Page 63 - How to Learn Smarter and Help Yourself to a New Language Faster!

Step 18: Record and Listen to Yourself

Self-correction is vital in being able to speak a language fluently, especially if
the learner is self-studying rather than taking part in group classes. By listening
to one's self, the individual is able to focus on the production of sounds and tones
that they need to improve or correct. This method comes in handy when a person
is learning tonal languages, such as Mandarin Chinese or Thai. These languages
are reliant on the use of pitch in language to distinguish different meanings of
words.

Thus, practice and self-correction are vital in being able to speak these kinds of
languages. One trick to adopting this method into a learner's study habits is to
mimic native speakers. The learner can get a hold of audio recordings of native
fluent speakers with which they can compare their recordings to. This method is
effective as it is a convenient and cheap way to improve one's speaking skills.