The video clips in this course are not scripted; they include language which the people we interviewed used naturally. The materials include vocabulary and grammar you may not fully understand. Even this, however, is an important part of the process of learning a new language. It is likely that you understand some of what you are seeing and hearing to begin with, and that you can build on this one step at a time. Some language courses script audio visual materials and focus on the vocabulary and grammar being taught at that moment. This is useful for learning to reinforce expressions and phrases, but authentic materials prepare the learner for hearing Spanish in real life.
Being able to predict what a speaker might say will help you listen out for language you are familiar with. Anticipating what you might hear prepares you to identify individual words or details such as names or places.
In this section, you are going to practise listening out for people’s personal details by anticipating what people might say when introducing themselves.
Figure 1 Introductions
Before you watch a series of videos in the next activity, choose three aspects from the following list that you would mention to introduce yourself and write them down in the box.
Which expressions would you expect to hear when someone introduces themselves? Match the expressions with the different categories of information.
Edad ➜ Tengo… años
Edad
Nacionalidad
Lugar de origen
Nombre
Profesión
Lugar de residencia
Tengo… años
Soy…
Nací en…
Me llamo…
Trabajo de/en…
Vivo en…
Now listen to the six speakers in the video below, and complete the following table with the information they provide about themselves.
Video content is not available in this format.
Nombre | Edad | Lugar de origen (país) | Lugar de residencia |
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Manuel Rivero |
Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Paloma Zancajo | 50 años |
Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Celia Sánchez Ramos |
Provide your answer...
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Zaragoza | |
Antonio Feal Dopico |
Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Amalia Schubert Arévalo(s) |
Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Andrés Ponga Colina |
Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Provide your answer...
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Knowing aspects of the theme, the context or the speakers can help you predict the content of what you are going to listen to. For instance, while watching a movie you will be able to identify a situation where people greet or introduce each other so this social context will help you to listen out for and recognise some of the key words likely to come up in this context. Knowing that in such a situation you will most likely hear the names of people and specific places will help you to be alert and prepared for when that happens. At this stage the most important thing is that you are able to identify when these are expressed. As in your own language, you may not clearly capture those names, but you can recognise when they are said in the sentence. Predicting is about knowing when to expect them.
None of the people you heard talked about their occupation or nationality, and only some mentioned where they live. However, by looking at the surrounding background you could make a guess at where they live. The additional visual clues of how they are dressed also provide you with crucial contextual information about what they might do for a living and what they might be talking about in their introduction.
Being able to understand names and places can tell you a lot about what the speaker intends to say. However, it can be difficult to pronounce and understand foreign names because often we apply the sounds, stress patterns and intonation of our mother tongue.
In this section, you can listen how Spanish people pronounce the sounds of names in English. Pay attention to the following aspects:
Video content is not available in this format.
When it comes to understanding native Spanish speakers knowing what kind of pronunciation to expect will help you catch places and names more easily.
Although the consonant h is not pronounced at all in Spanish, Spanish speakers usually pronounce English names and words with h making them sound like a Spanish j (jota, jamón, personaje, etc.).
The combination s+consonant in a syllable does not exist in Spanish. Words that contain this combination of consonants often start with the vowel ‘e’ (español, estructura, Esteban, estilo) When it comes to pronouncing this combination of consonants in English, Spanish speakers therefore tend to replicate this common combination and create an extra syllable, pronouncing an e in front of the s: Scarlet is pronounced as Escarlet.
Having listened to native Spanish speakers in Actividades 3 and 4, now think of the following:
How do you think a Spanish speaker would pronounce your name and surname?
How would they pronounce the place where you are from and where you live?
How would you help him / her to pronounce those names correctly in English?
Take into consideration what you know about pronunciation of certain consonants and differences in sounds and intonation.
Now it is your turn to say something about yourself. Remember that when talking about yourself in Spanish, you need to be aware that a native Spanish speaker might find it difficult to understand names and places in English. To help them, slow down if necessary, without exaggerating too much.
As a last resort, native speakers of other languages sometimes adapt their pronunciation to imitate a Spanish native speaker, pronouncing ‘h’ like a ‘j’ and adding extra ‘e’ at the front of words that start with ‘s+ consonant'.
Say out loud your name, your age, the name of the place where you were born and where you live using the prompts provided. Imagine you are introducing yourself to a group of Spanish speakers. Put yourself in their shoes and make sure that they understand the pronunciation of all names and places.
Use some or all of the following prompts to help you structure your introduction.