become so flexible, so adaptable. Your ear  

will be ready to listen to any voice, any dialect.  So, when you talk to someone, it's like you've  

done the hard work. This conversation is easy. I  can understand you. Moving on to my next tip. Keep  

watching for an in-depth analysis of the sounds  that make English speakers so hard to understand. 

My next tip involves a strategy that humans have  been using since the dawn of time to understand  

each other, and that is talking to another human  being. So, I want to recommend a resource that  

I myself have used for the last three and a  half years. Without a doubt, one of the best  

and most effective ways to improve your English  listening quickly is by actually speaking to an  

English native. It's authentic, it's real, and it  works. So, as most of you know, I teach and learn  

on iTalki. ITalki is an online learning platform  that offers one-to-one customised language lessons  

in over 150 languages. Although, just guessing,  you're probably going to go there for English  

lessons. But hey, I'm just assuming. There's  absolutely no subscription involved. You just  

pay for the lessons you want, 30 minutes,  45 minutes, an hour, an hour and a half,  

whatever suits you, boo. And the prices start at  only five dollars, which is amazing. Like I said,  

I teach English on italki, and I have done  for over three years, so clearly, I'm a fan.  

Aussi, j'apprends le Français sur iTalki. And it's great because I'm able to choose  

from a huge variety of teachers. They are  different ages. They have different accents,  

different speech patterns, different specialties.  So, if you're struggling with a particular accent,  

find a teacher on iTalki with that accent, and  you will notice how quickly that accent becomes  

less and less confusing because you are actually  interacting with it. When you actually engage  

with a human who is using their authentic accent,  pace, and speech patterns, it's so much easier to  

decipher what they're actually talking about. And  luckily for you, I have an excellent offer. Use  

the link in the description to start browsing  for a teacher that suits you, and if you buy  

ten dollars worth of iTalki credits, you can get  another five dollars for free using my exclusive  

promo code. You are welcome. But go quickly  because this amazing deal is only available  

to the first 50 users that get it. So go, go, go,  go. Okay, tip number three. Let's talk about the  

practicalities here, because I truly think that  this, this is the main reason why understanding  

fast English is so hard, and it's all because of  linking. It's because of those annoying linking  

sounds that everybody does. So let me talk you  through some of the most common linking sounds and  

how to understand them. I believe that the best  way to understand something is to be able to do  

it yourself. So, learn these linking sounds like  you are going to do them. Try to make them with  

your own mouth. Try to actually do them because if  you understand the mechanics of how you make the  

linking sounds, it will sound a lot less alien  when you hear someone else doing those linking  

sounds. Okay, so let's look at this sentence here.  I actually saw a dog in his window on Tuesday. I  

actually saw a dog in his window on Tuesday. Now,  can you see how that could be quite confusing  

if I say that really quickly? I actually saw a  dog on his window on Tuesday. It's crazy talk,  

crazy talk. And it's because it's like I'm saying  one big word. There are no gaps in the middle.  

It's just one long word. So, let's talk through  the linking sounds. So, the first one we've got,  

"I actually." Now, no one says, "I actually."  They don't put a gap in the middle. What we do,  

definitely in a lot of accents in the UK,  definitely in standard English, most of these  

links are based on standard English, but a lot of  them are international. Lots of different dialects  

use these linking sounds. So, when you've got an  I actually, how are we going to link that? So,  

what we're going to put in the middle  is we're going to put a "y" sound. So,  

it becomes "I actually." Why do we say "Y"? Let me  tell you. So, this is a vowel-to-vowel link. Okay,  

so we've got an "I" and then we've got an "ah." "I  - ah." All right? So there's two vowel sounds, so  

we have to create a link because they don't really  link together without putting something in there.  

"I" ends wide. Because when we do "i," it's like  we're ending on a smile. And this is the same for  

"a" and "e." So, when you've got this wide vowel,  smiley vowel, let's call them smiley vowels,  

then to get to the next word, if it starts with a  vowel, you have to put a "yuh" because it's easy  

to. Because our mouth is already wide, and when  we do "yuh," it's a wide sound as well. "I" smile  

"yuh." "Actually." "Yuh." And you just release  it. "I actually." "I actually," Like that. Okay,  

moving on to the next linking sound in this  sentence. "I actually saw a dog." Hold on a  

second. I definitely just did an "r" sound. "I  actually saw a dog." I can't see an "r" there.  

