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Speak Global English - 22. Making Speech Awareness a Daily Habit for Success

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/26/2016 08:04:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 22. Making Speech Awareness a Daily Habit for Success

This is the 22nd and the final video of Speak Global English series. In this video, Hansen talks about another English spoken tips, making Speech Awareness a Daily Habit for Success. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 22. Making Speech Awareness a Daily Habit for Success

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 22: Making speech awareness a daily habit for success

In this series we've been talking about many different ways you can increase the clarity of your speech and get ahead in your business by speaking global English. I'm so happy that you've followed along with me and have made the commitment to improve the way you speak and focus on clear, global English.

Remember that changing your speech is a long-term process. It takes daily focus and awareness. Just because you know how to make the TH sound correctly, doesn't mean you are actually doing it in your every-day speech.

Be aware of how you and the people around you speak. Try to make clarity a daily habit. Choose one sound or concept (word stress, intonation) to focus on each day and try to practice that with every word you speak.

When you hear words or phrases that you aren't familiar with or pronunciations that are different from your own, write them down so you can check on them later. Then begin to integrate them into your own speech.

Successful leaders are ones who know how to communicate their vision in a way other people understand. Increase the clarity of your messages, and you will also increase your success.

I hope that you have enjoyed this 22-part video series on Speaking Global English. This is only the tip of the iceberg! I hope you'll contact me to learn more.

Speak Global English - 21. 3 Ways to Encourage your Children to Speak Clearly and Confidently

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/26/2016 07:59:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 21. 3 Ways to Encourage your Children to Speak Clearly and Confidently

This is the 21st video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about another English spoken tips, 3 Ways to Encourage your Children to Speak Clearly and Confidently. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 21. 3 Ways to Encourage your Children to Speak Clearly and Confidently

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 21: 3 Ways to Encourage your Children to Speak Clearly and Confidently

If you're anything like me, you want your child to grow up to be a clear and confident communicator. Unfortunately, there are some bad habits many parents are passing onto their children without even knowing it.

Remember that children learn rhythm and pronunciation by listening to the language models around them. If you, parents, are not speaking clearly and confidently, chances are your children won't either.

Here are 3 things you can do as a parent to improve your child's speech

1. Be a good language model Pay attention to the way YOU speak. Improve your pronunciation and speech so your children can learn from you.

2. Know the correct way to correct your child When you correct your children, don't scold or lecture them. Simply repeat what they said incorrectly correctly. So if your child says, "Mommy, she don't like that." You can respond with, "Oh really? She doesn't like that?" When your child catches on to what you're doing, you'll notice that they will begin to repeat your correction after you, learning more every time.

3. Read to your child There is nothing better than reading to your children. Every evening in our house, both of my girls (ages 2 and 4) get to pick out one short story each and then we finish off with a third book -- whatever the crowd-pleasing favorite of the moment might be.

But remember, when you read to your child, really READ. Use emotion to emphasize important words, use funny voices. Ask your kids questions. Have them point out things in the pictures. You're not only helping them with their speech, but also encouraging a love of reading.

Speak Global English - 20. Fine tuning your speech with minimal pairs

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/21/2016 09:25:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 20. Fine tuning your speech with minimal pairs

This is the 20th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about another English spoken tips, Fine tuning your speech with minimal pairs. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Series with Heather Hansen Part 20: Fine tuning your speech with minimal pairs

Today I'd like to share with you another fun way to practice your pronunciation. Minimal pairs are words that are identical except for the one problem sound you are focused on practicing.

For example, if you have trouble with the sounds R and L you might practice reading a list of words like: read / lead
road / load
fry / fly
fright / flight
and so on.

Slowly say these words out loud and really focus on the sounds and the way you use your voice. Here are some helpful hints to practicing minimal pairs:

1. Say the words in a mirror. Exaggerate your facial expressions. Watch your tongue, lips and jaw, and note the differences when you make the sounds.

2. Record yourself saying the pairs. Listen to the recording and see if you can hear a difference between how you pronounce the words.

