@mattvsjapan
Hey Olly! I'm actually a pretty big proponent of shadowing. The clip of me you featured is from a video where I specifically explain why I don't think shadowing is effective for beginners. For intermediate and advanced learners, I think it's a great technique to build up muscle memory around the physical act of pronouncing a language. I actually have a video about my preferred shadowing setup, which makes it easier to hear your target language and your own voice at the same time!
@charlesz8531
I did shadowing in the 80s. I walked around a quiet place while holding my radio near my ear almost everyday (I didn't have a cassette player at the time which turned out to be a blessing in disguise). I was repeating whatever was being broadcast on BBC (world news) and I could only understand about 5% (I was imagining myself speaking like a native broadcaster). I persevered for about a year when my English teacher started using BBC World News for our listening classes during which I learned the vocabulary very fast and everything clicked together beautifully. Within a couple of months my listening and speaking improved tremendously. Shadowing definitely works.
@estleentjie8062
The benefit of shadowing is also that you need to actively listen so you're likely to subconsciously pick up on grammar patterns and identify commonly used words - this gives you a better idea of what you should go actively study after shadowing - "Oh I heard 'watashi' 10 times in that 5 minute conversation, I wonder what it means?", "Why do I keep haring desu at the end, what is that?"
@nicolasreyes6221
I've learnt something about learning languages: it depends on you, on what you want to achieve, on what you want to do, your likes and dislikes, etc. So, at the end of the day a certain technique, like shadowing, might be helpful for you, or not. Luckily the internet is full of techniques and opinions that can be used to build your own personal learning method. The important thing is to have and open mind and try different things, eventually you'll find what works best for you.
@lincolndiasramos
It has improved my English immensely. It's not to meant to be the sole or main learning method. It's for when you already know most of the vocabulary you are listening to and your goal to focus on flow, pronunciation and intonation.
@jonathangamble
Matt V Japan is 100% pro-shadowing. The video you quoted was talking about shadowing at the beginning. He has several videos where he shows the specifics. I used his set up and it changed what I could hear dramatically vs just repeating without headphones. I would bet money it would be scientifically proven to help. If for no other reason, it is targeted listening.
@nendoakuma7451
I’ve heard that some interpreting schools teach people to shadow, sometimes in the same language. It helps interpreters be able build up their short term memory to be able to remember a paragraph and then translate it
@msjennable
The biggest thing that shadowing helps with is recall.when you pre anticipate what someone is going to say, it makes it come to your brain faster. Helps in everyday conversation like pre-loading our brains with subjects.... Listen to the audio first and then go through it again repeating... But you're right, not one method works only, have to do a combination of different things to balance it out like a dance!
@dontaefranklin6804
I have used shadowing off and on in my Spanish journey. I think that as a beginner and intermediate it wasn't very helpful for me but now that I am farther along i find it quite helpful. I listen to tons of audiobooks so sometimes when I'm listening i just repeat on auto pilot. I am usually 1 or 2 words behind. It helps me with just being able to get words out without thinking. It's almost automatic and it's like I don't even have to think at all, the words just come out by themselves. I will sometimes shadow before my Italki lessons and it helps me speak a little faster and with more fluidity. Sometimes I'll shadow for up to 30 minutes until I can't keep up anymore , But I never stop the audiobook. So my shadowing lessons turn into a listening lesson whenever I stop repeating. I think that shadowing is better with very long texts and going for long periods of time. Don't analyze, don't stop, if you mess up then just keep going and go until you just can't anymore. Then just listen and relax!
@dingusmoped
Basically, the enjoyable version of shadowing are songs. Loads of studies (Tim Murphy) show songs to be highly effective. While different than normal speech, the songs (if catchy) certainly inspire shadowing spontaneously, increase memory recall and raise learning interest.
@YogaBlissDance
I casually do chanting in Sanskrit, and this is the method, once I've listened a few time, I chant along with the audio, it certainly helps me to memorize and pronounce well.
@medusa210562
I listen to 10 seconds of an audio with text (following the text with my eyes) and then read it aloud, and then move on to the next paragraph, I am 100% it helps me that way.
@AlexWitoslawski
I think your video is quite fair and balanced, Olly. I personally enjoy doing some shadowing, just for pronunciation practice. I'm learning Russian and have noticed that I think I know a word because I understand it, but then find that I can't pronounce it during conversation, simply because there are too many damn syllables and I've never had practice pronouncing the word. But you're right, at least in my experience, extensive input is what allows me to build my base of knowledge before I worry about pronunciation.
@hopperhelp1
MattvsJapan doesn’t have an issue with shadowing. It’s in his Refold program. However that’s for the output stage. That can only happen when you have enough input of your target language before you attempt to speak it.
@marinavoyage
Shadowing definitely works and helps.. a lot! The thing is, like Matt said, for you to be able to follow this method correctly, you will need to first be able to listen correctly. Not everyone can pick up patterns or pay attention to every syllable. Especially if you’re a beginner. If you ask some people to repeat exactly what you’re saying, they will only copy what they were able to pick up. And a lot of the times people think they’re saying exactly what they’re hearing, when they actually aren’t. So before shadowing, I think we should practice our listening and ability to pick up patterns quickly.
@lursf9316
i'm doing beginner danish off of assimil and for each sentence i do one where i just listen, one where i listen-and-repeat and finally the last one where i shadow. it's working out pretty well. and the shadowing immediately lets me know where i have problems. so yes it works, and it helps even at the beginner stage for me.
@ossokosandrinezita525
Hello Olly! I really like your video. I practice shadowing in English as an aspiring interpreter. I' m a native french speaker, it helped me to build up my vocabulary and to sound like a native English speaker. Shadowing helps me to train my skills as an interpreter. Thanks Olly for your videos, by the way, I shadow you because I like your accent.
@crazypatrickteacher
I recommend (mostly simple) shadowing for reluctant speakers at (almost) any level.
@ayeshachouhan3251
Correct,genuine and authentic text reading of target language kicks start writing likewise listening in speaking
@storylearning