Can you? Am I? I can't see an "r." But I said  an "r," and that is because we have the feature  

called an intrusive "r." Now, if you are only  concerned with understanding American speakers,  

don't worry about the intrusive "r." But if you  want to understand a lot of people from Britain,  

you need to understand what the intrusive "r" is.  So, the intrusive "r" is when we insert an "r"  

to link to the next word, even though there's not  an "r" that is written there. We just put one in,  

and this can be extremely confusing when  you're listening to fast English because you've  

definitely heard an "r." Hold on, there was an  "r" there. What's going on? But there isn't. We've  

just put one in to help with linking. So, let's  look at the example. "I actually saw a." So, the  

reason why we're doing an "r" here is because we  have the "or" sound of "saw" and then an "a." We  

have another open vowel sound. "Saw a." So, if we  didn't have the linking "r," the intrusive "r," it  

would sound odd. It would sound like "I actually  saw. A." We would have to put a gap in there,  

but we don't like putting gaps in when we speak.  It's annoying. So, actually, "saw" feels like it  

should rhyme with "door," right? It's the same  sound. "Saw," "door." Look at the word "door."  

There's an "r" on the end. Okay, so actually, this  sound feels like it ends in an "r." The word "saw"  

kind of sounds like it ends in an "r," and that  is why we are using the "r" sound. In a lot of  

UK dialects if you have a word that could end in  an "r," it sounds the same as a word that ends in  

an "r" followed by a vowel, we're probably going  to put an intrusive "r" in there. For example,  

my name is Laura. Laura. It ends on a schwa,  but what other words end in a schwa in English?  

We have mother, father, water, better. Oh, look,  R, R, R, R, R. So, that schwa sound sometimes is  

spelled like "er." So, if I have to link my name  to something else that's a vowel, I have to put  

an "r" in there. So, I say, "Laura is." "Laura is  great." So, push yourself. Try to do the intrusive  

"r." Try to make that sound. Get familiar with  it. Get comfortable with it. Learn how it works.  

Imagine you are an actor learning an accent for a  role or something, and if you can do it, you will  

definitely understand it when you hear it. So,  now we have this. Okay, "I actually saw a dog."  

"In." Now, the next link is a little bit easier  because we have a hard consonant, "dog," and  

then a vowel. When you've got that hard consonant  followed by a vowel, just push the two together  

like it's one word. So, instead of saying,  "dog. in," you're going to say, "dog in." So,  

it's like the second part of that sound is "gin."  You've put the "g" in front of the next word. It's  

one sound. "I actually saw a dog in." Now, the  next linking sound is kind of UK-specific as well,  

because a lot of the time in the UK, we will drop  our "h's." You will hear this in parts of London,  

places like Liverpool, Birmingham. Sometimes, we  just don't like the "h." So, for example, here,  

instead of saying, "in his," we're probably going  to say, "in is." "In is." "In is." We've taken  

away that "h" completely, and we've made it into  one word. "I actually saw a dog in his." We just  

smush everything together. Everything's just  connected. "I actually saw a dog in his window  

on Tuesday." Didn't stop once. So, how can you  practice this? How can you learn how to do this?  

I have one very simple technique for you. I want  you to say a sentence like a song. When you listen  

to singers, everything is connected. Everything  goes like this. It doesn't stop. It just goes  

like this. There are no gaps in there. So, if we  sang this sentence, "I actually saw a dog in his  

window on Tuesday," it doesn't have to be a tune,  or anything. It can be straight. "I actually saw  

a dog in his window on Tuesday." Make it one  continuous sound. Don't stop the sound. So,  

practice speaking in songs. So, read a book,  but sing it. That's my best advice for you.  

Sing. Connect things together. You've got to  become best friends with linking sounds if you  

want to understand fast English. Okay, moving on  to my next tip. If you want to understand fast  

spoken English, especially with speakers from the  UK, you have to be prepared for the schwa. Okay,  

the schwa is everywhere. It's the most common  vowel sound in British English. It happens all  

the time, and if you're listening to someone  speaking, it might just sound like you're  

hearing the same sound over and over again,  and it can be very hard to differentiate. Okay,  

so that was a schwa, but it's an "o." That was  a schwa, but it's an "a." That's all over the  

place. Okay, so if you are not familiar,  a schwa sounds like this: uh, uh, uh, uh. 

It's not a very cheery sound. It's not  very happy. It's pretty miserable. Uh,  

Uh, Uh, Uh, Staying alive, staying alive. It's  just neutral. Nothing happens with the mouth,  

nothing happens with the tongue. "Uh." In  a standard English dialect, this sentence  

would sound a little something like this. "I was  a doctor for two years, a teacher for four years,  

and then an administrator because I love change."  Did you hear that 'uh' all the way through? And  

a schwa doesn't have to be one letter. A schwa  isn't always an "a" or an "e." It's very hard to  

spot because they just happen all the time. So,  for example, on a word like "doctor," "teacher,"  

these "er" or "or" ending words, that will be a  schwa. So, "doctor," "teacher," "administrator,"  

that will be a schwa. Also, the word "for," a lot  of the time, we don't complete that sound. We just  

go "fuh" A doctor for two years, a teacher for  seven years. We're not even completing the word.  