3. Choose one word from each pair and say them out loud to a friend. Have your friend write down the words he/she hears. See if your friend heard the words you were trying to say.

Don't push yourself too hard. You might notice that after 15 minutes or so your brain and tongue just can't seem to communicate. That's normal. Take a break and go back to it later!

Speak Global English - 19. Watch more TV to improve your speech

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/20/2016 08:08:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 19. Watch more TV to improve your speech

This is the 19th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about another English spoken tips, Watch more TV to improve your speech. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 19. Watch more TV to improve your speech

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 19: How watching TV can help you improve your speech

What would you say if I told you that watching TV and listening to the radio could help you improve your speech?!

It's true!

The first step to improving your pronunciation is training your ear to hear the difference between different sounds. If you can't hear the difference it's much harder to produce the difference correctly on your own.

As you watch TV or listen to the radio, be sure that you pay very close attention to how words are pronounced, not only individually, but also when they are strung together in sentences.

Try watching and listening to shows from different countries and see if you can pick up on some of the pronunciation differences between different varieties of English.

As you become a better listener, you'll be surprised how quickly you also become a better speaker.

Speak Global English - 18. Idiotic Idioms

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/20/2016 08:01:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 18. Idiotic Idioms

This is the 18th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about another English spoken tips, Idiotic Idioms. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 18: Idiotic Idioms

Every language has idioms -- fixed expressions whose meaning is not immediately obvious from looking at the words used.

Idioms have become so common in business communication that we often don't even know that we're using them.

Some great examples are: Get the ball rolling a fish out of water take a rain check Bang for the buck and the home stretch

Some of these might be familiar to you -- others, maybe not.

Idioms rarely cross languages, and quite often don't even cross cultures. English is spoken in the US and the UK, but there are idioms on each side of the Atlantic that are not used on the other side, or the same idioms can mean very different things in each culture.

This is why I say that idioms are idiotic. If you want to communicate in international environments, try to eliminate idioms from your speech. It's harder than you think, but your listeners will thank you for it.

Speak Global English - 17. What's the perfect speaking rate?

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/20/2016 07:56:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 17. What's the perfect speaking rate?

This is the 17th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about English spoken tips, the perfect speaking rate. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 17. What's the perfect speaking rate?

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 17: What's the perfect speaking rate?

I'm often asked whether how quickly we speak influences how well others understand us. If you speak clearly and chunk your messages well, speed shouldn't be the reason why people misunderstand.

But the problem is, as you speed up, it gets harder for you to speak clearly. If you drop your word endings and everything mumbles together, people might have a hard time understanding you. But, if you're able to maintain crisp enunciation despite your quick pace, your listeners shouldn't have a problem.

That said, I know you want a real answer, so here you go...

Try not to speak in public at a rate above 200 words per minute. Even 200 is a bit high. The best rate for me, is actually somewhere between 160 and 170 words per minute.

How can you test this? Easy! Copy part of an email into a word document. Use the Word Count tool to cut the passage down to 200 words. Set your timer to 1 minute and then see how far you read (out loud) during that minute. When the timer rings count how many words are left on your page, subtract them from 200 and voila, there's your speaking rate!

Speak Global English - 16. Linking Your Words for Better Flow

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 07:13:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 16. Linking Your Words for Better Flow

This is the 16th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about English spoken tips, linking words for better flow. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 16. Linking Your Words for Better Flow

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 16: Linking your words for better flow

Listen to your favorite DJ or host, and you'll hear how smooth and fluent their speech is. They don't have that typical staccato rhythm we're used to hearing. Their speech sounds effortless. It just flows.

This is because they've learned to link their words together. Words normally don't stand alone. If -- you- say -- every- word -- by -- itself -- it -- sounds- very -- odd. But if you link your words together correctly, your speech flows.

Here are a couple ways you can link your speech: 1. If a word ends in a consonant and is followed by a word starting with a vowel, the consonant links onto the vowel.

