Shadowing シャドーイング

shadōingu · from English

What is shadowing?

Shadowing is repeating audio aloud almost simultaneously with a native speaker, copying rhythm, intonation and pronunciation.

Originally an interpreter training technique, it was popularised among learners by polyglot Alexander Arguelles. It trains listening and speaking together and is especially useful for tones, pitch accent and natural flow. Short, comprehensible clips with transcripts work best.

Examples

Shadow 30 seconds of a Mandarin podcast line by line; shadow anime dialogue for Japanese pitch; walk and shadow outdoors (Arguelles style)

Kungfucius says: Talk over a native speaker until you sound like them. Rude in conversation, brilliant in practice.