Some of you might be astounded by the title of this post and genuinely wondering why such a topic is being discussed. Well… let’s start with how language learners run or should I say sprint when they have to speak in the target language. As a teacher, I have had students with an advanced level of English knowledge that freeze up, sweat buckets and stammer when speaking in English.
What’s so scary? It’s not unreasonable to be uncomfortable or afraid. I freeze up all the time when speaking in French. It’s just that learners do not want to feel incompetent when speaking in the language they’re learning. Every person who has ever learned a second language will share the feelings where you do not want to say something until it is grammatically correct in your head. This desire to get everything right before you say it inhibits our ability to carry a conversation.
So you ask, where does alcohol fall into this whole spiel? Well… language learners frequently claim that while partying and drinking they’re able to carry on conversations in their new language much more easily. Imagine sitting in a bar next to a cute girl/guy and being able to speak effortlessly in the second language, to only find out you are unable to do the same when sober.
How can this be? It’s simple. Speaking in a second language brings on anxiety from wanting to not make any mistakes. So to speak effortlessly, we need to inhibit these feelings. When throwing back a few drinks, we develop confidence by lowering our affective filter. We stop worrying about making grammatical mistakes and allow ourselves to focus on communicating.
I am NOT advising anyone to go out and buy a bottle of vodka before attempting to speak. I’m just giving explaining the key to being able to speak a second language – confidence! If nobody cares when you make mistakes while under the influence, chances are they won’t when you are sober. So, stop worrying about mistakes and start communicating with that cute guy/girl, even when you are sober!