For example: "I'd like-a glass-of water" The K in like links to A and the S in glass links to of. "I'd lik-a glass-of water"

2. If a word ends in a vowel and the next word starts with a vowel, you add a Y or W sound between the two words.

For example: "Why-yare you here? Not why // are, but whyyare.

Speak Global English - 15. A voice worth listening to

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 07:09:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 15. A voice worth listening to

This is the 15th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about English spoken tips, a voice that worth listening to. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 15. A voice worth listening to

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 15: A Voice Worth Listening To

Have you ever heard a speaker who was actually really interesting, but you just couldn't seem to hold your eyes open? Most likely they had a monotonous voice or they just didn't seem very interested in what they were saying.

Make sure you speak with a voice worth listening to. You need to have vocal variety -- those ups and downs in tone that make people want to hear more.

Here are some tips for vocal variety:

1. Slow down and emphasize important words

The faster you speak, the harder it is to have any variety in your tone and everything will start to sound the same. Slow down and emphasize the important words in your sentences. You'll notice that your voice rises slightly on important words giving more dimension to your message.

2. Make sure your energy is up

If you sound like you are bored by what you're saying, everyone else will think you're boring too. Remember how closely your emotions and voice are linked. Manage your emotions and energy levels, and you'll be able to better manage your voice as well.

3. Project your voice

Sometimes the problem is just that the voice is too calm and quiet. Make sure that you speak from your diaphragm and project your voice out to your audience.

Try to add some energy and enthusiasm to your voice when you speak and people will be more interested in listening.

Speak Global English - 14. Getting rid of that questioning tone

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 07:03:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 14. Getting rid of that questioning tone?

This is the 14th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about English spoken tips, getting rid of that question tone. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 14. Getting rid of that questioning tone?

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Speak Global English Series Part 14: Getting rid of that questioning tone...?

You may not realize how closely linked your voice is to your emotions. If you feel uncomfortable or nervous or think that you need approval for the things you say, these feelings will often make themselves known in the intonation of your statements.

Where many people run into trouble, is when they get nervous or feel insecure, and their statements begin to sound like... questions?

I find that people do this the most in the beginning of public presentations when they are still feeling a bit nervous and are trying to get the approval of the audience.

This unfortunately works against you, because you come across as insecure and like you don't really know what you're talking about.

If you know what you want to say, and you feel strongly about something, be sure that your voice doesn't send another signal.

Practice your introduction, paying specific attention to your tone until you can confidently deliver it without sounding like you're asking your audience for constant approval.

You know what you want to say. Have the confidence to speak up and say it. Don't let your own insecurities get in the way. Say it like you mean it, and you'll find that people will take you and your ideas more seriously.

Speak Global English - 13. Adding Emotion to your Message

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 06:58:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 13. Adding Emotion to your Message

This is the 13th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about English spoken tips, adding emotion to your message. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 13. Adding Emotion to your Message

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Speak Global English Series Part 13: Putting Emotion into your Message

If you really want to make an impact on your listeners when you speak, then really mean what you say. That probably seems obvious, but it's so common to rattle off messages without giving any thought to how we feel about them.

When you speak, put emotion behind your words. When you're happy, you should sound happy! Smile when you speak, and maybe even add a little laugh to your voice.

When something is serious, use your voice as a tool to show how important that message is. Emphasize the words that you want people to remember. Slow down your speech and pause so that people have time to digest what you're saying.

By adding more emotion -- more of YOU -- to your speech, you will be better understood. Instead of just stringing words together, you will also make people feel what you feel.

And we all know, people don't remember what you say. They remember how you make them feel.

Speak Global English - 12. The Power of a Pause

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 06:51:00 PM with No comments

Speak Global English - 12. The Power of a Pause

This is the 12th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about the power of a pause. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Series Part 12: The Power of a Pause

One of the easiest ways to improve the clarity of your speech is to slow down and use pauses.

In our fast-paced world, many of us have come to feel uncomfortable with silence. It's like we're some kind of failures if we can't fill every moment with some kind of noise. So we develop bad habits, shoving in fillers at every opportunity... um... uh.. you know, right?

