The echo method developed by Professor Karen Chung utilizes our echoic memory to help language learners achieve near-native accents, allowing them to listen, replay in their minds, and mimic sentences or phrases for closer mimicry of native speech.
Karen Chung emphasizes the importance of pronunciation and accents in language learning, disagreeing with the belief that communication is sufficient, as good pronunciation shows respect for the other person and improves trust and closeness in human interactions.
Deep dives
The Echo Method: Achieving Near-Native Accents
Professor Karen Chung, an experienced linguistics professor, developed the echo method to help language learners achieve near-native accents. The echo method takes advantage of our echoic memory, allowing learners to listen to a sentence or phrase, let it replay in their minds, and then mimic it out loud. By doing so, learners can mimic native speech more closely. Karen emphasizes the importance of pronunciation and accents, disagreeing with the belief that communication is sufficient, as good pronunciation shows respect for the other person. She shares her own language learning journey and provides a demonstration of the echo method, which has proven effective in improving pronunciation and achieving native-like accents.
The Power of Echoic Memory in Language Learning
Karen Chung discovered the power of echoic memory in language learning while teaching English. She observed that students were rehearsing their own performance while she was still speaking, which hindered their ability to listen. By implementing the echo method, where students listen to the teacher, let the audio replay in their minds, and then speak, a significant improvement in pronunciation and accent clarity can be achieved. The technique makes learners more aware of unconscious mistakes and helps them overcome challenges, such as mastering tones in Mandarin Chinese. Karen highlights the need for patience, repetition, and attentiveness to effectively utilize echoic memory in language learning.
The Role of Motivation and Practice in Language Learning
Karen Chung emphasizes that motivation and practice are key in language learning, regardless of innate talent. Individuals may differ in the speed at which they learn, but dedication and perseverance are crucial. Motivated learners can overcome challenges, such as struggling with tones or pronunciation, and achieve high levels of fluency. Karen encourages learners to focus on the goal of improving communication, gaining trust, and building relationships. She references her own experience and the fact that even slower learners can excel with enough practice and determination.
Learning Pronunciation: Importance of Respect and Attention
Karen Chung asserts that pronunciation is not solely about being understood, but also about showing respect for the person you are communicating with. By striving for good pronunciation, learners can make interactions easier and more comfortable for native speakers. Karen challenges the common belief that accents don't matter, emphasizing that pronunciation impacts trust and closeness in human interactions. She shares the example of Mark Zuckerberg's Mandarin speaking, highlighting the importance of listening and repetition to correct pronunciation and develop a native-like accent.
My Roadmap to Learning Mandarin Tones: http://imlearningmandarin.com/2022/02/12/its-never-too-late-to-learn-chinese-tones-heres-how/
On today’s podcast, I chat with a very distinguished guest. Someone who has designed a technique she believes can help learners of any language achieve near native accents.
Karen Chung from the USA has lived in Taiwan for more than 30 years and for most of that time has worked as a linguistics professor at the National Taiwan University.
In 2018 a Ted Talk which she delivered in flawless Mandarin received over a million views and brought her methods to the attention of a large international audience.
In the video she explains her accent training technique which she calls the echo method. The method which is based on her own learning experiences takes advantage of our echoic memory.
First we listen to a sentence or phrase in our target language, waiting for the audio to replay or echo in our minds, before finally mimicking it out loud. Doing it this way allows us to mimic native speech much more closely than conventional listen and repeat methods.
In this podcast, we explore her own language learning journey, how she learned Mandarin to such a high level and why she disagrees with conventional language learning opinion which argues accents don’t matter as long as we can more or less make ourselves understood.
She also kindly agreed to give me a brief demonstration of her method to help improve my own Mandarin accent.
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