1.

Listening − defined as a process or an activity of paying attention to what one hears and
trying to understand or to get the meaning conveyed or implied by the speaker.
2. 4. Just like the other macro-communication skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing),
listening can be required, learned, and practiced. When we listen effectively, we really pay
attention and think about what we hear, what we understand, and what we remember.
3. 5. We are successful in listening when we are able to comprehend what speakers mean
when they use certain words in certain ways on certain occasions. According to experts,
listening entails comprehending a “speaker’s accent or pronunciation, his grammar and his
vocabulary, and grasping his meaning”. −Howatt and Daking 1974 as cited by Yagang 1994
4. 6. 2.Guess 3.Use There are specific listening skills called “enabling skills” that one needs to
develop. Yagang cited Willis’ list of these micro-skills: 1.Predict 5.Retain 6.Recognize
4.Identify 8.Understand 9.Understand 7.Recognize ─ Predicting what people are going to
talk about. ─ Identifying relevant points; rejecting irrelevant information. ─ Recognizing
cohesive devices, e.g. including link words, pronouns, references, etc. ─ Understanding
different intonation patterns and uses of stress. ─ Retaining relevant points (note-taking,
summarizing). ─ Guessing at unknown words or phrases without panicking. ─ Using one’s
own knowledge of the subject to help one understand. ─ Recognizing discourse markers
e.g., Well; Oh, another thing is; Now, finally; etc. ─ Understanding inferred information, e.g.,
speakers’ attitudes or intentions.
5. 7. The process of Listening How is listening processed? LESSON 2
6. 8. Listening according to experts is a dynamic, transactional, an active and complex process
rather than stagnant, linear, passive and an easy one. The process of listening can be
illustrated as a series of stages: Hearing Identifying and Recognizing Auding Brooks, 1993
as cited by Bulan and De Leon, 2002.