Try to become more comfortable with silence. When you do, you'll find that your speech will be much better received and your messages will be better understood.

Some appropriate places to use pauses are:

as spoken punctuation -- pause at commas, full stops and so on
when changing topics as a warning to listeners that you are now moving on
to get attention -- have you ever noticed how when a room suddenly goes silent, everyone looks up?
to build excitement -- nothing creates a better cliff-hanger moment than a long pause

So next time you want to say um or uh, simply stop, collect your thoughts and then speak when you're ready. Your audience will be dying to hear your next words!

Speak Global English - 11. How to Chunk your Messages

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/18/2016 07:38:00 AM with No comments

Speak Global English - 11. How to Chunk your Messages

This is the 11th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about word stress and why it's important. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Series Part 11: Chunking your messages

In addition to your consonant and vowel sounds, the final way you can ensure that your message is always understood is to group your words into smaller chunks of information, separated by pauses or a change in tone.

If you speak in one long, uninterrupted stream, it is harder for the listener to understand your meaning and figure out which parts of your message are the most important.

Let's take a look at an example sentence: Last year was a record-breaking year for our company.

First we'll break it into chunks: Last year//was a record-breaking year//for our company. 2 pauses, 3 chunks.

Now we need to find the most important word in each chunk and emphasize it more than the others: Last YEAR//was a RECORD-breaking year//for our COMPANY.

Now to say it naturally: Last year was a record-breaking year for our company.

By chunking your messages, you can create more rhythm and fluency in your speech -- and make people WANT to listen to you.

Speak Global English - 10. Word Stress - Why it's important

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/17/2016 05:01:00 AM with No comments

Speak Global English - 10. Word Stress - Why it's important.

This is the 10th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about word stress and why it's important. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Series Part 10: Why word stress is Important

I know, we all have enough stress in our lives, right? But have you ever thought about word stress??

Word stress refers to how we choose to emphasize different parts of our words. Every word can be broken into syllables (or beats).

If we take the word computer, we can break it into 3 parts: com-pu-ter.

Then we need to decide which part takes the stress (the emphasis). Do we say 1. COM-pu-ter, 2. com-PU-ter or 3. com-pu-TER?

Hopefully number 2 sounded the most natural to you!

There are many words in Singapore English, for example, that are stressed differently than other varieties of English. It's important to be aware of these differences because if you're ever speaking to a native English speaker, this will be the number one reason why he/she doesn't understand.

For example, I often hear: PHOtograph, PHOtoGRAPHer, PHOtoGRAPHy instead of PHOtograph, phoTOGrapher and phoTOGraphy

I hear colLEAGUE instead of COLLeague and purCHASE instead of PURchase

And in the financial hub which is Singapore, I even hear eCONomy and eCONomic instead of eCONomy and ecoNOMic. You'd be surprised how many CFOs I've worked with who needed help with that one.

Remember, the word stress used in non-native varieties of English is fine as long as you're speaking with other people who use the same English variety, but the minute you have a native speaker on that conference call or in your audience, it makes sense to adjust your speech if you want to be understood.

Speak Global English - 9. Long and Short Vowel Sounds

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/17/2016 04:37:00 AM with No comments

Speak Global English - 9. Long and Short Vowel Sounds

This is the 9th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this video, Hansen talks about long and Short Vowel Sounds. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Series Part 9: Differentiate Between Long and Short Vowels

Over the past couple segments we've been looking at consonant sounds. Now it's time to turn our attention to our vowels.

In English we have both short and long vowels.

When you make long vowel sounds, you might notice that your voice goes up and glides down over a longer period of time. Think of A -- E - I - O - U - OW and OY.

Short vowels, on the other hand, are short and sharp: a, e, i, o, uh, ou

And depending on your variety of English you might be able to add a few other vowel variations to the short and long list.

Vowels can get complicated, but the simplest tip I can offer is to try to differentiate between your long and short vowels. One pair of vowels that I often hear confused is the long /eeee/ with the short /i/.

