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Learning English as a second language requires putting effort into consistent practice because practicing makes you better at speaking. However, you can't attain perfection and confidence without understanding English pronunciation, grammar, and usage.
To help you better understand how to speak confidently, we will explain Standard American English and how it differs from other varieties. You'll also learn about the several difficulties in speaking confidently.
Standard American English (SAE) refers to the form of English Language approved for formal use in the United States based on a set of rules. It can either be spoken or written as used in schools, offices or heard on newscasts.
To speak confidently, you must adhere to grammar, spelling, and contextual usage rules and neutralize other dialect variations.
The word standard makes it sound like a more logical form of English compared to others. But is this true?
While every language has its unique form, below are a few differences between SAE and other English dialects.
In 1780, John Adams wrote to Congress proposing the establishment of an academy that would create the norms for Standard American English. This codification aimed to develop a generally accepted set of rules for how Americans speak or write.
However, there are over 24 local variations of American English. These dialect variations were due to migration and societal changes within the various American states. Below are a few regional American dialects.
New York, one of the biggest cities in America, has several subdialects. However, they generally pronounce some words differently. For instance, they stress the 'aw' sound on words with 'ou', 'of', 'or', 'au', 'ar', and 'aw'. Some examples of words within this category include:
Eastern New England English, or the Yankee dialect, is another variation of American English. They have a non-rhoticity - they do not sound an 'r' that comes after a verb, as in a car, horse, or poor. However, they pronounce words that end in /ə/, /ɑ/, or /ɔ/ with a linking 'r' sound. For instance, they will read 'law and power' as 'lauren power'.
The Chicago accent pronounces some words starting with 'th' as 'd'. For example, they pronounce 'this' as 'dis' and 'that' as 'dat'. They also pronounce with a vowel shift, like 'hot dog' sounds 'haht dahg'.
Other English dialects are popular amongst different cultures or tribes outside America. For instance, British English, common amongst the British and African American Vernacular English (AAVE), is coined from American English and common amongst African Americans.
AAVE, also known as Ebonics, was coined from general American English. However, there are several differences. Some of them are:
Below are a few examples of British English dialects.
While no English dialect is supreme to the other, some are globally recognized and are used for communicating and learning in business spaces, classrooms, mainstream media, and different official settings.
Generally, the inability to communicate fluently leads to a loss of confidence. This section highlights several problems native and non-native speakers encounter that could restrict communication.
While it might sound impossible that native speakers will face difficulties communicating, the challenge is often in communicating with non-natives. Some of these challenges include:
Native speakers often use accents that others find confusing and hard to understand. This can cause their listeners to misunderstand them.
The native English vocabulary contains several words that non-native speakers may not understand. Also, some phrases in the native English vocabulary may have a different meaning and usage in other English dialects. For instance, the word 'pants' in the US refers to trousers or outerwear worn from the waist down. However, in the UK, it refers to underwear.
Native English speakers often use unofficial words to explain or reference things. These slangs are shared amongst them and are easily understood within their circle. However, this is not the case with non-native speakers. For example, native speakers might use slangs like wanna (want to), hang out (spend time having fun), etc.
Some challenges Non-native or ESL (English as a second language) speakers face that may restrict communication and cause a lack of confidence are:
Different tribes or parts of the world speak or read with varying speed patterns. For instance, the traditional Chinese language is very fast and requires speakers to speak very fast. This natural rhythm can influence their speech when communicating in English. They will have to repeat themselves often during conversations with someone who is used to a different speech speed.
In different languages, melody and stress patterns signal competence and make for a better understanding of some words. This difference in melody affects non-native speakers as they have to adjust to the new melody that comes with the English language.
One factor that controls how well we pronounce words in a language is how our muscles contract to sound consonants and vowels. Every language organizes its consonant and vowel sounds differently. For example, the Chinese sound /ai/ in English with a wide open mouth and the sound resting at the back. Adjusting to a different language speech organization can be a challenge at first.
Like a chameleon, how can we shift our grammar, accent, and vocabulary to resemble Native American speakers? Below are five tips that can help you achieve this.
A study at the University of Plymouth shows that children are more likely to pick up an accent from their peers. While this applies only to children below 12 years, people of any age can use other means to learn an American accent. Some include:
To find native American speakers to listen to, you can listen to podcasts like Toasted Sisters and media newscasts. According to research by Krashen, 1982, movies can affect the learning of English as a second language. So, another way to develop an accent is to watch native American movies like Windtalkers, Dance with wolves, etc.
Pronunciation tools help you develop proper listening and speaking skills, which are the basis for accents. These tools give you feedback and evaluate your speech against the standard American accent.
