HI all.
I'm a freshman in the university and I m Chinese.I've learning English for some years so that i can read it with a fairly good comprehension.But the most disturbing thing in English for me is the listening. Because i m a chinese,we Chinese don't pronunciate a single consonant with a vowel or vowels.That is ,we dont have double used or triple used consonants such as 'cl' 'fl'---i think they pronunciate a little fast for me , though i can still distinct the sounds and recognize the word. but the most annoying thing for me is the final consonants which enunciate very well.such as 'swab, swad, swath' 'late, laid,lake'if the consonant sound emitted very near, of course, i can distinguish them. but if the sound emitted more the 10 meters or more, i cant distinguish 'life show'(just give an example) from' live show' .when a person is shouting out,i cant seperate 'help' from 'hell' 'type' from 'tide' 'tie'
would u guy whose native language is English give me some advices or tips for me to overtake this difficulty?
THANKS SINCERELY

Dear Aji: Look for a private message.

Aji, welcome Aboard. While I am happy to welcome you, I am unable to provide reassurance as to your problem, except ot say that even native English speakers may often have the same difficulty. There are some members of this Board who are, or appear to be, reasonably familiar with Putonghua, and I hope that one of these people may be of more assistance. Please stay around and see what developsfrom your query. I am sure you will find this site useful and informative.

Hello, Aji, and welcome!

That's a tremendous undertaking, adapting to a language environment so different from your own. I admire you. My own experience, going from one European language to another, was not nearly so extreme. There were, however, a number of sounds I could not distinguish in speech. At first, I often mispoke or misunderstood. My only practical advice is to avoid others who share your mother tongue. Immerse yourself in English. Speak only English, read only Enlish and liisten only to English. You will get a lot of headaches, and your brain will stop working at the end of the day, but you will learn to distinguish the sounds you are having trouble with. And please, stay with us on the board.

Hello, Aji!

Do you live in a country where English is commonly spoken? If there is a class such as English as a second language (ESL) near you, perhaps you could learn to hear the sounds better there.

I have a friend who used to teach English in Hong Kong, who might be able to help you. Unfortunately, she is in the UK right now, and I am in the United States. I will ask her advice upon her return.

Best Regards,

Geoff

I have listened very closely for ommited consonant sounds from the pronunciation habits of different speakers, and aside from the differences in the "dialects" of English's throughout the world, it seems obvious that a familiarity with the most common context of words will, once acheived, fill in the missing sounds, and allow one to know the intended meaning/word. Very few people pronounce all of the scripted sounds.

This is similar to the how one's brain and eyes communicate when watching an animated cartoon - essentially "filling in" or "smoothing over" the "steps"... making it a "ramp".

I am sorry that i had made some mistakes in my expression which i think might make contracdition,though I think that you understand what i pointed out. thank you very much for all ur kind responses.

Dear Aji, Welcome!
The hard-of-hearing share your problem with word endings and sound-alike words.
There is a universal gesture to show you did not understand : simply cup your hand around your ear and look puzzled! Works every time.
New Englanders (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, especially) are notorious for swallowing the ends of words and also for dropping their voices at the end of sentences. A difficult place to live for the hard-of-hearing but a bit of acquired lip reading helps!
Look in a mirror and notice how the mouth forms the word. Perhaps a native English speaker would help you out.
Best of luck.
Do stay with us.
wow