Think of the flight attendant who asks you to sit in your sit, for example. There really does need to be a difference between sit and seat. By simply lengthening the long vowel, you can quickly begin speaking more clearly.

Speak Global English - 8. Improving your Pronunciation with Tongue Twisters

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/17/2016 04:29:00 AM with No comments

Speak Global English - 8. Improving your Pronunciation with Tongue Twisters

This is the 8th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In the eighth video, Hansen talks about how to improve your pronunciation with tongue twisters. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Speak Global English - 8. Improving your Pronunciation with Tongue Twisters

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 8: Improving your pronunciation with tongue twisters

One of the best (and most enjoyable) ways to improve your pronunciation is by practicing tongue twisters. Really! It may just seem like play, but many stage actors, speakers and voice-over artists will agree that tongue twisters are powerful tools for warming up the muscles used for speech.

If you know that there's a certain sound that causes you trouble, find a tongue twister that can help you practice it.

For example, if you don't like the TH sound, and really, who does, give this tongue twister a try:

I'm thinking of 3,333 things.

Then of course, speed it up, and keep on going: I'm thinking of 3,333 things, I'm thinking of 3,333 things, I'm thinking of 3,333 things....

If you want to work on R and L, try a common Singapore street name - a colleague of mine learned this one from her taxi driver! River Valley Road

And faster: River Valley Road, River Valley Road, River Valley Road!

If it sounds like Liver Very Load... we've got a problem!

You can find more tongue twisters on her website: http://www.hansencommlab.com or just do a google search. There are some great tongue twister databases out there!

Speak Global English - 7. Clarify Your Consonant Sounds

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/14/2016 08:29:00 PM with No comments

Clarify Your Consonant Sounds

This is the 7th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In the seventh video, Hansen talks about clarifying consonant sounds. Let's see what she has to say in this video.

Clarify Your Consonant Sounds

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 7: Clarifying Your Consonants

In order to be understood by everyone, everywhere, every time you speak, you need to make sure that your consonant sounds are clear.

What are consonants? Well, everything other than the vowels! And what are the vowels? A-E-I-O-U (and sometimes Y). So r

ight now we're talking about everything else. Every consonant sound needs to be unique. That means that Rs cannot sound like Ls, Vs cannot sound like Ws, Bs and Ps, Ds and Ts, Gs and Ks -- they all need to have their own sounds.

Many consonants sounds get confused because we use our voices incorrectly. It's true! Think about the sounds for P and B. We make them in almost identical ways. The only difference is that we use our voice to make the B sound, whereas we have no voice, but a lot of air, when we make the P sound: /p/ and /b/

There are many more pairs like this: T and D, K and G, S and Z, F and V, plus the sounds ZH and SH, J and CH, and the THs DH and TH.

So be careful when and how you use your voice, and keep your consonants clear and unique.

Speak Global English - 6. How native and non-native speakers hear English

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/14/2016 08:21:00 PM with No comments

How native and non-native speakers hear English

This is the 6th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In the sixth video, Hansen talks about how native and non-native speaker hear English. Let's find out what she has to say in this video.

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 6: How native and non-native speakers hear English

A lot of my clients come to me quite confused saying that some people understand them perfectly while others don't seem to understand a word they say.

This divide is normally along the lines of native and non-native speakers. Jean-Paul Nerriere, a Frenchman living in Japan and working for IBM was one of the first people to recognize that non-native English speakers were actually able to understand each other better when they spoke to each other than when they spoke with native English speakers!

How could this be true when they were all speaking a foreign language? Well, most (not all, but most) native English speakers grow up hearing only one language -- their own variety of English. Non-native speakers hear many different kinds of English as they learn the language, and therefore have a "better ear" when it comes to understanding others.

Native speakers also listen for subtle nuances of the language that non-native speakers don't particularly care about. We listen for word stress and intonation patterns to give us more information. Non-native speakers ignore all of that to focus more on vocabulary.

So this is why we can end up having more miscommunication when native speakers are involved. We hear the English language differently.

