I've been trying to improve my English with ChatGPT for a few months now. I have it correct my texts and we chat in English, but I get the feeling it's not really helping me much with pronunciation. Do you guys use AI tools for languages? How do you do it?
The thing that really makes a difference is listening to people who actually talk - YouTube videos without subtitles, podcasts, Twitch streams about electricity or aquariums depending on what you're into. ChatGPT for corrections is cool but you gotta combine it with that or you're just working on your written grammar, not your ear.
For pronunciation, it's true that ChatGPT alone is pretty limited, you gotta combine it with other stuff. Personally I do a fair bit of English but mainly because I read American mechanics forums and watch YouTube videos about repairs, so it forces me to listen to it regularly. What you can do is use ChatGPT to generate texts, then use a tool like Google Translate or something specialized to listen to the pronunciation out loud. Or you can ask it for dialogues about topics you're interested in - I'd ask it for conversations about engine problems or stuff like that - and then you read it out loud trying to follow the rhythm.
The real thing for pronunciation is really regular practice and listening. I'd recommend combining ChatGPT with podcasts or English YouTube channels about your interests, it makes learning way less boring. For example I like watching guys talking about birdwatching in English or American mechanics explaining their diagnostics, and that's where you really hear how it sounds. For corrections, yeah ChatGPT is useful, but also try to interact with real people if you can - forums, Discord, online communities. That's where you're gonna really progress, because you'll learn how people actually talk, not just perfect grammar.
I've never really needed ChatGPT for that myself, but what I see with my friends who are learning languages is that you're right about one thing: pronunciation isn't just about fixing your texts. That said, I think we're kind of underestimating what you can actually do with ChatGPT if you use it smartly. You can for example ask it to write little natural dialogues about stuff that actually interests you, not just generic sentences, and then read them out loud. That forces your brain to connect the sound with the structure. But it's true that without hearing someone else speak, you risk just learning your own default accent.
What worked for me with other stuff (I learned a fair amount of German just by watching gardening forums), that's exactly what was said: listen to real content about your passions. Like if you love manga, watch anime without French subtitles. If you're into cooking or sports, find YouTube channels in those areas. The thing is you're gonna hear how people actually talk, with the weird linking, the intonation, all that stuff. And you remember it better because you're following the story, not just doing exercises.
Really combine the two: ChatGPT to build you written content and dialogues about stuff you want, and at the same time hours of passive listening to actual English speakers. Start with videos that have English subtitles (not French) just so you don't completely lose the plot, and then you drop the subtitles. It takes longer but that's how it actually sticks.
ChatGPT can give you feedback on grammar and vocabulary, but for pronunciation you really have to pair it with something audio - videos, podcasts, doesn't matter what the topic is as long as it interests you and you listen without translation.
You're right about the textual feedback, but watch out for one trap: ChatGPT corrects your mistakes but you don't really retain much just by reading the corrections. You've got to actively rewrite afterwards, integrate the feedback into actual exercises. After that you really need to seek out authentic audio input - videos, streams, podcasts - because without it you risk speaking with a weird accent and dead rhythm, even if your grammar is perfect.
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