Reading #06: How To Speak English Fluently

Reading Day: #06

How to... speak English

There are basically two types of speaking: spoken production (simply producing words) and spoken interaction (speaking/conversing with other people). Both are important, but this month we are looking at spoken production.

Spoken production is all about producing language. It is about speaking clearly and correctly. It is your ability to pronounce words, use the correct stress and intonation and select words that are appropriate for your purpose. Spoken production activities include reading a written text aloud, speaking from notes, acting in a play, talking about your life, singing a song and telling a story. It may also include giving presentations, expressing arguments in a debate, giving a speech or making a sport commentary.

First, let us put speaking into perspective. Speaking in any language is difficult... even in your own language. In fact, if you listen to recordings of native English speakers, you will be surprised at how “badly” many people speak spontaneously: there are examples of hesitation, false starts, mumbling, unclear language and even errors. Very few people can speak really well, and those who can, usually spend hours preparing and practising their speeches. The thing is that speaking “well” depends on a lot of factors: your motivation, your physical and mental state at the time of speaking, who you’re speaking to, how well you know the topic, where you are, the time of day, and a hundred other things.

The way to improve your speaking is to practise. You could do some “shadowing”. This involves copying native speakers who are speaking on audio or video recordings. Just get access to an audio file, put on your headphones, press play and start speaking at the same time as the native English speakers. This is a great way to improve your pronunciation. You could also do the same with songs, by singing along to your favourite songs. Another good technique is to read aloud. This will help you practise saying the words and expressions. Just get a copy of a text or book that you find interesting, and read parts of it out loud.

Repetition is also important. Repeat key sentences and expressions over and over again until they become automatic. Do some language fluency drills with your teacher to build up fluency. Memorise chunks of language or entire paragraphs. This will really help. A lot of the language we use when speaking consists of set expressions and chunks of language that are repeated. Also, practise telling your favourite stories or anecdotes. Write them out first. Then, make notes and practise saying them to yourself... and then in public. The more you practise them, the better you will get at telling them, and soon you will be a story-telling expert.

 Speaking well requires practice, and a lot of time and effort. Are you ready?