I can’t speak today!

written by Bill Teach

The ability to speak well is not solely related to having grammatical or lexical knowledge of the language, but also to our state of mind. The fact is that if we are too perfectionist or too embarrassed to make mistakes, it could hinder the process of speaking. A tired mind or emotionally unbalanced state of mind may cause you to slur, stammer the words and also to hesitate when speaking.         

This may happen to anyone at any given time. Last week, with my tight schedule and poor nutrition, the stress got into me. Not only did it affect my creativity but also my ability to communicate. This event has proven to me what I have always known. Our emotional, mental, and probably physical state can affect our ability to speak. In other words, you will speak any language better, including your own, if you are rested, confident and happy. That explains why we just freeze up whenever we have to make a speech in public, meet new people or even when we have to speak in a different language.

So, before a major event,  you should:  take a good rest
                          take a deep breath and let the words flow naturally.

The following words describe some speech problems:

• To slur: speaking without pronouncing the words properly, usually when you are drunk or sleepy.
• To stutter / stammer: making repetitive sounds because you are nervous or you have a speech problem.
• To lisp: to speech /s/ as /th/
• To get tongue-tied: not able to speak because you are tired or nervous.

Note: Tongue-tied is a also a medical condition that limits the movement of the tongue which causes a person to lisp.