Shadowing Practice: Listening part four (The impact of digital technology on the Icelandic language) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Part 4.
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You will hear a lecturer on a languages course talking about the impact of digital technology on Icelandic,
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the native language of Iceland.
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First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Right, everyone, let's make a start.
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Over the past few sessions, we've been considering the reasons why some world languages are in decline,
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and today I'm going to introduce another factor that affects languages, and the speakers of those languages,
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and that's technology, and in particular, digital technology.
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In order to illustrate its effect, I'm going to focus on the Icelandic language, which is spoken by around 321,000 people,
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most of whom live in Iceland, an island in the North Atlantic Ocean.
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The problem for this language is not the number of speakers, even though this number is small, nor is it about losing words to other languages, such as English.
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In fact, the vocabulary of Icelandic is continually increasing, because when speakers need a new word for something,
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they tend to create one, rather than borrowing from another language.
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All this makes Icelandic quite a special language.
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It's changed very little in the past millennium, yet it can handle 21st century concepts related to the use of computers and digital technology.
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Take, for example, the word for web browser.
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This is Vafri in Icelandic, which comes from the verb to wander.
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I can't think of a more appropriate term because that's exactly what you do mentally when you browse the internet.
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Then there's an Icelandic word for podcast, which is too hard to pronounce, and so on.
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Icelandic, then, is alive and growing, but, and it's a big but, young Icelanders spend a great deal of time in the digital world,
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and this world is predominantly English.
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Think about smartphones.
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They didn't even exist until comparatively recently, but today, young people use them all the time to read books,
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watch TV or films, play games, listen to music and so on.
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Obviously, this is a good thing in many respects because it promotes their bilingual skills,
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but the extent of the influence of English in the virtual world is staggering, and it's all happening really fast.
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For their parents and grandparents, the change is less concerning because they already have their native speaker skills in Icelandic, but for young speakers, well,
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the outcome is a little troubling.
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For example, teachers have found that playground conversations in Icelandic secondary schools can be conducted entirely in English,
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while teachers of much younger children have reported situations where their
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classes find it easier to say what is in a picture using English rather than Icelandic.
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The very real and worrying consequence of all this is
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that the young generation in Iceland is at risk of losing its mother tongue.
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Of course, this is happening to other European languages too.
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But while internet companies might be willing to offer, say, French options in their systems, it's much harder for them to justify the expense of doing the same for a language
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that has a population the size of a French town, such as Nice.
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The other drawback of Icelandic is the grammar, which is significantly more complex than in most languages.
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At the moment, the tech giants are simply not interested in tackling this.
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So what is the Icelandic government doing about this?
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Well large sums of money are being allocated to a language technology fund
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that it is hoped will lead to the development of Icelandic-sourced apps and other social media and digital systems.
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But clearly this is going to be an uphill struggle.
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On the positive side, they know that Icelandic is still the official language of education and government.
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It has survived for well over a thousand years, and the experts predict that its future in this nation-state is sound and will continue to be so.
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However, there's no doubt that it's becoming an inevitable second choice in young people's lives.
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This raises important questions.
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When you consider how much of the past is tied up in a language, will young Icelanders lose their sense of their own identity?
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Another issue that concerns the government of Iceland is this.
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If children are learning two languages through different routes, neither of which they are fully fluent in.
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Will they be able to express themselves properly?
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.

How Digital Tech Shapes Language: A Real-Life English Listening Scenario

Imagine tuning into a college lecture about how digital technology affects Icelandic—a language with just 321,000 speakers. The speaker breaks down why young Icelanders are using more English online, how grammar complexity hinders tech support, and what the government is doing to protect their mother tongue. This video isn’t just about language; it’s a window into global cultural shifts—perfect for practicing english speaking practice and listening skills. You’ll hear natural academic tone, real-world examples, and vocabulary that bridges tech and culture.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Boost Your English

  • "predominantly English" – Describes something mostly in English (e.g., "The digital world is predominantly English").
  • "uphill struggle" – A difficult task (e.g., "Developing Icelandic apps is an uphill struggle").
  • "tied up in" – Connected to (e.g., "A lot of history is tied up in a language").
  • "staggering extent" – A surprising amount (e.g., "The influence of English is a staggering extent").
  • "native speaker skills" – Fluency like a first language (e.g., "Older generations have strong native speaker skills").

Your Shadowing Challenge: Speak Like the Lecturer

Ready to try the shadowing technique? Here’s your task: Pick a 30-second clip from the video (try the part about "young Icelanders in the digital world"). Play the clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, copying the tone, speed, and pronunciation. Focus on phrases like "the extent of the influence"—notice how the speaker stresses "extent" and "influence." Do this 5 times, then record yourself. You’ll be amazed how quickly you pick up natural rhythm! This is how shadowspeak works—learning by mirroring. It’s a quick win for improve english pronunciation and confidence. Pro tip: Use this method with any video to turn passive listening into active learn english with videos practice.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.