将英语作为第二语言学习需要在持续的练习中付出努力，因为练习可以让你更好地说话。但是，如果不了解英语的发音、语法和用法，你就无法获得完美和自信。

为了帮助您更好地理解如何自信地说话，我们将解释标准美式英语及其与其他英语的不同之处。你还将了解自信地说话的几个困难。

什么是标准美式英语

标准美式英语 (SAE) 是指根据一组规则获准在美国正式使用的英语形式。它既可以口语也可以写作，可以在学校、办公室使用，也可以在新闻广播中听到。

要自信地说话，你必须遵守语法、拼写和上下文使用规则，并抵消其他方言变体。

这个词标准与其他形式相比，这听起来像是一种更合乎逻辑的英语形式。但这是真的吗？

尽管每种语言都有其独特的形式，但以下是SAE与其他英语方言之间的一些区别。

标准美式英语与美国当地方言

1780年，约翰·亚当斯写信给国会，提议成立一所学院，为标准美式英语制定标准。该法典旨在为美国人的说话或写作制定一套普遍接受的规则。

但是，美式英语有超过24种本地变体。这些方言的变化是由于美国各州内部的移民和社会变革造成的。以下是一些美国地区的方言。

New York English 

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:

• Corner – caw-nah
• Office – Aw-ffice
• Awful – awe-ful
• Burrito – Baw-rrito
• Scarf – scawf
• Author – Aw-thaw or Aw-thor
• Boston – Baw-ston

Eastern New England English

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'.

Chicago Urban English  

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'.

Standard American English vs. Other English Dialect

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:

• Remove or add morphemes: For example, 'I ride in my sister car.' (possessive 's missing).
• Subject-verb agreement: For example, 'They was looking outside.'
• Habitual be on repeated action: For example, 'He be getting beaten all the time.'
• Regularized Reflexive: For example, 'He hit hisself against the wall.'
• Appositive pronouns: For example, 'My mama she cooked me some nice meals.'
  

Below are a few examples of British English dialects. 

• Vocabulary: For example, the front of a car is called bonnet in Britain but hood in America.
• Auxiliary verbs: Brits use the word 'shall' compared to Americans using 'will' or 'would'. For instance, Brits will say, 'I shall go out soon.' But Americans will say, 'I will go out soon.'
• Verb past tense: In British, you'll likely see most past tenses carry 't' as opposed to 'ed' in American English. 
• Question tags: Brits love to include a question tag at the end of a statement. For instance, 'You don't like pizza, do you?' Americans do not really mind using this.
  

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. 

Challenges in Speaking Confidently

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. 

Challenges Native Speakers Face During 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:

Accent Difference: 

Native speakers often use accents that others find confusing and hard to understand. This can cause their listeners to misunderstand them. 

Vocabulary Challenge

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.

Slangs 

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.

Challenges Non-Native Speakers Face During Communication

Some challenges Non-native or ESL (English as a second language) speakers face that may restrict communication and cause a lack of confidence are:

Rhythm and Speed Contrast

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. 

Melody and Stress Patterns 

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. 

Speech Muscle Contraction 

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. 

How to Speak Like an American Native Speaker with Confidence?

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. 

Familiarize Yourself with Native American Accents 

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:

Listen to More Native Speakers

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. 

Use Pronunciation Tools

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.

Record and Listen to Yourself 

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. 

Learn and Practice How English Flows

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:

• Join sounds: Native speakers tend to join two consonant sounds ending and starting a word in a sentence. For example, 'I'd decide when to go' will sound more like 'I'decide whento go'. 
• Link sounds: Native speakers link sounds of a consonant ending a word with a vowel beginning another. For example, 'Step on the table' will sound more like 'Stepon the table'.
• Remove Sounds: You'd often hear native speakers remove 't' or 'd' sounds whenever it appears within two consonants. For example, 'This is our test week' will sound like 'this is our tes week'.
• Use contractions: Native speakers shorten words to help them speak faster. Words like 'I am' will become 'I'm'. Other examples include they're, it's, we're, etc.
  