Another way to improve is to practice consistently. As you keep learning, try to practice using a recorder. This way, you can listen to yourself later and compare it to what you learn so that you can observe your progress. If you have a native American around you, this will help them provide you with feedback.
Every language has different speech patterns, affecting pronunciation's natural flow. Therefore learning how the Natives flow can help you sound confident.
But how can you imitate the flow of the English language? Here are a few tips:
Native speakers use slang to help pass on an idea without many details in words. For instance, the slang hang out will pass for going out to have fun.
Although every part of America has unique slang, you can practice the general ones. Some examples include:
The best way to learn and become confident is to keep practicing. At first, you'd sound less competent and might be laughed at by your colleagues for either sounding poorly or using the wrong phrases. However, keep putting in your best.
Learning to speak confidently takes patience, practice, and consistent effort. The learning duration differs depending on your learning curve and the age you start learning. For some people, it can take over 10 years to become proficient, while others might take 3 years.
For Luiz Souza, it took him about 7 years to become fluent in English as a non-native speaker. According to him, the process took so long because he practiced slowly.
In Ratmir's case, he started learning at age 4. By age 8, which was four years from the time of learning, he could speak English but without an accent. He learned mainly by watching English YouTube gamers.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) proposed six levels of fluency and estimated each level to take over 200 learning hours. In other words, attaining the highest level of proficiency will require over 1200 hours. This estimation depends on a few factors, including:
If you ever feel anxious about speaking in public, here are a few things that can help boost your confidence:
Having in-depth knowledge about a thing automatically boosts confidence. So, try to research the topic you want to speak about. This way, your speech flows logically and naturally.
Before speaking in a gathering or meeting, learn a thing or two about who you'll be talking to. You should look out for their background and what kind of vocabulary they will better understand. This will help you better adjust to the audience and communicate effectively.
People from different races speak at different paces. However, speaking in public demands a moderate pace to allow your audience to follow. Here are a few tips that can help:
Trying to impress your listeners is the wrong way to go. So, avoid using words that sound too complex. A rule of thumb will be to use words that are easily understood but not dumb. Be simple but not simplistic.
Sometimes it can be intimidating to speak in a meeting. But here are a few ways to boost your confidence during your next meeting.
If you think that you are not experienced enough to make suggestions or you know too little, the first way to get past this is to change your mindset. An article on Harvard Business proposed three mind shifts to help start speaking in meetings.
Preparation boosts your confidence and helps provide a basis for ideas. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a meeting:
Watching others do the same thing you are scared of is an excellent way to overcome your fears. Observe those on your team that make brilliant suggestions, and take notes on how they speak and what they say. Also, try to understand why they say what they say.
Don't be in a rush to speak, but don't also take long before speaking. It might get you into a relaxed mode. You can break the ice by asking a question or contributing to an idea someone gave.
Confidence is one of the traits employers want to see in candidates. But you might be unable to show this if you cannot communicate your ideas well.
So, here are a few tips to speak confidently in your next job interview.
Spend time researching the company, understand your job requirement, and know the recruiter.
Employers love a well-thought answer. However, ensure that you do this fast. Excellent verbal communication is expected to be fluent. Don't overcomplicate but be smart. To do this, use less complex terms and explain them in detail.
It's natural for you to want to fake an accent or impress the interviewer. But this might not go very well. So, be honest and open with your thoughts.
Don't let the employer alone lead the conversation. Asking questions gives you the power to control the conversation. So, ensure you have questions about the company or role before coming. Try to make them unique to the company and the role, and avoid asking generic questions for which you can easily find public answers.
Everyone can learn to speak confidently with the right help. Get Pronounce Speech Checker. The pronounce app equips speakers with powerful tools to achieve this goal with consistent practice. Do you want to know how? Check out the features below.
The Pronounce app uses advanced speech recognition technology to track your speech quality and pronunciation. Some of its best features include:
Once you sign up on the Pronounce website, it prompts you to record your first speech on the website or with a chrome extension. This helps you know your level of proficiency.
Enjoy self-practicing without paying huge bills for a coach. Pronounce provides cues that assist you during self-practice.
Pronounce offers a free speech check to help you monitor your errors and provides suggestions for improvements.
Worry less about how you are progressing. Pronounce provides timely and detailed feedback to help you see your improvements.
Listen to yourself after recording with the Pronounce read-aloud feature.
How to Use the Pronounce App
Becoming proficient and confident in speaking takes awareness, dedication and consistent practice. While hiring a coach might be expensive, you can use apps like Pronounce to self-learn and obtain your desired proficiency.
Learning English as a second language requires putting effort into consistent practice because practicing makes you better at speaking. However, you can't attain perfection and confidence without understanding English pronunciation, grammar, and usage.
