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Why are ESL Speakers so Difficult to Understand?

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Published: 26Sep2008
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So your new colleague is bright, extremely intelligent, and a great asset to the company. But there is one problem: English is not his native language and although he has a fantastic command of English, he continues to be difficult to understand when he speaks. Why?

There are four reasons that it can be hard to understand non-native English speakers whose grammar is good but whose intelligibility is poor:

1. Vowels and consonants are inaccurately pronounced, substituted or entirely omitted. Since vowels and consonants carry a lot of meaning to words, a substitution can alter the meaning drastically. Other languages don't use the same alphabet as English does and so non-native speakers must learn entirely new sounds. Among the harder sounds to learn are /r/ and /l/ as well as many of our vowels. Vowels in particular, if mispronounced are going to cause miscommunications. Consider the vowel in the word "pet." If someone substitutes a long ee sound for this vowel, the following sentences could be interpreted very differently:

"The den was messy and ugly" would sound like, "The dean was meesy and ugly."

Although the context of a sentence may help the listener figure out what was said, doing this frequently is tiring.

Often times, a non-native speaker will adopt the sounds of their own language to say the words. Another problem is that many English words are not pronounced like they are spelled. This can create problems even for the native speaker learning to say an unfamiliar word.

2. Inappropriate stress is placed on syllables in words. Again, a non-native speaker will use the structure of his/her native language and apply it to English. Some languages don't stress syllables like English. In order to stress a syllable, we lengthen the vowel sound of the stressed syllable and we increase our pitch and our loudness on this syllable. Consider the following two words: thirty and thirteen. The first syllable is stressed in the word "thirty" and the second syllable is stressed in "thirteen." A non-native speaker whose native tongue gives equal length to all syllables is going to say these two words almost identically. Word meaning is carried in these stressed syllables in American English. When not stressed, it creates a lack of understanding.

3. The rhythm and melody of speech (intonation) doesn't match American English intonation patterns. This problem ties into using inappropriate stress on syllables. But it also has to do with stress of words in sentences. English puts stress on the important words in our sentences like verbs, nouns and pronouns. This gives the sentence more meaning. Say the following sentence three times stressing a different word each time:

I like pizza.

You can understand how these sentences are different based on the context.

Does Sara like pizza? No, I like pizza. Do you hate pizza? No, I like pizza. Do you like chicken? No, I like pizza.

Some languages speak with very little intonation and the sound is flat. This interferes with intelligibility.

4. The rate of speech is too fast. A fast rate of speech compromises our understanding no matter who speaks fast. Add mispronunciation of sounds, inaccurate stress and a flat pitch, and the speaker becomes especially difficult to understand. On the other hand, if the speech is too slow, it is laborious to listen to. Non-native speakers must be especially careful to speak at an appropriate rate.

Listening to someone who is difficult to understand is a trying experience which requires patience and understanding. The longer we are in a conversation with someone who is difficult to understand the more we begin to tune out and shut down. Next time you are straining to understand a message with a non-native English speaker, do the following:

1. Ask for clarification frequently.

2. Restate what you heard the speaker say.

3. Model good clear speech and proper grammar.

4. Ask him/her to slow down or use different words to convey the meaning when the message isn't getting across.

Many ESL speakers want to know when they have said something wrong and want to be corrected. They tell me, "Americans are just too polite to correct me." Of course, not everyone feels that way. To find out, just ask the person how they feel about receiving feedback. Presented in a non-critical way, the speaker may welcome your comments. Showing interest that you want to understand and that you care may make a big, positive difference in the eyes of the speaker.

Modifying a foreign accent with the goal of becoming more understandable in another country takes a lot of hard work. If you need assistance mastering American English we can help. Contact us here.

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