> Things that rarely help: speaking more loudly and repeating the same phrase multiple times.
The Spanish do that - and it doesn't help them much, either.
Oh, and you've forgotten the "waving your arms about" bit.
Re:English has been my pain for 15 years
by phrasemix on Monday September 02, 2013 @11:03AM
(#6315456)
I go back and forth on this. As someone who's taught English as a second language for many years, I can't help but alter the way that I speak. It does help a lot with people whose listening skills are weak.
But I sometimes think it does a disservice to students or people that I spend a lot of time with (like my wife, who's not a native English speaker). Yes, they understand me. But am I then making it harder to understand "real" English speakers who aren't as careful with their pronunciation?
Re:English has been my pain for 15 years
by jablan on Tuesday September 03, 2013 @07:32AM
(#6320293)
Oh, and avoid baseball idioms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_English-language_id...
Making these changes to your speech in real time is a difficult skill that must be cultivated and practiced. I would encourage native speakers to work at this skill, as it can make a big difference. I was once speaking to a couple of Russians and an American from the same region of the US as me. The Russians said they could understand me easily, but had difficulty understanding the other American. The difference was that I was making an effort to speak more clearly for them.