The ability to differentiate between similar-sounding words, such as "ship" and "sheep," or to hear subtle changes in a speaker's voice indicating emotion, is a function of which listening subskill?
ACritical listening
BDiscriminative listening
CEmpathetic listening
DComprehensive listening
Answer:
B. Discriminative listening
Read Explanation:
Understanding Discriminative Listening
- Discriminative listening is the most basic and fundamental form of listening. It involves the ability to differentiate between various sounds and to accurately perceive auditory signals.
- It is the ability to recognize and distinguish between different sounds, which is crucial for understanding spoken language. This includes recognizing phonemes (the smallest units of sound that distinguish one word from another, e.g., /p/ in 'pat' vs. /b/ in 'bat').
- This subskill allows listeners to hear subtle differences in sounds, such as variations in pitch, tone, volume, speed, and rhythm, which can convey emotions or different meanings. For example, understanding sarcasm often relies on recognizing a speaker's tone of voice.
- It is essential for language acquisition, as infants first learn to differentiate between speech sounds to understand their native language.
- In language learning, discriminative listening helps in distinguishing between similar-sounding words (e.g., 'slice' vs. 'splice') and correctly pronouncing new words by identifying their individual sound components.
- It forms the foundation for all other listening subskills because if one cannot accurately hear the sounds, they cannot comprehend, interpret, or evaluate the message.
Importance and Applications
- Speech Recognition: It is vital for computer systems and voice assistants to accurately recognize human speech.
- Music Appreciation: Musicians and listeners use discriminative listening to identify different notes, instruments, rhythms, and melodies.
- Environmental Awareness: Differentiating between sounds like a siren, a car horn, or a doorbell relies on this skill.
- Language and Communication Disorders: Issues with discriminative listening can be indicative of or contribute to certain speech and language difficulties.
Distinguishing from Other Listening Subskills
- While discriminative listening focuses on the acoustic differences in sounds, other listening types build upon it:
- Comprehensive Listening: Focuses on understanding the literal meaning of the message. (e.g., understanding the plot of a story).
- Critical Listening: Involves evaluating the message, assessing its credibility, logic, and bias. (e.g., analyzing a political speech).
- Empathetic Listening: Aims to understand the speaker's feelings and perspective, often involving active listening and emotional support. (e.g., listening to a friend's problems).
Relevance for Competitive Exams
- Questions often test the ability to identify the primary function of different listening skills. Understanding the foundational nature of discriminative listening is key.
- Be prepared to differentiate between scenarios requiring sound discrimination versus those requiring comprehension, evaluation, or empathy.
- Knowledge of phonetics and phonology (study of speech sounds) can be linked to discriminative listening questions in English Language or Linguistics sections.