Native speakers are hard to understand in a lingua franca situation

Re:Native speakers are hard to understand in a lingua franca... by refactor_master on Thursday May 20, 2021 @04:33PM (#27226819)

I’ve experienced this problem for native and non-native speakers alike, where perfectly capable English speakers almost freeze up when they mishear a word, rather than try to help the conversation along. I’d usually ask the other party to spell it out, whereas some simply drop the conversation dead and awkward silence ensues.

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Re:Native speakers are hard to understand in a lingua franca... by teachingassist on Thursday May 20, 2021 @05:23PM (#27227476)

> perfectly capable English speakers almost freeze up when they mishear a word, rather than try to help the conversation along.

As a person who speaks a second language I learned as an adult, I find this situation incredibly difficult to negotiate.

In my first language, I can get through almost any such situation by using humour. In my second language, at best, I can manage 'just one more time?' with a frowny face.

I often think - why wasn't I taught this skill in any language school I attended?

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