To help you better understand how to speak confidently, we will explain Standard American English and how it differs from other varieties. You'll also learn about the several difficulties in speaking confidently.
Standard American English (SAE) refers to the form of English Language approved for formal use in the United States based on a set of rules. It can either be spoken or written as used in schools, offices or heard on newscasts.
To speak confidently, you must adhere to grammar, spelling, and contextual usage rules and neutralize other dialect variations.
The word standard makes it sound like a more logical form of English compared to others. But is this true?
While every language has its unique form, below are a few differences between SAE and other English dialects.
In 1780, John Adams wrote to Congress proposing the establishment of an academy that would create the norms for Standard American English. This codification aimed to develop a generally accepted set of rules for how Americans speak or write.
However, there are over 24 local variations of American English. These dialect variations were due to migration and societal changes within the various American states. Below are a few regional American dialects.
New York, one of the biggest cities in America, has several subdialects. However, they generally pronounce some words differently. For instance, they stress the 'aw' sound on words with 'ou', 'of', 'or', 'au', 'ar', and 'aw'. Some examples of words within this category include:
Eastern New England English, or the Yankee dialect, is another variation of American English. They have a non-rhoticity - they do not sound an 'r' that comes after a verb, as in a car, horse, or poor. However, they pronounce words that end in /ə/, /ɑ/, or /ɔ/ with a linking 'r' sound. For instance, they will read 'law and power' as 'lauren power'.
The Chicago accent pronounces some words starting with 'th' as 'd'. For example, they pronounce 'this' as 'dis' and 'that' as 'dat'. They also pronounce with a vowel shift, like 'hot dog' sounds 'haht dahg'.
Other English dialects are popular amongst different cultures or tribes outside America. For instance, British English, common amongst the British and African American Vernacular English (AAVE), is coined from American English and common amongst African Americans.
AAVE, also known as Ebonics, was coined from general American English. However, there are several differences. Some of them are:
Below are a few examples of British English dialects.
While no English dialect is supreme to the other, some are globally recognized and are used for communicating and learning in business spaces, classrooms, mainstream media, and different official settings.
Generally, the inability to communicate fluently leads to a loss of confidence. This section highlights several problems native and non-native speakers encounter that could restrict communication.
While it might sound impossible that native speakers will face difficulties communicating, the challenge is often in communicating with non-natives. Some of these challenges include:
Native speakers often use accents that others find confusing and hard to understand. This can cause their listeners to misunderstand them.
The native English vocabulary contains several words that non-native speakers may not understand. Also, some phrases in the native English vocabulary may have a different meaning and usage in other English dialects. For instance, the word 'pants' in the US refers to trousers or outerwear worn from the waist down. However, in the UK, it refers to underwear.
Native English speakers often use unofficial words to explain or reference things. These slangs are shared amongst them and are easily understood within their circle. However, this is not the case with non-native speakers. For example, native speakers might use slangs like wanna (want to), hang out (spend time having fun), etc.
Some challenges Non-native or ESL (English as a second language) speakers face that may restrict communication and cause a lack of confidence are:
Different tribes or parts of the world speak or read with varying speed patterns. For instance, the traditional Chinese language is very fast and requires speakers to speak very fast. This natural rhythm can influence their speech when communicating in English. They will have to repeat themselves often during conversations with someone who is used to a different speech speed.
In different languages, melody and stress patterns signal competence and make for a better understanding of some words. This difference in melody affects non-native speakers as they have to adjust to the new melody that comes with the English language.
One factor that controls how well we pronounce words in a language is how our muscles contract to sound consonants and vowels. Every language organizes its consonant and vowel sounds differently. For example, the Chinese sound /ai/ in English with a wide open mouth and the sound resting at the back. Adjusting to a different language speech organization can be a challenge at first.
Like a chameleon, how can we shift our grammar, accent, and vocabulary to resemble Native American speakers? Below are five tips that can help you achieve this.
A study at the University of Plymouth shows that children are more likely to pick up an accent from their peers. While this applies only to children below 12 years, people of any age can use other means to learn an American accent. Some include:
To find native American speakers to listen to, you can listen to podcasts like Toasted Sisters and media newscasts. According to research by Krashen, 1982, movies can affect the learning of English as a second language. So, another way to develop an accent is to watch native American movies like Windtalkers, Dance with wolves, etc.
Pronunciation tools help you develop proper listening and speaking skills, which are the basis for accents. These tools give you feedback and evaluate your speech against the standard American accent.
Another way to improve is to practice consistently. As you keep learning, try to practice using a recorder. This way, you can listen to yourself later and compare it to what you learn so that you can observe your progress. If you have a native American around you, this will help them provide you with feedback.
