I don't know how say but I think that who want to learn a foreign language should do it speaking with native English speakers. I'm Italian and I don't know English very well and if I speak in English with another people that know English as well as me we could take the risk to exchange our mistakes. So I think I have to learn to write and to speak in English, first of all, with English mother tongue and I can speak with other foreign people that don't know English very well only to know each other. It's amusing to speak with all the world but it's useful to talk with English native speakers to learn and to improve our English.
What do you think about?
I will write this not in my diary because I would like somebody correct me.
One of the hardest things to learn when speaking a foreign language is the MUSIC of that language. The natural rythm, pitch and cadence of how the words speed up and slow down, how the sounds go up and down, when there are stops and starts and which syllables are said faster or slower, stronger and weaker, louder and softer, more stoccato and longer than others. Each language has it's own musical character and that is often the last thing that foreigners learn in a language... yet it is the most important thing of all if you want to sound natural in another language. That is the main reason why I think it's so important to practice with native speakers. I want to practice the native rhythms and pitches right from the start. English has a very particular musical aspect that I think is very hard for foreigners to learn. My language partners that have learned for many years without ever speaking to natives have an awful time trying to learn the music of English later on because they have such bad habits ingrained. Other friends who only imitated native English speakers right from the start and who have studied much shorter times, even though they still have an accent, are a pleasure to listen to because they speak more with the musical style of a native English speaker and they sound more advanced! I know that it is hard to find native speakers of English to practice with, but I honestly think it's better to imitate lessons recorded by native speakers or pay for lessons than practice with other foreigners in order to start to learn from the start how English moves and twists naturally, to get your ear used to the music of native English. If you are afraid to open your mouth at all, then yes of course do that however you can with whoever you can, but for the serious student who isn't afraid to practice out loud on their own or with others... I suggest "going native"! :D
Naturally native speakers should be your preference. If however for some reason native speakers are not available, people who know the language you study better than you do, might actually still be able to help you significantly.
I agree with you. We can speak with anybody in English just to have fun or to find good friends, but to learn English or any other language is better to speak with a native speaker.
Sometimes I received mails from people who want to practice English or French with me and I always say that it is better for them to find a native person because I'm a learner and I am not able to help them because I make lots of mistakes.
If you find as many native speakers as you need to practice spoken english every day of the week, good for you. :) I'm very thankful for my non native language partners.
Thank you Gloria; I do the same, I always write to people that want to practice English with me that I can't speak with them if they want to speak for learning but I will glad to speak with them in general.
Berze* I think your non native language partners know English very well; I can learn by them but I can't learn by people that know English as well as me. Such as you read, I do many mistakes. (I don't know if I have to write: "Such as you read, like you read, as you read" o I have to write in a completely different form but I'm sure that who doesn't know English very well could say that all the options are correct (and I know that are all wrong)
