Scared of speaking a new language? by : AriadneBlogger2017
There’s no denying that learning a foreign language is difficult, and when it comes to speaking in the language, it can be extremely daunting. I remember walking into my first-ever Spanish class at university only to discover that half of my class was already fluent in multiple languages. It’s safe to say I felt out of my depth!
At first the thought of speaking in Spanish terrified me; not only were my vocabulary and grammar very limited, but I had never spoken another language before. Despite my initial apprehension I was determined to overcome my fear, and by adopting a few simple strategies I have been able to build my confidence and develop at my own pace. So, I thought I would share a few tips with you in the hope that you find them useful too.
Firstly, remember it is OK to make mistakes and that you should embrace them. This sounds obvious, but when it comes to language learning we often aim for perfection and feel as though we are not ready to speak until we have ‘enough’ words or grammatical knowledge. The truth is you will never feel ready, and instead it is important to use the knowledge that you do have to communicate what you can.
This leads on to my next tip: don’t compare yourself to others. This can be a hard one, especially if you are in a large language class. It is important to remember that we all learn at different speeds and through different styles of learning. By all means, keep up with your class material, but do not stress if you don’t understand everything – especially in the early stages.
Something that really helped me progress was finding a patient language exchange partner. Finding someone to practice with whose level of English was similar to my level of Spanish made me feel much more confident.
Lastly, celebrate the small successes and remember how far you have come! Instead of focusing on how far you have to go, focus on the progress you have already made and be proud of your achievements!
Task 1. Decide whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F) and justify your answer with the evidence from the text.
1. Few people believe that learning a foreign language can be challenging. T / F

2. The majority of students in the author’s class had a good command of several languages. T /F

3. Before learning to speak Spanish, the author hadn’t spoken other foreign languages. T /F

4. There’s nothing wrong to make mistakes when learning a new language. T / F

5. The author thinks that you may start speaking the foreign language once you succeed in learning enough vocabulary and making your grammar perfect. T / F

Task 2. Answer the questions below. Do not copy from the text. Paraphrase.
1. Why was the author scared about speaking in Spanish at first?

2. According to the author, why do people learn languages differently?

3. Did the author cope with his fear of speaking in Spanish? Give one specific evidence from the text.
Task 3. Classify the conjunctions in bold and italic from the text with their types.

And, but, if, so, as though, or,so, not only…but.

Coordinating conjunctions: bring ideas together.

Subordinating conjunctions: connect an independent clause to a dependent clause.

Correlative conjunctions: come in pairs; connect two equal grammatical items

Task 4 Describe the picture Choose one of these
“The Persistence of Memory” (1931) by Salvador Dali; learners B – “The Two Fridas” (1939) by Frida Kahlo.
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