Have you ever heard of a language learning method called Shadowing?

[linguaholic]

Shadowing -- A language learning method by Alexander Arguelles

If you are interested to hear about a "new" language method, then you should have a look at the following link. It will provide you with detailed information about "Shadowing"

http://learnanylanguage.wikia.com/wiki/Shadowing

Let me know what you think about this method. If you already know the method and have been already using it, please share your experience !

[Firelily99]

No I haven't and I would be curious to learn more about it.  Anything that can help me learn a new language more efficiently is something that I would want to know more about.

[Expressionism]

It seems interesting, but it seems like it would be best to combine it with other methods as well. Since this is primarily based on listening and speaking, you'd also have to practice reading and writing, since in many languages, there's some differences between how words are spelled and how they're pronounced. Native speakers also often end up learning about the grammar of their own language, so unless you were just learning to get by on your next vacation, it'd be helpful to learn grammar and such as well. There's also the fact that this doesn't necessarily teach you vocabulary. Of course, the immersion probably helps somewhat, but if you're listening to a recording full of unfamiliar words that don't sound like anything you know so you can't make any educated guesses as to what they mean, you'd probably have to put in the effort of figuring out what they mean.

This seems like it would be helpful when trying to improve your accent and your speaking in skills in general, to sound more natural and be able to talk without pronouncing things very slowly and hesitantly, though.

[Daimashin]

Never heard about it but after looking at the link, it seems like a viable technique. It mentioned that shadowing needs to be used with other techniques as well. All in all, I think it's a good way to learn proper pronunciation of the language I'm learning. Best not to use materials that speak too fast or the one shadowing won't be able to keep up.

[lizbeth19hph]

Learning a new language using alternative or any other innovative methods  all contribute to the improvement of language proficiency. I have not heard nor have tried this Shadowing method but it doesn't hurt to give a shot.

[SirTenenbaum]

This does seem interesting and there are probably some benefits to it, but a one possible weakness jumps out at me. The biggest thing is that the learner is largely reduced to the role of a parrot repeating words and sentences fed to him/her (from what I understood in the article). Nearly all language use in real-life situations is spontaneous and creative. With Shadowing, the learner doesn't get any chance to practice creating his/her own language for a given situation. Jumping from blindly repeating things to saying something off the top of one's head would certainly be a big shock.

A good thing is that the learner is aware of the meaning of what he/she is saying since the translation is given, although there might be better ways of establishing meaning (with activities like matching, multiple choice, etc. in the target language). It's also nice to have the model of a native-speaker to imitate. Shadowing is definitely better than nothing, and it would probably be a nice element in an eclectic approach to learning a language.

[Astdua]

Interesting, first time I am hearing of it, but I am always interested in new and alternative(possibly fun too) methods and systems for language-learning.

It seems to be using an artificial system in order to ingrain phrases and language structure into an individual's mind in a rapid way, while using the principle of repetition. It sounds like it could be pretty reliable as far as audio work goes. Of course, it won't help you with the grammar very much, but useful nonetheless. I would definitely be interested in hearing some success stories.