Practice Using Slangs 

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:

• Wanna - want to 
• Hang out - go out and have fun 
• Had a blast - had a really good time
• Driven up the wall - disgusted by your actions 
• Amped - super excited 
• Bust - caught in the act. 
  

继续练习

学习和变得自信的最佳方法是继续练习。起初，你听起来不太称职，可能会因为听起来不好或使用了错误的短语而被同事嘲笑。但是，请继续尽力而为。

自信地说话需要多长时间？

学会自信地说话需要耐心、练习和持续的努力。学习时长因您的学习曲线和开始学习的年龄而异。对于某些人来说，可能需要超过10年的时间才能精通，而另一些人可能需要3年的时间。

对于路易斯·索萨，作为非母语人士，他花了大约 7 年时间才精通英语。据他说，这个过程花了很长时间，因为他练习得很慢。

在拉特米尔的案例，他从4岁开始学习。到8岁时，也就是学习之日起四年，他可以说英语，但没有口音。他主要通过观看英语YouTube玩家来学习。

这个欧洲语言共同参考框架(CEFR) 提出了六个流利程度级别，并估计每个级别需要超过 200 个学习小时。换句话说，达到最高熟练程度将需要超过1200个小时。该估计取决于几个因素，包括：

• 你对其他方言的熟悉程度: 你说不同的方言多久了？你与生俱来就有哪些语言？
• 练习级别：要精通英语，需要承诺定期练习。你在制作技能上投入了多少时间将反映你的熟练程度。
• 外部帮助: 你收到同事、朋友或导师的反馈吗？反馈可以帮助您发现故障区域并确定学习速度。
  

如何在公共场合自信地讲话？

如果你对公开演讲感到焦虑，以下几点可以帮助你增强信心：

了解主题

对某件事有深入的了解会自动增强信心。因此，尝试研究你想谈论的话题。这样，你的语音就会顺理自然地流动。

了解观众

在聚会或会议上发言之前，先了解一两件关于你将要与谁交谈的事情。你应该注意他们的背景以及他们能更好地理解什么样的词汇。这将帮助您更好地适应受众并进行有效的沟通。

练习以正确的节奏说话

来自不同种族的人以不同的节奏说话。但是，在公开场合讲话需要适度的节奏才能让听众关注。以下是一些可以提供帮助的提示：

• 慢慢说话：降低您的常规对话节奏，但不要太慢。通过观察标点符号和在想法之间留出呼吸空间来保持速度。
• 练习正确的发音: 有些单词的发音难度更大。如果你要讲一个复杂的话题，需要说出困难的单词，一定要在时间之前练习。
• 避免使用占位符：抵制使用 “赞” 或 “嗯” 来填补空白或停顿想法的诱惑。
  

使用正确的语言

试图给听众留下深刻印象是错误的选择。因此，避免使用听起来过于复杂的词语。经验法则是使用易于理解但不愚蠢的词语。要简单但不要过于简单。

如何在会议中自信地说话？

有时在会议上发言可能会令人生畏。但是，以下几种方法可以在下次会议中增强信心。

培养积极的心态

如果你认为自己没有足够的经验，无法提出建议，或者你知道的太少，那么克服这个问题的第一种方法就是改变心态。一篇关于以下内容的文章哈佛商业提议进行三次思维转移，以帮助开始在会议上发言。

• 第一次轮班-从认为你的想法不够好，到知道它们可以帮助团队。
• 第二次轮班-从认为你最好保持沉默到知道你的团队不会从你的沉默中受益。
• 第三班-从尝试听起来令人印象深刻到知道一切都与团队的成功有关。
  

