"I suck at English..:(" - Here's one idea.
Hey CEans
English seems to be problem to most of us. It used to be better but with the emergence of the sms lingo, it has became just worst. This is problem ONLY with Indians. You can just recognize an Indian between the group of people just by looking at the quality of the text. Unfortunately, its pathetic. However, this is not what I am about to discuss. My main intention to create this thread is to discuss about the spoken English.
Lets discuss why our English is actually poor?
Well, lets keep English aside for a second and go back our your mother tongue. Every one of you must be fluent with it, I suppose. I want to ask how many books have you read to learn your mother tongue? For me, despite we had these languages in our syllabus till SSC, but I think I was pretty fluent with my spoken mother tongue till age of 5.
On the other hand, we're learning English from class 1, still learning and will keep it learning in future as well but when it comes to actually speak English, we just get dumb and speechless. Why is it so with English when you were able to speak your mother tongue fluently at very young age? Is English that tough?
Now, lets move from India and talk about USA or Canada or UK. Is it the same scenario with the small kids there? Its sure that a 5 years old kid will speak better English than most of us. Now you'll say, "So what? Its his mother tongue". Exactly! It is. So what actually made him to learn it better than you? Just because his family knows it?
You speaking your mother tongue well and they speaking their mother tongue well is just based on the fact of PRACTICE. You're fluent with your mother tongue because you're practicing that language like 24/7 while for you English has just became an formality inside books.
Yes, you're also practicing English from class 1, and most of us are very good in English, but in written English which is what we're practicing since then if you notice. I am embarrassed to say that despite I am fluent with my mother tongue, I cannot even write a sentence in it with without mistake, why? Its because I don't practice writing but just speaking.
So the conclusion is, unless we don't practice spoken English, we cannot get better at it. But another problem is, the clap won't sound with one hand. Your willingness alone is not sufficient to practice it as you would need people to interact with you in the same language. For this reason, I've thought an idea.
Lets have a daily session of spoken English amongst CEans on some instant messenger like Skype. We can decide a topic to speak every day and everyone can participate there and try to speak a little.
I am sure many of you would be hesitant due to the awkwardness you would feel to speak inferior English than others, but hey, we don't know each other. Your image in front of me or my image in front of you would barely make any difference in our life for most of us. So take out that thought out of your mind and just try. If you just give up for an invalid reason, you would surely loose something that you could've gained.
I am no way great in English. It might be possible that I've made bunch of mistakes in this small post itself, but I am not ashamed of it. At least I am trying which itself is making me better every time. On the side note, I strong suggest to quit the sms lingo. If you think it makes you look cool, it doesn't. To me, the first thought is , "Illiterate INDIAN!". May sound harsh, but that's what I feel.
What are your thoughts? I've intense feeling that proper participation would surely make take this concept to great success.
Sorry, for long speech, but it was necessary. No TL;DR version possible.
English seems to be problem to most of us. It used to be better but with the emergence of the sms lingo, it has became just worst. This is problem ONLY with Indians. You can just recognize an Indian between the group of people just by looking at the quality of the text. Unfortunately, its pathetic. However, this is not what I am about to discuss. My main intention to create this thread is to discuss about the spoken English.
Lets discuss why our English is actually poor?
Well, lets keep English aside for a second and go back our your mother tongue. Every one of you must be fluent with it, I suppose. I want to ask how many books have you read to learn your mother tongue? For me, despite we had these languages in our syllabus till SSC, but I think I was pretty fluent with my spoken mother tongue till age of 5.
On the other hand, we're learning English from class 1, still learning and will keep it learning in future as well but when it comes to actually speak English, we just get dumb and speechless. Why is it so with English when you were able to speak your mother tongue fluently at very young age? Is English that tough?
Now, lets move from India and talk about USA or Canada or UK. Is it the same scenario with the small kids there? Its sure that a 5 years old kid will speak better English than most of us. Now you'll say, "So what? Its his mother tongue". Exactly! It is. So what actually made him to learn it better than you? Just because his family knows it?
You speaking your mother tongue well and they speaking their mother tongue well is just based on the fact of PRACTICE. You're fluent with your mother tongue because you're practicing that language like 24/7 while for you English has just became an formality inside books.
Yes, you're also practicing English from class 1, and most of us are very good in English, but in written English which is what we're practicing since then if you notice. I am embarrassed to say that despite I am fluent with my mother tongue, I cannot even write a sentence in it with without mistake, why? Its because I don't practice writing but just speaking.
So the conclusion is, unless we don't practice spoken English, we cannot get better at it. But another problem is, the clap won't sound with one hand. Your willingness alone is not sufficient to practice it as you would need people to interact with you in the same language. For this reason, I've thought an idea.
Lets have a daily session of spoken English amongst CEans on some instant messenger like Skype. We can decide a topic to speak every day and everyone can participate there and try to speak a little.
