Hey guys!
This discussion might not be for all of you, especially if you don't drink. But I was wondering how you feel about what people say about how drinking can help you speak a foreign language better.
When I first started really speaking Spanish (around age 21), I remember one time I was with my Mexican boyfriend at the time. We were hanging out with his dad, and they got out the tequila. I don't remember a lot (oops!) but my boyfriend told me later that I was talking on and on with his dad in pretty good Spanish.
Maybe having a little bit of alcohol in a social situation can help us feel more relaxed and help us speak more freely? What do you all think? I personally feel like drinking leads to me making MORE mistakes when I'm talking... But at least I'm talking and practicing!
Thoughts?
It depends what your strengths and weaknesses are.
If you have a reasonable grasp of the language and simply lack confidence, then a drink or two can help you lose your inhibitions and become more fluent.
But if you are already confident but inaccurate, the 'loosening' effect of alcohol can make your language worse. You'll care even less about your mistakes, and you'll descend into incoherent rambling.
Nope.
Yes, I think so. And I feel like we can speak more fluently when we run into some problems. Because we have to deal with it. Like, we missed our plane when we traveled to BKK last year. And I could suddenly understand everything they were saying and responding accordingly.
It depends. For instance, if the student has Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) alcohol will make things worse. I think it's better to find a good friend to talk to. :)
A mixed blessing then: reduced inhibition so more practice, but probably more mistakes, and will you remember the corrected version later ? I'm familiar with the sensation; I used to think I was better under the influence, in fact, sometimes I could only do it in that situation, but I tend to reserve judgment now on the balance of benefits. We certainly think we speak well, but is it an illusion ?