Every language has different speech patterns, affecting pronunciation's natural flow. Therefore learning how the Natives flow can help you sound confident.
But how can you imitate the flow of the English language? Here are a few tips:
Native speakers use slang to help pass on an idea without many details in words. For instance, the slang hang out will pass for going out to have fun.
Although every part of America has unique slang, you can practice the general ones. Some examples include:
The best way to learn and become confident is to keep practicing. At first, you'd sound less competent and might be laughed at by your colleagues for either sounding poorly or using the wrong phrases. However, keep putting in your best.
Learning to speak confidently takes patience, practice, and consistent effort. The learning duration differs depending on your learning curve and the age you start learning. For some people, it can take over 10 years to become proficient, while others might take 3 years.
For Luiz Souza, it took him about 7 years to become fluent in English as a non-native speaker. According to him, the process took so long because he practiced slowly.
In Ratmir's case, he started learning at age 4. By age 8, which was four years from the time of learning, he could speak English but without an accent. He learned mainly by watching English YouTube gamers.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) proposed six levels of fluency and estimated each level to take over 200 learning hours. In other words, attaining the highest level of proficiency will require over 1200 hours. This estimation depends on a few factors, including:
If you ever feel anxious about speaking in public, here are a few things that can help boost your confidence:
Having in-depth knowledge about a thing automatically boosts confidence. So, try to research the topic you want to speak about. This way, your speech flows logically and naturally.
Before speaking in a gathering or meeting, learn a thing or two about who you'll be talking to. You should look out for their background and what kind of vocabulary they will better understand. This will help you better adjust to the audience and communicate effectively.
People from different races speak at different paces. However, speaking in public demands a moderate pace to allow your audience to follow. Here are a few tips that can help:
Trying to impress your listeners is the wrong way to go. So, avoid using words that sound too complex. A rule of thumb will be to use words that are easily understood but not dumb. Be simple but not simplistic.
Sometimes it can be intimidating to speak in a meeting. But here are a few ways to boost your confidence during your next meeting.
If you think that you are not experienced enough to make suggestions or you know too little, the first way to get past this is to change your mindset. An article on Harvard Business proposed three mind shifts to help start speaking in meetings.
Preparation boosts your confidence and helps provide a basis for ideas. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a meeting:
Watching others do the same thing you are scared of is an excellent way to overcome your fears. Observe those on your team that make brilliant suggestions, and take notes on how they speak and what they say. Also, try to understand why they say what they say.
Don't be in a rush to speak, but don't also take long before speaking. It might get you into a relaxed mode. You can break the ice by asking a question or contributing to an idea someone gave.
Confidence is one of the traits employers want to see in candidates. But you might be unable to show this if you cannot communicate your ideas well.
So, here are a few tips to speak confidently in your next job interview.
Spend time researching the company, understand your job requirement, and know the recruiter.
Employers love a well-thought answer. However, ensure that you do this fast. Excellent verbal communication is expected to be fluent. Don't overcomplicate but be smart. To do this, use less complex terms and explain them in detail.
It's natural for you to want to fake an accent or impress the interviewer. But this might not go very well. So, be honest and open with your thoughts.
Don't let the employer alone lead the conversation. Asking questions gives you the power to control the conversation. So, ensure you have questions about the company or role before coming. Try to make them unique to the company and the role, and avoid asking generic questions for which you can easily find public answers.
Everyone can learn to speak confidently with the right help. Get Pronounce Speech Checker. The pronounce app equips speakers with powerful tools to achieve this goal with consistent practice. Do you want to know how? Check out the features below.
The Pronounce app uses advanced speech recognition technology to track your speech quality and pronunciation. Some of its best features include:
Once you sign up on the Pronounce website, it prompts you to record your first speech on the website or with a chrome extension. This helps you know your level of proficiency.
Enjoy self-practicing without paying huge bills for a coach. Pronounce provides cues that assist you during self-practice.
Pronounce offers a free speech check to help you monitor your errors and provides suggestions for improvements.
Worry less about how you are progressing. Pronounce provides timely and detailed feedback to help you see your improvements.
Listen to yourself after recording with the Pronounce read-aloud feature.
How to Use the Pronounce App
Becoming proficient and confident in speaking takes awareness, dedication and consistent practice. While hiring a coach might be expensive, you can use apps like Pronounce to self-learn and obtain your desired proficiency.
Speaking with colleagues, interviewers, and examiners can be a stressful experience, especially if you speak a foreign language or expect tricky questions. Focusing on what you say and, at the same time, being aware of how you talk is extremely challenging.
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