With roughly 350 million native speakers worldwide, and another 260 million people around the world that practice English as a second language, English has become a global dominant language today. It has achieved Lingua Franca status in many fields. The common use of English amongst the business community, academic community and the media has increased the international demand for people who have a good command of the language and speak English fluently.
This increase in demand has placed considerable pressure on students to learn English and achieve the fluency required in the shortest possible time. To reach this goal, the only way anyone can do so is by practice. No matter how many classes one attends, or how many courses one takes, it requires practice. Speaking English practically every day is the only proven method to improve the necessary language skills, confidence, and fluency.
When trying to practice English speech, students should first attempt to master the pronunciation of the language. Beginning with the alphabet students should practice identifying each sound phonetically, with special attention paid to sounds that are not present in one’s mother tongue. For instance, there is no “P” sound in the Arabic language, so students of Arabic descent should focus on incorporating this sound into their speech patterns. Students should identify such limitations and concentrate their efforts on pronouncing such sounds accurately. Recording one’s speech and comparing to those of a native speaker is one of the best ways to do this. Stay focused all the time on trying to pronounce these sounds as closely as possible to those spoken by native speakers.
Students must also talk to fellow students in English as much as possible. They should also think aloud in English as much as possible rather than in their native tongue. Practice speaking English at almost every opportunity, be it when commuting to work or school or when cooking or showering. Students should start with basic sentences and move on to more complex phrases when they are comfortable. Such self-practice enables students to work in a stress-free, low-pressure environment that is most conducive to building confidence and fluency.
Another such low-stress method of practice is learning online, wherein students can learn by themselves spending as much or as little time they want without the fear of judgement or peer pressure. One of the best sites available to students looking to practice English online is on the English Club TV or ECTV for short. The site offers students programmes such as “ECTV Simple News”, “Speak UP” and “The Week in Review” that focus entirely on improving pronunciation and building vocabulary.