I heard an interesting programme on BBC Radio 4 yesterday about reading aloud. It discussed how people studied the skill of reading aloud during the 18th century, including how to stand, how to hold your head, and what to do with your hands and face. There were manuals which taught people how to read aloud in the style of admired readers of the time. The presenter also talked to people how regularly read aloud to their children and/or to each other, and they said that it’s a skill that comes with practice.
Do you read aloud to yourself and/or to others? If you do, what kind of things do you read?
If you enjoy reading aloud in your own language, or in other languages, maybe you could share some examples with visitors to Omniglot.
When reading books and other material in foreign languages I often read aloud. I find it helps me understand what I’m reading and to work out which words go together and how they’re related. It is also a good way to practise your pronunciation. It’s better if you have a native speaker to help, or an audiobook to listen to, but even without these aids, it’s still a useful thing to do. If I’m reading a story I might try to give each character a different voice. Sometimes I even read English texts aloud, particularly things I’ve written. I find this helps me to spot mistakes and to check the flow of the text.
Reading aloud to your kids is one of the best things you can do for them, I really think the fact that my parents did that for me helped greatly in getting me interested in books, reading, and learning in general.
Cheers,
Andrew
I try to read aloud to my children every day, if possible. Poetry, picture books, kids’ chapter books, novels. It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my life. It’s a family tradition.
I sometimes read aloud to myself if I’m reading something in a foreign language. But that’s not as much fun.
At my high school many winters ago we had an English teacher who rewarded her classes with a ‘happy reading day’ once a week if we behaved. She was a great reader, and we students really loved it, and I’m talking high school seniors. It’s a practice I have maintained as a teacher whenever possible, and though I find today’s students a bit surprised at the idea, end up enjoying it as much as I did.