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There lived a man in a village. Like any other village in Bangladesh, speaking in English was considered a superb quality in his village. However, he went to England for a visit. When he returned to his village, someone wanted to know how the people of London were like. "Amazing!" he said. "Even the road-cleaners speak in English!"
Just in the way a Bangladeshi cannot take credit for speaking in Bangla, speaking in English is no big deal for an Englishman, be it the British prime minister or a road-cleaner in London.
Learning a language is a natural process. People encounter this process from their surrounding environment. All around us, we hear people speaking to each other. Listening to people and talking to them, both are most effective channels of learning a language.
People do not need formal training for speaking in their mother tongue. This is because they hear people talking all around them from their childhood. All of us have seen babies trying to speak. This means that, from a very early stage, people also try to speak the language they hear. When the baby reaches the age of two or three, it starts to speak meaningfully.
So, the two kinds of effort that gives a person the ability to converse in a certain language are- listening to dialogues and trying to speak. But as English is not our mother tongue, we usually do not hear much English in our day-to-day lives. Hence, we do not learn English naturally.
The same process for learning a mother tongue should be used for learning an effective mode of conversation in English. It is the supportive environment that enables a person to learn the mother tongue. If that sort of supportive environment is created, learning to speak a foreign language can be a natural process also. This way the learner gets a deep-rooted and harmonised understanding of the language.
A well-educated person is self-educated in most cases. Here are some smart tips for helping you get self-educated by creating a simulated learning-friendly environment.
Think in English: Have you ever noticed that you think in Bangla? Within our thoughts when we imagine, recall, plan and analyse something or comment on something, we normally do it in Bangla. From now on, try to imagine, recall, plan and analyse in English.
Self-practice tactics: When you want to practice conversation alone, select a topic. For instance, you can choose a chair, a table, traffic jam, a book fair or anything that interests you. Then start speaking on that certain topic for a certain time limit (5/10 minutes). Day by day, try to increase the time.
Listen to people speaking: When you hear someone speaking in English, try to concentrate on the style and pronunciation and structure of making sentences.
Listen to the radio: Listen to the radio news, or other programs. Voice of America or BBC could be helpful. You will find other channels worth interest and learning. The news services of nationalised channels are also helpful.
Listen to yourself: If you have a tape recorder or mini recorder, record yourself speaking and then listen to it. This could do wonders for you and bring inspiration for you as well.
The SLS technique: The Simultaneous Learning and Speaking technique is a unique technique to improve your spoken and listening skills. This technique suggests that you will listen and speak simultaneously. You can do it with the news broadcasts of BBC, VOA or your chosen program.
The services provided by the coaching centers across the country are simply providing the materials and environment for helping you strengthen your spoken or basic English. But your personal endeavor is the main force that can bring success for you.
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