Speaking English

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

This is Julia, finally writing after months of hibernation. Before I get to the gist of my post, a little preamble: I don’t like calling myself the ‘leader’ for the Peer Sisters (I made a face whenever I was referred to as such), but I guess that’s what I am.

So what’s my mission in this? In both my meetings with Prof Pakeer, he mentioned about the lecturers’ concern about the degrading quality of English among the students. Good usage of English is (among other things) what made IIUM famous, after all. He was particularly worried about Medical students who have reached their clinical years. Most of them do well in front of patients, but when they have to present the cases to the doctors, they falter. They fail to impress. Simply because their English isn’t good enough.

Or is it? We IIUM Medical students have classes, lectures and examinations in English, so to say you are ‘bad’ at English is a blatant lie! You already have the basic of the language in your hands. But when it comes to speaking, you need something more.

So what do you need to speak effectively, get your listeners’ attention and get your message across all at the same time? Not much. I only introduce two things. Two Cs: Confidence and Clarity.

Confidence is what people are going to look for as soon as you walk into a room, or when you walk onto a stage and towards the rostrum. It allows you to control your nerves and stand without your legs shaking, or your voice trembling. It makes your listeners believe you and the main thing that prevents those doctors, interviewers and the public from thinking you’re a joke. I’m sure you’ve seen speakers who mesmerize you with their confidence and charisma. Think of one such person, imagine yourself speaking like he or she does, and you’ve set your target.

There is no easy way to this –you’ll have to practise. If the prospect of giving an announcement in front of the lecture hall makes you nauseous, start small. Speak to your friends in small groups. Go visit your lecturers and discuss the subject with them in English. Chat with our foreign friends. Get yourself used to hearing the language come out of your own mouth. Soon you won’t feel so weird speaking it.

Clarity means the state of being clear. You have to speak clearly, so that people will understand what the heck you’re saying. This is where correct pronunciation and grammar play important parts. You also need confidence, because if you stammer and mumble because you’re nervous, it’ll take a mind-reader to know what you’re saying. We like it when lecturers enunciate clearly, pronounce the words correctly and make themselves and the topic clear. So that’s what we need to do too: make ourselves clear.

I’m not too rigid with pronunciation, because we all have different tongues and some English words have more than one way to pronounce (like ‘tomato’ and ‘route’). Remember that the focus here is clarity, getting people to understand you. Listen to English speeches by good speakers, watch English shows and listen to English songs (the good ones la...). Pay attention to how English speakers speak the language. It is perfectly fine to mess up the pronunciation sometimes (I do too). What’s important is to acknowledge that every mistake is a chance to improve. We learn from our mistakes.

Someone has asked me whether grammar is really important. I’d say yes, because you do need good grammar to deliver your speeches or messages effectively. But I’ve seen the grammar worksheets you do in English class at CFS, and even I got confused trying to answer them. The problem with teaching grammar is that the teachers have to teach the principles one by one, but after a while, that method doesn’t work. Why? Because the English language has SO MANY rules. It also has SO MANY exceptions, with SO MANY overlapping between the rules. So don’t think too much about learning grammar. Just get the basics right; the rest will come naturally when you get yourself used to listening and speaking English. Leave the complicated stuff to English teachers and scholars.

So those are the two Cs. Confidence is necessary so that people believe you, while Clarity allows people to understand you. Stop thinking that English is a difficult or a ‘bad’ language. A language is neutral. It really depends on how we use it. The most important thing is to enjoy speaking in English. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and to look for people who can help you correct them. All the best, my friends! :D

A little advertisement for Zen14 sisters: I have started a small project under Peers, called Peers Kopitiam. It is simply gathering a group of friends, sitting down together and chatting in English. We can talk about anything. (During my group’s first session, our topics ranged from PBL to Super Junior to DBSK to ERT to studying tips.) My group is full already, but if there are girls who’d like to join, I can make another group and elect another Peer Sister to be the facilitator. It’s not an usrah or halaqah where we have to prepare and memorise stuff. We just borak! XD You know how to contact me.

Thank you for your time. Wassalam.


(C) Julia, 2010. PnI.