I just wanna speak like a native English speaker.. Can you give me some ways on how to get that goal?
How to speak like a native English speaker
44 Answers
To learn how to speak like a native speaker you need to learn how to think like a native speaker. Listen to English podcasts like China 232, English Funcast , and so on. It is also important to read fiction English books. I always tell my students to read goosebumps. It is a great fiction series to read.
It's not to easy to speak like a native, unless you move to an English speaking country and live there for many years. Some people are lucky enough to pick-up native accent fast, others not so easy. The only and best way to improve your speaking skills and accent is to speak English as much as you can with natives (if possible).
Astheart, I agree that talent is a part of it, but it can definitely be replaced with hard work. Start from individual vowels and consonants, combine them into words and then move to sentences. My biggest problem came from my native language - I was unable to realize that not all of the letters in a word should be pronounced - although I knew that some of them are silent. It just didn't work. I tried many methods, books, DVD's free online videos - name it. So, if someone needs an advice, feel free to contact me.
Astheart, I think we would agree that there's simply not enough time in a regular class to dedicate to practicing all the sounds with all the students individually. I've been working as a teacher and I had lots of problems with coming up with proper ways to teach pronunciation because each student has a different problem. But, just as leeeeenka said, it seems that those who really want to practice will probably find good ways to do that on their own.
Plus, many teachers are not native speakers, and often have very strong accents, and sometimes they don't even know that their students are making the mistakes in pronunciation. This is where external resource, such as a good pronunciation software, are essential.
There is one more thing - the fact that most of the teachers, at least in Europe, teach RP. And many students don't have the chance to hear or practice RP outside their classrooms - American English is everywhere.
Did you know that there are more people in the world that speak English as a second language and as their first? Why do you want to speak like a native? What´s the big deal about having an accent? What is most important is that you are able to communicate well in English, that you have enough vocabulary to be able to express what you want to say, that speak the language fluently and are able to make yourself be understood. Why worry about sounding like a native?
With today's resources and technology you have tools for proper learning everywhere. Recording your speech and comparing it to a native speaker is not difficult at all. (Use lines from a movie for examples). And there are tons of apps out there designed to help you with pronunciation. You just have to pick the one that suits you. And of course, combine all resources. I think that way you will definitely get results. Good luck!
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