Module 5: Developing Self-knowledge of ASEAN

Language Focus

Language Focus 1: Listening to a keynote speech

When listening to a keynote speech, one needs to pay attention to the inspiration point the speaker gives to the audience. We listen to key words and important vocabulary that the speaker stresses. Sometimes the speakers talk about the PowerPoint they present.


Language Focus 2: Useful vocabulary

To listen to a keynote speech and comply with other listening strategies, we must pay attention to the sentence stress, try to get the gist of the speech.

Vocabulary from the keynote speech depends on the topic of the speech. Normally, the vocabulary use is very intelligent, impressive, focused and concentrated to draw inspiration from the audience.


Language Focus 3: The overall listening process

The overall listening process includes before listening, while listening, and after listening.  To be aware of the process can help you get the message efficiently.

 

PRE-LISTENING
Before you listen to any news piece, lecture or interview, you can predict the content, use your world knowledge. Ask wh-questions to prepare yourself for the answer.


WHILE LISTENING:  listen to key words, content words, sentence stress, intonation

 

AFTER LISTENING: take notes, clarify unclear points (if any)


Language Focus 4: Listening to keywords

Before or while you listen to any piece of information, you can always ask wh-questions: What, when, where, why, how, who, whom, whose. These questions can form the content of such listening texts.

While listening you should pay attention to content words: nouns and verbs. Unless in some cases, other structure words maybe of importance. For example, if a preposition is important for the meaning, then you should pay attention to it.  Anyway, this will be stressed by the speaker e.g.‘You want to give up or give away?’