Does this help?

[Denis Hard]

Maybe things work differently for different people so I'd like to find out if this theory has any truth in it:

According to some 'language expert' when learning a language you should listen to it for a long time [this could be up to one year] so that you can 'acquire an ear' for the language. After that, learning how to speak the language will be faster.

So, is that true or false?

[shamzblueworld]

Yes it is true, and I have learned the language same way, I just paid listened and paid attention in understanding it and speaking came easily afterwards. So this is a good tip and a recommended way of learning.

[g2narat]

I have never heard of that tip. Maybe I'll try it. Sounds easier that diving head first into a new language. Of course, it may not be that practical. I mean, sometimes you don't have a whole year to learn a new language let alone just listen to a language. But if this is something you have time for, then I think it's worth a try.

[Baburra]

I think there is some truth in this. I lived with people who spoke a different language for years and after a while I definitely picked up a good number of words and phrases from them even though they never spoke to me in that language in conversations.

[Peninha]

That tip is first to me, but at the same time it doesn't surprise me because we know that being exposed to a language makes it easier for us to learn it. If we know the sounds and we listen to the structure it's almost half way to learning it.

[Cookiesandcream]

Never heard of this tip either but it does sound interesting. Like a kid picks up on languages fast because he's around to 'acquire an ear' for the particular language. Maybe it's the same with adults after all?

[sidney]

I think that that technique is the same as immersion. You immerse yourself in the people who speak the language, so in the long run, you acquire an "ear" for it.

[wander_n_wonder]

It is true.  It's very much aligned to the belief that practice makes perfect.  It's like practicing your ear to hear the language and so that you do not find it weird anymore.  The more used you are to the language, the more you are able to adapt to it.

I experienced that although it did not really take me one year to get used to it.  It's just about 3 months of continuously living in that place and then constantly hearing people speak it. 

[Rosa]

It does sound like a good idea although I have never heard this one before. I think it would make a lot of sense to do that because over all we learn better when we observe or listen to things first then approach after. It's like being in a classroom and the teacher starts a new topic and the students are advised to put all pens and pencils down and listen carefully.

[fluffyducky]

Ooh, this is probably related to how a child learns languages very well if they are taught in the environment where only that language is spoken. I guess as an adult it also helps a lot? For me, it sorta worked, because after I watched a lot of Chinese dramas I got better at Chinese, and I got a starting vocabulary (and interest) in learning Japanese. I apparently speak quite well, according to some of my native speaker friends, but I'm still quite hopeless at writing, so I guess it doesn't help in that department!

[Litnax]

According to some 'language expert' when learning a language you should listen to it for a long time [this could be up to one year] so that you can 'acquire an ear' for the language. After that, learning how to speak the language will be faster.

So, is that true or false?

Sounds pretty much like an immersion technique to me. And yes, this definitely works. That's how I learnt English and how I acquired 'an ear' for Japanese. 

[justusforus]

I do not know of any particular study, but it seems familiarity will help in any learning context.  I would compare it to watching a sport before taking formal lessons in that sport.  You would be able to be a bystander and learn the general "lay of the land" before partaking.  I can't imagine it could hurt and could see that it may make it easier to acquire a new language skill by immersion in it.

[JohnSword]

I can definitely say that it works, given that I was actually able to pick up the Hokkien dialect by listening to my parents speak it when I was young.

Even now that I'm older, I would say that listening to a language for a long time is still pretty effective. I've been exposed to Korean for about a year, which has enabled me to pick up a few sentences here and there.

[David]

It's a really neat idea! As someone who's really interested in beginning to learn Spanish I may just have to give this a go!

[Lacey]

I have heard that if you go to sleep listening to the language that you will learn it a lot faster.  I think that there is something to be said for listening to it.  I don't personally have the patience to just listen to it for a year without immersing myself in the culture and reading and meeting people, but I do know that listening to it really helps with the accent and it also helps to understand the words faster.

[Pink Glitter]

I have heard that if you go to sleep listening to the language that you will learn it a lot faster.  I think that there is something to be said for listening to it.  I don't personally have the patience to just listen to it for a year without immersing myself in the culture and reading and meeting people, but I do know that listening to it really helps with the accent and it also helps to understand the words faster.

I have also heard that listening to language in your sleep will help you get a better grasp on learning. I have never tried this but have always been tempted.There is no telling if it really works but it could not hurt. I think what really works is the whole pratice of repetition.