I am sure many of you would be hesitant due to the awkwardness you would feel to speak inferior English than others, but hey, we don't know each other. Your image in front of me or my image in front of you would barely make any difference in our life for most of us. So take out that thought out of your mind and just try. If you just give up for an invalid reason, you would surely loose something that you could've gained.
I am no way great in English. It might be possible that I've made bunch of mistakes in this small post itself, but I am not ashamed of it. At least I am trying which itself is making me better every time. On the side note, I strong suggest to quit the sms lingo. If you think it makes you look cool, it doesn't. To me, the first thought is , "Illiterate INDIAN!". May sound harsh, but that's what I feel.
What are your thoughts? I've intense feeling that proper participation would surely make take this concept to great success.
Sorry, for long speech, but it was necessary. No TL;DR version possible.
Replies
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Abhishek RawalI am not good in English .. lets say I am nerfed noob in it.
I have always noticed that I am having real difficulties in speaking out.More than that I am having difficulties to make someone understand what i wanna say in english. I can easily explain the same idea in mother-tongue but when it comes to explain same thing in english i get numb & my brain starts to collect appropriate word inorder to create proper sentence & I need someone with whom i can talk in english so as to improve my english.
Hence, I am in ! -
Ramani AswathThere are 66 threads related to this in CE.
#-Link-Snipped-#
BBC runs a course on spoken English. -
[Prototype]
Actually I am not complaining about my own English if you read. That's why I've written in quote "I suck at English" meaning I am addressing the people who are having problem with spoken English. Besides, my thread is made with a motive to provide a solution and not to demand one. I guess you've misunderstood the thread.bioramaniThere are 66 threads related to this in CE.
#-Link-Snipped-#
BBC runs a course on spoken English.
I've never been able to grasp much solely from book and courses. For me, the best way to learn anything is just to dive and explore instead of just reading and forgetting it. I am not addressing the problem of bad grammar, but the problem where words stuck at throat when we're in a situation. This is just due to lack of practice. -
Ramani AswathNot that. The BBC course is not a written course. It is spoken. It is also aimed at non native speakers of English.
As you said, it is practice of the spoken language alone that can lead to fluency in the spoken language. The problem is that one tends to think in his/her native language and then try to translate it into English. That does not work always as the idiomatic usage of the spoken language can be quite different from the literal translation. -
[Prototype]Well, its all the matter of preference. If you prefer to learn "recorded" (that's what I actually meant by written) media and able to grasp that's well and good.
If you're looking for some practice in dynamic environment with real people, then you can go by my idea.
As I said, I am targeting the fear of spoken English, for the people who already know English but cannot express themselves and of course, what I suggested in ONE of the possible many solution. -
Ramani AswathWhat you suggested is a valid process. However, supplementary methods are useful as reinforcements. You must go ahead and check out your method. People do tend to be shy, when doubting their capacity to do what they consider to be the right thing. An anonymous, non critical process like the one you suggest will certainly help.
Have a go at it. Nothing lost. -
[Prototype]So no one else? Currently we've #-Link-Snipped-# and myself. Anyone else want to join us. Once we have at least 5 members we'll start off with sharing the skype id's.
Come on guys, we'll have real fun, trust me. -
Saandeep SreerambatlaSharing Skype id's or email id's please do it only through PMs. Visitor Messages are also not good as it attracts spams.
-
[Prototype]
For sure, that's how its planned. For the same reason I've not publicly published any information..😀English-ScaredSharing Skype id's or email id's please do it only through PMs. Visitor Messages are also not good as it attracts spams.
Though members here doesn't seem to be much interested. -
vinod1993try this..! 😀
ELLLO - English Listening Lesson Library Online
Listening to at least one conversation may increase your speaking skills and pronunciations and using appropriate words and phrases..! Try this CEans..! 😀
Even British council is organizing many events at many places around India to develop English..! try those..! 😀 British Council is hell a lotta Fun..! trust me..! 😀 -
[Prototype]
It seems no one understands what I am trying to say...😔vinod1993try this..! 😀
ELLLO - English Listening Lesson Library Online
Listening to at least one conversation may increase your speaking skills and pronunciations and using appropriate words and phrases..! Try this CEans..! 😀
Even British council is organizing many events at many places around India to develop English..! try those..! 😀 British Council is hell a lotta Fun..! trust me..! 😀
Its again one way, you listen instead of reading. I am suggesting we talk to each. Man this is getting like Engineering. You read how the things are done, but never actually try it. For the same reason, when you're asked to perform the same thing you've read, you're unable to do it.
Reading, listening, watching, everything is useless unless you put this gained knowledge into action. -
vinod1993British Council follows a policy that when You develop your reading,writing and Listening skills your speaking skills will automatically develop..! So at first we go through many listening and writing and reading courses and after that we are made to speak out..! 😀 try this man..! nothing is useless here..! 😀
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