Pratique du Shadowing: Why We Should Draw More (and Photograph Less) - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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Whenever something looks interesting or beautiful, there's a natural impulse to want to capture and preserve it.
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Which means, in this day and age, that we're likely to reach for our phones and take a picture.
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Though this might seem like an ideal solution, there's a big problem associated with it.
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We're likely to be so busy taking the pictures, we forget to look at the world, whose beauty and interests prompted us to take a photograph in the first place.
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These problems seem to be very much of today, a consequence of the tiny phones in our pockets.
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But they were noticed right at the beginning of the history of photography, when the average camera was the size of a grandfather clock.
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The first person to notice them was the English art critic John Ruskin.
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He was very impressed by cameras, at first, but gradually he grew very suspicious of them, believing that they blinded us to our surroundings.
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To try to correct this blindness, Ruskin recommended that all of us take up drawing.
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Not with a view to becoming great artists, but simply because through the act of trying to recreate on paper what we see in the world,
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we study it in a way we never do when we simply take a photograph.
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Summing up what he had attempted to do in four years of teaching and writing manuals on drawing, Ruskin wrote, Let two persons go out for a walk,
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the one a good sketcher, the other having no taste of the kind.
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Let them go down a green lane.
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There will be a great difference in the scene as perceived by the two individuals.
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The one will see a lane and trees.
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He will perceive the trees to be green, though he will think nothing about it.
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He will see that the sun shines and that it has a cheerful effect.
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And that's all.
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But what will the sketcher see?
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His eye is accustomed to search into the cause of beauty and penetrate the minutest parts of loveliness.
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He looks up and observes how the showery
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and subdivided sunshine comes sprinkled down among the gleaming leaves overhead till the air is filled with an emerald light.
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He will see here and there a bough emerging from the veil of leaves.
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He will see the jewel brightness of the emerald moss and the variegated and fantastic lichens, white and blue, purple and red,
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all mellowed and mingled into a single garment of beauty.
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Then come the cavernous trunks and the twisted roots that grasp with their snake-like coils at the steep bank,
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whose turfy slope is inlaid with flowers of a thousand dyes.
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Is this not worth seeing?
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Yet if you are not a sketcher, you will pass along the green lane, and when you come home again have nothing to say
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or to think about it but that you went down such and such a lane.
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Thank you.

Context & Background

The video titled "Why We Should Draw More (and Photograph Less)" explores the significance of drawing as a means of enhancing our observation skills. The speaker discusses how modern habits, particularly the tendency to photograph everything using our smartphones, may cause us to overlook the intricacies of our surroundings. Drawing, as advocated by art critic John Ruskin, serves as a tool for deeper engagement with the beauty around us. Through the act of sketching, we can heighten our awareness and appreciation for the world, leading to richer experiences and reflections beyond a simple photograph.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • Capture and preserve: This phrase signifies the desire to hold on to beautiful moments or scenes.
  • Natural impulse: Refers to an instinctive behavior or reaction that comes naturally to a person.
  • Blindness to our surroundings: Describes a state where one fails to notice the beauty and details around them.
  • Accustomed to search: Indicates a habit of actively looking for details or information.
  • A great difference: Suggests that two people can perceive the same situation in vastly different ways.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Engaging with this video can significantly boost your English speaking practice using the shadowing technique. Here’s an effective guide to tackle the video’s content:

  1. Watch and Listen: First, watch the video without any distractions. Pay close attention to pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm.
  2. Pause and Repeat: Use the pause feature frequently. After each segment, repeat what the speaker says, mimicking their speech patterns. This helps in internalizing the phrases discussed.
  3. Focus on Key Phrases: Give extra attention to the top 5 phrases. Try to use these in your daily conversations to reinforce them in your vocabulary.
  4. Practice Out Loud: Rather than just repeating silently, practice speaking out loud. This simulates real-life conversation and improves fluency.
  5. Record Yourself: To gauge your progress, record your voice while shadowing. Compare it with the original audio to identify areas for improvement.

By applying the shadow speech method as suggested in this guide, you can not only learn English with YouTube but also enhance your observation and communication skills, just as Ruskin advocated for deeper awareness through drawing.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.