NATURE, IMPORTANCE AND PRACTICE OF LISTENING SKILL

Abstract

Of the four linguistic activities, listening is often overlooked, both in importance and practice. Yet, listening is a process, involving more than mere hearing of sounds and noises, as it includes identifying, understanding and interpreting spoken languages. It enables students become aware of language and how it is used and gives them creative use of grammar. Listening helps students acquire detailed comprehension. It assists students approach a foreign language with greater confidence and expectation of success. Small-group activities in listening stimulate their imagination, challenge them to think and ginger them to speak. Listening and vocabulary are closely related. Of equal importance is listening for overall meaning. Students highly involved in listening learn better and faster and have sounder judgments about what is heard. It is believed that listening and speaking are by far two most important communication skills. Listening skills can be taught through direct, integrated, incidental, eclectic and dialogue approaches.