72. Speak Like A Native - THE MYTH

Want to speak like a native in English? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want that? But ... What if I told you that setting the goal TO SPEAK AND SOUND LIKE A NATIVE in English could also be the reason why you still feel stuck and insecure in English? Here’s why: 1) This concept 'to speak like a native' implies there is only one 'right' way to speak English. In fact, the opposite is true. Native speakers have vastly different accents and expressions, and even use different forms of grammar. What the English learning industry perceives as the standard, is only one type of English spoken by a select group of people. Once you understand that there’s more variety and more room for different voices, you'll have more freedom in your speaking. 2) While you may believe the goal to 'speak English like a native' keeps you motivated, in reality it could strengthen the two biggest fears that prevent people from pursuing their goals - the fear of not being good enough and the fear of rejection. In this episode, I’m going to explain why this happens and how you can achieve fluency and freedom by changing the way you think about English. I have been a fluency and pronunciation coach for 12 years. I have taught thousands of students. When I used to promote the idea that their end goal should be to ‘speak like a native’, I saw that my students were not able to appreciate their progress or feel contentment, because no matter what they had achieved they still felt like they were far from the ‘native’ ideal. I also felt this myself, as a non-native English speaker seeking to sound like a native. When I was trying to keep the form of 'perfect standard English' I felt so limited and was in constant fear of getting things wrong. When I changed my way of thinking about English, I was able to achieve so much more in my ability to communicate, without the burden and pressure of sounding a certain way - the pressure of having to pass as an American. But you know what the best part is? Once freedom is achieved, it’s so much easier to actually reach your true goals - to feel as comfortable and free in English as you do in your native language. More resources to boost your confidence:

• 10 ways to DESTROY your English Fluency + FREE PDF with 30 powerful affirmations to boost your confidence and fluency: https://theaccentsway.com/speak-english-fluently/
• How To Get Over The Fear Of Being Judged When Speaking English: https://theaccentsway.com/speaking-with-confidence/
• How To Sound Confident In English (Even When You’re Not!): https://theaccentsway.com/sound-more-confident-in-english/
• How to Use Your Voice in ENGLISH to Sound Powerful and Confident: https://theaccentsway.com/improve-your-speaking-voice-in-english/

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