The Importance of Speaking in Language Learning

The Importance of Speaking in Language Learning

In language learning, there are four main areas people tend to focus on: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. 

Today we are going to take a look at speaking skills. 

Speaking in your target language can be very overwhelming. It is probably the hardest part of learning a language, but also the biggest goal of many language learners. 

Many people lack the confidence to speak in their target language, but it is important to start speaking from day one. 

Here are some tips for practicing speaking skills: 

1. Sounds

Learning the sounds of a language first can immensely help your
          speaking. There are more sounds in a language than in the alphabet.
          Many letters have more than one sound. Even though there are way
          more sounds, it is important to practice saying them, to learn when
to use certain sounds.

2. Practice 

There are so many ways to practice speaking: 

• Talk to yourself

         Especially with the sounds. Practice the sounds over and over again.
Compare practicing with yourself to how you practice for giving a
speech. People need to remember a speech to sound authentic, so
they repeat and practice saying it a lot.  Do the same with language
learning. 

• Talk to someone else

With the internet, there are so many ways to reach out to anyone who speaks any language. Find some nice people and speak with them. It is great to speak with native speakers, but that can be intimidating, so I like speaking with others who are also trying to learn the same target language. 

• Sing

   Singing is a great way to mimic the sounds and words of your
       target language. 

3. Gain Confidence

It is important to gain confidence when speaking. It is easier to read,
        write, and listen because you have time to think about what you are
          trying to say or what someone else is saying. When you are in the
middle of a conversation, you have to respond and produce the
language on the spot, that overwhelms us and our brain. If you work
on improving your confidence, it will be easier to be able to have
conversations and speak in your target language. How to gain
confidence? #2 practice Practice PRACTICE!

4. Think without Thinking

Try to just let the language come out naturally, don’t try to have a
          conversation and think/say: 

“Hey! I wanted to go--wait no just want--well, I want to go to a
            supermarket--no,  a specific supermarket-- so THE supermarket”. 

            Don’t think about grammar rules, just let the language flow.