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Obama Speeches Help Japanese Learn English

Students use his speeches to learn language

By Ambreen Ali, Newser User

Posted Feb 21, 2009 9:55 AM CST

(Newser) – Barack Obama is fast becoming a popular English teacher—in Japan. His speeches have become a hit for people learning the language there, the Wall Street Journal reports. Obama's slow and careful enunciation make him a particularly good model, teachers say. One book of speeches, complete with a dictionary for terms like "stop-gap measures," sold half a million copies in 3 months.

"Other speeches may be better for learning vocabulary, but Obama's speeches make me excited about speaking English," says one fan, who says he listens regularly in the bath.

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Maruzen book store staff Daisuke Tanaka adjusts "The Speeches of Barack Obama," bottom left, and other Obama books in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

Japanese English students are mimicking Obama's speaking style, right down to his finger pointing. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Many students are getting tired of listening to his speech only, because they have been listening to Obama every day for seven months. - English teacher Makoto Ishiwata

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Obama Speeches Help Japanese Learn English