This is why it's just as important for native speakers to pay attention to their speech in international settings and also make an honest effort to understand others. Non-native speakers, I'll also be sharing some tips with you in upcoming videos as to how you can speak in a way that native speakers can better understand.

Speak Global English - 5. Your accent isn't your problem

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/14/2016 07:51:00 PM with No comments

Your accent isn't your problem

This is the 5th video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In the fifth video, Hansen talks about weather the accent is the problem with your English spoken. Let's find out what she has to say in this video.

Your accent isn't your problem

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 5 (of 22): Your accent isn't your problem.

When new clients come to me, one of the first things they say is, "I want to get rid of my accent." My answer is always the same: "Why on earth would you want to do that."

There is a common misperception that accents are what stand in the way of clear communication. I just don't agree.

Your accent is a HUGE part of who you are. Every time you open your mouth, you speak volumes about your culture, your heritage, your upbringing -- everything that is you. To change your accent is to change who you are.

Does this then mean that you don't need to pay attention to how you speak? Absolutely not.
We all need to speak as clearly as possible, regardless of our accents. There are plenty of Americans who can hardly be understood in international settings, and there are many Singaporeans, for example, who speak beautifully clear international English, and yet you will know immediately that they are Singaporean.

And what exactly is wrong with that?

Stop blaming miscommunications on your accent and start focusing on the clarity of your speech.

And don't worry, in the segments to come I'll be sharing with you exactly how you can add clarity to your speech so you can be understood by everyone, everywhere, every time.

Speak Global English - 4. Take Responsibility for Your Communication

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 6/01/2016 08:11:00 AM with No comments

Take Responsibility for Your Communication

This is the 4rd video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In the fourth video, Hansen talks about taking responsibility for your communication. Let's find out what she has to say in this fourth video.

Take Responsibility for Your Communication

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Take Responsibility for Your Communication:

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Speak Global English Video Series Part 4 (of 22): Take Responsibility for your Communication

One day on a social media platform, someone posted a picture that read, "I'm only responsible for what I SAY, not for what YOU UNDERSTAND."

Argh! I could have screamed! In fact, I might have screamed. This statement couldn't be farther from the truth, and this attitude is exactly why so much of our communication fails.

Communication is a two-way street. You are not only responsible for what you say, but also how what you say is understood. Plus you're responsible for making some effort in trying to understand other people.

If you're a native speaker and have the attitude that "This is my language and it's your responsibility to speak in a way that I can best understand." Guess what, you're not going to make it very far in international business.

And non-native speakers -- you're not off the hook -- if you don't have the confidence in your ability to speak and shy away from opportunities to make you ideas heard, you are equally guilty.

So why don't we all start taking some responsibility for our communication and make a bigger effort to understand and be understood.

Speak Global English - 3. Who owns the English language?

Posted by Learn Real English Team Posted on 5/30/2016 12:39:00 AM with No comments

Who owns the English language?

This is the 3rd video of Speak Global English series. There are all together 22 video in the series. In this third video, Hansen talks about who owns the English language. Let's find out what she has to say in this third video.

Who owns the English language?

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Who owns the English language?:

Transcript:
Speak Global English Video Series Part 3 (of 22 parts): Who owns the English language?

There are about 400 million native English speakers in our world today. And when we say "native" speakers, they are geographically defined as people living and speaking English in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.

In the rest of the world we have about 1.4 BILLION non-native speakers of English.

In China alone, there are 300 million people who speak some level of English. There are an additional 350 million learning English. And what I find especially interesting is that they are learning American English.

American English is spoken by about 280 million people in the US. So basically, we have over double the number of English speakers in China than in the whole United States.

Oh, and that Queen's English everyone talks about? Only around 1 million people in the world actually speak that variety.

To think that native English speakers can continue to claim some kind of ownership of the English language is ill-informed at best.

Communication is a two-way street, and whether you're a native speaker or not, you still need to take responsibility for your communication. But I don't want to get ahead of myself -- we'll talk more about responsibility next time!

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