We're just saying "fuh." Also, the word "was"  can become "was." "Was." "Was." "W-u-z." "I was  

a doctor." "I was a doctor for two years." "I was  a doctor for two years, a teacher for seven years,  

and an administrator." "An administrator."  The schwa just takes over. So, you have to  

be prepared to hear it, and you have to know when  to do it and how to do it. So, do some research,  

practice. Become, like I said, like an actor  who's learning an accent. Become fascinated by the  

sounds. If you are not interested in the sounds  that English speakers are making, you'll never  

understand them when they speak quickly because  you're not curious about the sounds. Okay, moving  

on to my next tip. So, my next piece of advice  for you is stop listening for sentences. Stop  

waiting for the sentence to have a nice end. Stop  waiting for the thought to be completed. We don't  

speak in sentences. Listen to your own native  language or listen to how you speak with people.  

It's very rare that we have clean sentences that  have a lovely beginning, middle, and an end. It's  

not the same as writing. We get distracted. We  say the start of a sentence, and then we forget,  

and then we say something else. So, if you have a  target dialect that you are trying to understand,  

let's say you really want to understand, um, Irish  English. You're moving to Dublin, and you want to  

understand the Irish dialect, and you want to  know how to understand fast Irish speakers,  

then learn what their hesitation sound is.  Because some people go, "Uh." Some people go,  

"Eh." Some people go, "Mm." Some people go mmm.  Figure out what that sound is." Because you don't  

want the hesitation sound to confuse you, and try  to follow physical cues. If you can pay attention  

to the person's face and their gestures, try  to follow their thoughts. Don't just listen  

to the words they are saying, because most of our  communication comes from non-verbal communication.  

So, if I'm talking to you, but I stop, and  maybe I move on to this thought, you can tell  

that I stopped this thought and I moved on to this  thought just by paying attention to my features.  

So, if you watch podcasts, that's really great.  You know, a lot of podcasts, they have videos now,  

so you can watch the person who is speaking  and try to follow their train of thought,  

because we never talk in sentences. It's very  rare. So, this is another reason why I don't  

want you to watch anything scripted, because  when it's scripted, ah, beginning, middle,  

end, beginning, middle, end. But that's  not how we speak in everyday life. Okay,  

moving on. Sometimes it's not that your English  listening is really bad. It's that the person you  

are listening to is using new words that you've  not heard before, or they are taking words that  

you think you know, but they've changed it. So let's talk about contractions, because we  

love contractions. English native speakers do it  all the time, and I think these might be some of  

the things that confuse you. So, for example, the  one that everyone knows: "gonna." Okay, instead of  

"going to," we say "gonna." "I'm gonna love this  film tonight. I really think I'm gonna love it." 

What about "wanna?" Instead of "want to," we say  "wanna." "I don't wanna go." "I don't wanna go."  

This one you might not know, "Tryna," instead  of "trying to." "I'm tryna to find my keys." 

What about "gimme?" "Gimme," "give me that."  "Hey, give me that." "Dunno" instead of "don't  

know." "I don't know." "I don't know." "Is not"  becomes "ain't." "Ain't." "I ain't going." This  

one you might not know, "Lemme" instead of "let  me." "Lemme." "Lemme see." "Hey, lemme see." 

"Init," instead of "isn't it." It's  like a clarification that we use a  

lot in the UK. So "it's Tuesday, init?"  "Kinda," instead of "kind of." Again,  

we're turning that "of" into a schwa. So it's  not "kind of," it's "kinda." "I'm kinda hungry." 

And "dya," instead of "do you." People say, "Dya  want that?" "Dya want to go to the cinema?" "Dya  

want to go to the cinema?" "Dya want to go to the  cinema?" You've got to learn these contractions.  

You've got to be familiar with them because they  happen a lot, and I don't want that to confuse  

you when people are talking in fast English. So in conclusion, if you want to understand fast  

English from native speakers, you need to learn  the sounds that they are making. If possible,  

you should be able to do their accent.  You should be able to mimic their linking  

sounds. You should know what a schwa is. You  should be able to recognise what a schwa is.  

You should know the difference between "dad"  and "dead." You should know the difference  

in those vowel sounds. So you've got to  become fascinated by sounds, consonants,  

and vowels. Get involved. Do your research, and  you will notice a huge difference, I promise you. 

Thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed  this video, please give it a like. If you would  

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exclusive promo code down below. Thank you so much  for watching, and I'll see you next time, tata!