为会议做准备

准备可以增强您的信心，并有助于为想法提供基础。以下是有关如何为会议做准备的一些提示：

• 阅读会议议程：在每次会议之前，它将讨论的主题将发送给所有人。确保你仔细阅读以了解会议的每个部分将要讨论的内容。
• 写下问题:在阅读议程时，提出一两个可以增加会议价值的问题。避免问可能不必要的一般性问题。
• 记笔记: 在会议开始之前，你可能会得到想法和建议。所以，拿一个记事本把它们写下来。
• 随心所欲地练习: 你可以待在镜子前或与同事讨论。这将有助于增强你的信心。
• 练习自我介绍: 由于这是你在每次会议上发言前首先要做的事情，所以这可能是最难的部分。所以，练习直到你有足够的信心为止。

倾听他人并向他人学习

看着别人做你害怕的同样的事情是克服恐惧的好方法。观察团队中那些提出精彩建议的人，记下他们的说话方式和所说的话。另外，试着理解他们为什么说他们所说的话。

早点说话

不要急于说话，但也不要花很长时间再说话。它可能会让你进入放松模式。你可以通过提问或为别人提出的想法做出贡献来打破僵局。

如何在求职面试中自信地说话？

信心是雇主希望在候选人身上看到的特征之一。但是，如果你不能很好地传达你的想法，你可能无法证明这一点。

因此，这里有一些技巧可以让你在下次求职面试中自信地说话。

为面试做准备

花时间研究公司，了解你的工作要求，认识招聘人员。

• 研究公司: 雇主经常问你为什么要和他们合作。了解公司的目标可以帮助你回答这个问题。因此，请了解公司的创始人、项目、进展等。
• 了解你的工作角色: 工作角色因公司而异。通读职位描述，将你的经历与提供的职位联系起来。阐明你为公司带来的价值将使你在面试中占据优势。
• 认识你的招聘人员或面试官: 你可以在 LinkedIn 或 Twitter 上找到它们。阅读他们的帖子、博客或时事通讯，以进一步了解他们的身份。

逻辑地回答问题

雇主喜欢经过深思熟虑的答案。但是，请确保快速完成此操作。良好的口头沟通有望流利。不要过于复杂，但要聪明。为此，请使用不太复杂的术语并对其进行详细解释。

做你自己

你想假装口音或给面试官留下深刻印象是很自然的。但这可能进展不太顺利。因此，请诚实坦诚地表达自己的想法。

问问题

不要让雇主独自主持谈话。提问使您能够控制对话。因此，在来之前，请确保您对公司或职位有疑问。尽量让它们在公司和职位中独一无二，避免提出可以轻松找到公开答案的通用问题。

您是否想提高美式英语水平并自信地说话？

在正确的帮助下，每个人都可以学会自信地说话。获取发音语音检查器。prounce应用程序为演讲者配备了强大的工具，通过持续的练习来实现这一目标。你想知道怎么做吗？查看以下功能。

发音的特点

这个发音应用程序使用先进的语音识别技术来跟踪您的语音质量和发音。它的一些最佳功能包括：

录音机

一旦你注册了发音网站，它会提示你在网站上或使用 chrome 扩展程序录制你的第一场演讲。这可以帮助您了解自己的熟练程度。

练习演讲

享受自我练习的乐趣，无需为教练支付巨额账单。Pronuce 提供的线索可以帮助你进行自我练习。

语音检查器

Pronuce提供言论自由检查，以帮助您监控错误并提供改进建议。

评估

不用再担心自己的进步了。Pronuce 提供及时而详细的反馈，以帮助您看到改进之处。

大声朗读

听着 使用 Pronece 朗读功能录制后对自己说。

如何使用发音应用程序

• 安装浏览器扩展程序
• 突出显示您想阅读或听到的文字
• 点击工具栏右上角的应用程序图标
• 该应用程序会记录文本，之后你可以收听
• 您可以右键单击突出显示的文本，然后选择快捷菜单以获得正确的发音

结论

精通口语和自信需要意识、奉献精神和持续练习。虽然聘请教练可能很昂贵，但你可以使用诸如Pronce之类的应用程序进行自我学习并获得所需的熟练程度。