Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Indians are speaking English fast



Five of my class mates were attended one Chennai SHG meeting a month before. In those five, two were settled in USA and one in Australia.


In that meeting, one of them who settled in USA immediately after our studies (1979) has informed that  at initial stages, whenever he spoke , the Americans asked him  to repeat  again what he had told because they could not understood as he was speaking very fast as per American custom.


It took 3 months for him to slow down his speech and adjust to the USA conditions. He  also informed that even now he speaks at his customary fast speed  only with Indians settled in USA, but speaks slowly with American people.


Here, let's us compare about our stammering. For a fluent speaker like him (he is one of the best fluent English speakers in our batch) required three months time to slow down his speech. With his perfect speech mechanism, with perfect body language and more proficiency in English, three month time were required for him to slowdown his speech. Then think of how much time Stammerers need to correct their speech having so many complex problems with them. A minimum of one year is required to control / overcome their stammering.

Coming back to this core point of this message, I myself experienced the same thing today.

One of my class mates (living in Dubai now) requested me to arrange a visit to a sewage treatment plant at Chennai for her daughter's classmate (who is from USA).

I have arranged for her visit on 7th Dec 2014. After  picking her, we proceeded  to the treatment plant  location.




During our initial conversation, she asked me again and again to repeat what I told to her (even though I never stammered). Then, she herself told that here all are speaking very fast.

Then only I started noticing her style of speaking. She was speaking slowly almost in our speech practicing speed. Then, I also started speaking slowly. Though initially it was tough for me, but after 15 minutes I adjusted to the situation and started speaking slowly.

I was with her for about 4 hours. And most of the time I have spoken to her slowly and also comfortably with very minimum stammering. She also started understanding my speech and never asked me again to repeat  what I had told to her.

Now I have realised that situation & mind also plays important roles  to improve our speech. The power of our mind is really amazing. It's adjusting according to the requirement of every situations. It's up to us to properly use it.
If Stammerers slowdown their speech, they will defiantly speak better. They can easily slowdown their speaking speed. If there is a will, there is a way.

Finally, I want to tell one important observation during my 4 hours conversation with her. She never asked about my stammering. Never shown any different kind of facial expression whenever I stammered. I think she never bothered about my stammering.

So, in this world Stammerers alone bothering about their stammering and none others.

Regards,
Manimaran.

9 comments:

  1. we must make slow speech our habit.we should also slow down our daily activities...

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  2. Very insightful article as always Manimaran sir.
    Thank you for sharing!!!

    I have experienced this as well as in speak to people from different language background at work (Chinese, American, African, etc). I have generally found foreigners to be both slow speakers and expressive speakers (especially Americans) who supplement their spoken words with hand gestures n facial expressions that helps to keep the listeners attentive to what they are saying.

    I have also observed that great orators use pausing at appropriate places not only to bring back listeners attention but also to give time for d message to synch in.

    Finally I personally stammer more while talking about something that I am passionate about cause then I am eager to say a lot of information in a short time n this increases pace of my speech in turn leading to more stammering!! So the only thing that works in those situations is Slowing Down!! and things start to fall in place.

    Warm regards
    Ajay.

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  3. Whenever I saw some Hollywood movies that some actor/actress are speaking fast, I only thought that every Americans speak ultra fast but my brother told me who works in a IT compony in Ohio, America that most of the native speakers speak slowly with rhythm. And I belong from Haryana and in Haryana state most of the speakers speak faster. So I truly agree your points Manimaran Sir.

    But I think we don't need to be slow down our speech and speak In n natural speed because speech therapy would take care of. If we stammer more. We should think this stammering is permanent.

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  4. This message is to highlight an important point that stammerers need more time to speak well like my friend who needed 3 months to slow down his speech as per American custom.
    This post is not related to speech therapy.

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  5. Oh!! I misunderstood thanks for putting some light.😊

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  6. Very Nice...arise, awake, stop not..till you achieve.... D GNANASEKAR

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  7. Very Nice...arise, awake, stop not..till you achieve.... D GNANASEKAR

    ReplyDelete