3 min readfrom Language Learning

Do you feel negative feelings from having to use a foreign language?

First off, this is a vent post, and i'm sure there are probably gazillions of similar posts in this sub. And I'll refrain from yapping too much about less related details, sorry for the length of the post.

I know the most obvious answer is something like "find native speakers to speak with", and I do have some American and British friends IRL to practice with, but I generally just panic and cringe from the way i speak, and I switch back to French. I mainly just want to talk about this, because I feel it's like the one psychological obstacle that's pulling me back in my language learning.

I (18, freshman) am a native French speaker, and i'm fluent in Spanish (C1?) and in English (B2+?), and I have basic proficiency in other languages i never get to speak.

I have a bittersweet relationship with the English language. On the one hand, i've always had good grades in English classes, and I'm doing quite well when it comes to comprehension and written expression, and I like to use it online with my friends, as it is part of my Gen-z humour. On the other hand, oral fluency is my biggest flaw, and i feel it is (partly?) related to my lack of self-assurance when speaking. When I hear myself hesitate, make mistakes, i feel pressured, which worsens it all. Half of the time, in English class, i'm enjoying myself, the other half, I shy away from speaking. Sometimes I genuinely want to try and practice, but when my teacher cuts me off, because i'm taking too much time and she's got my point, or on the contrary when she insists on making me speak when I don't want to, it can bring me down. My dad has also played a part in this, as I've been intensively learning Spanish in my spare time, and he's often insisted that I focus on improving English too (which in itself is a valid recommendation, but insisting on it *because* I learn Spanish feels out of place), and he has made several times degrading comments about my English, which has worsened my issue.

Even in Spanish, which is a language I love and feel deeply connected to (for family reasons), I face similar problems. I know I have an excellent level, but when I have the opportunity to talk with a stranger, I feel the same pressure, the same self-consciousness, and I end up actually speaking badly. Ironically, the only reason I can speak Spanish at college is because almost nobody in my class is fluent.

I want to know if you guys can relate and if I can learn from your experience, if you've managed to overcome that.

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Tagged with

#creative language use
#language evolution
#philosophy of language
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#oral fluency
#English language
#Spanish
#psychological obstacle
#self-assurance
#native speakers
#language learning
#self-consciousness
#language proficiency
#language practice
#comprehension
#written expression