I had a great time meeting my conversation partner for the first time on Tuesday. I was nervous at first because I had no idea how much English he would know or if we would have anything to talk about. However, it turns out that we have many of the same interests, from the type of music we like, to going to the gym. Honestly, I was surprised at how much English he speaks. He has studied English since he was a kid; the only obstacle was that he didn't have much opportunity to practice back home. Therefore, his speech is sometimes slow, but almost always flawless. I was duly shocked by his knowledge and comprehension of American slang; I did not feel as if I had to watch what I was saying in order for him to understand.
I could really relate to his effort to speak English because it reminded me of my own second-language learning. Many Spanish-speakers often compliment me on my ability to speak Spanish, yet I often feel self-conscious and am constantly afraid that someone will start speaking to me in Spanish and I will not understand them or will not be able to respond; similarly, I complimented him several times on his English, yet I could tell that he did not want to admit to any skills and just kept telling me that he was “improving” and had not been speaking well at all last week. At times I could tell that he took a while to process and translate in his head before saying something, especially before changing the subject or asking a question. Therefore, since his grammar and vocabulary are already almost flawless, the main point of our conversations seems as if it will be enhancing his fluidity.
I also would like to address more profound issues in our subsequent conversations, as our conversation today was mainly surface-level; this way, he will be able to practice vocabulary and grammatical structures which are not as commonly seen or as simple to use. I am excited to see the improvements the next few weeks will bring!
No comments:
Post a Comment