Cambridge C2 Proficiency / listening / C2 Proficiency
Media and communication
10 original practice questions. Open them in any order.
Independent preparation material, not an official test or score prediction.
Part 1 extract: a linguist on the timing of turns in everyday conversation
Synthetic practice recording. This is not official exam audio.
Read listening script
Interviewer: Your research is on the silences between turns in conversation. It's often said that some cultures are comfortable with long pauses and others can't bear them. Tove Lindahl: People love that idea, and there's a grain of truth in it. When we compared recordings of everyday conversation in a range of languages, the typical gap did vary slightly. What stopped us in our tracks was how slight the variation was. In every language we recorded, the most common gap was roughly a fifth of a second. Interviewer: Does that matter beyond your research? Tove Lindahl: More than broadcasters tend to realise. Think of a news presenter talking to a reporter on the other side of the world. A satellite link can add half a second or so. So they talk over each other, both stop, and the reporter starts again sounding hesitant, even evasive. Half a second is nothing to an engineer. But it's longer than the rhythm we've all been tuned to, and viewers tend to blame the person, not the equipment.
Question 1 of 10 · easier
part1_three_option_multiple_choice
Part 1. You will hear part of an interview with a linguist called Tove Lindahl, who studies the timing of everyday conversation. Choose the answer (A, B or C) which fits best according to what you hear. There are two questions for this extract. You will hear the recording twice.
What most surprised Tove and her colleagues when they compared conversations in different languages?
Your responses remain here while you practise. They are not saved after leaving or reloading this page.