Psychological aspect of speaking english

Ravi   Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:28 am GMT
this is not for native speakers but we do need their help,no doubt.this is not for beginners either but they can learn a thing or two about learning english.
this is for people like me caught in the middle of nowhere.i am not a beginner,i have learned enough english.it means iam better than beginners but iam not as good as native speakers or those who have finally completed the process of learning english and are as good as native speakers.i can understand any english accent,understand every single word in movies and in songs(rap or country or any genre),i can write well.i can understand almost all words without having to look for the meaning of a certain word in a dictionary.i have also developed my intuition,i know instinctively what is right and what is wrong in english...............iam only trying to establish that iam good at english.
but....but ....but..speaking is something else.when iam alone i can speak so fluently with myself , i amaze myself with my ability.when i have to talk to native speakers on the phone(i work in a call center),i cant do it without fear and the feeling of tightness in the chest.i cant move my lips,i mispronounce and stammer,its awful.i feel that way when i speak to my friends.i feel like a lot is riding on my ability to sound good and speak flunetly and in the process of trying not to screw up,i screw up anyway.
ohhhh..i tried to look for answers for my problem on the net but in vain.is there anyone out there who can help me ?.
help.
i feel like i have been my own enemy,can anyone help me shed my fears and liberate me.can anyone tell me who they overcame their psychological fear an got very fluent.i dont want to ridiculed by any native speaker or my friends that i suck at english.i dont want to be conscious of each word i speak.i just want to speak it like the language it is,like my first language and feel nice about communicating.
how do i do it ?
yifei   Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:27 pm GMT
Ravi, I'm a Chinese student who has been studying in Australia for more than 6 years. Referring to that Indian call centre thread, I also always get Indian people when I call the hotline. For one thing, Indian accent is one of the most difficult accents for me to understand personally. However, from my experience, people who work at call centre have more relatively clear English pronunciation as a whole. To say the least, even if that's a strong accent, I still can get to understand if I pay enough attention, no doubt! And just because the call centre is serving American customers doesn't mean you have to copy an American accent. Someone who makes that comment seems arrogant to me. I don't see. Even a non-native English speaker like me can understand Indian accented English to some degree, why couldn't those Americans?
Beer man   Wed Jun 21, 2006 1:10 am GMT
Two words--liquid courage.
111   Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:06 am GMT
I have heard of introducing a pair of small crystal spheres in the mouth for better spelling.
Ravi   Wed Jun 21, 2006 7:08 am GMT
beer man--liquid courage ?.what does it mean ?.should i resort to alcohol to speak fluently.
Guest   Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:08 am GMT
Ravi,
Please record your voice and post it right here on the forum. Don't read anything. Just try to speak naturally and record it. Native speakers can pinpoint shortcomings into your speech. Give it a shot, please. I am anxiously waiting to listen to it...
Ravi   Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:23 am GMT
i dont have the facility to upload a voice clip because i dont own a computer.i use the computer at work and most of the facilities are disabled on it.i have been to a few internet cafe's maybe i can do it there,i'll see what i can do guest.