Scared to speak English?

Are you scared of speaking English? You're not alone. I am Hanan. And I'm Georgie. And our new series "Beating Speaking Anxiety" helps you fight your fears of speaking English. Here from learners and experts get practical advice about how to improve your speaking skills. Find "Beating Speaking Anxiety" on our website, www.babclearningenglish.com 6-Mute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com Hello and welcome to 6-Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Pippa. And I'm Beth. Have you ever been scared of speaking in English? In this episode, we're talking about why speaking in a foreign language can be so stressful. So, Pippa, do you ever get nervous speaking in a different language? Yes, I learnt French when I was younger. And I was actually quite good at it, I think. But I was really nervous when I was speaking French. How about you? Yeah, I've always felt like that would Spanish. I'm scared to speak because I don't want to make mistakes. Even though I know it's okay to make mistakes. Well, in this episode of 6-Minute English, we'll be hearing about how to feel less nervous when you speak English. And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases. You can practice these with the quiz and worksheets on our website, BBCLearningEnglish.com But first, I have a question for you, Pippa. So English has around 1 million words. But on average, how many words does a typical English speaker use in daily conversation? Is it A between 2000 and 3000? B between 20,000 and 30,000. Or C between 200,000 and 300,000. I'm going to say A 2000 to 3000. Okay, well, we will find out later in the programme. Now, Pippa, you said you found it stressful speaking in French. Even though you are quite good at it. Now, someone else who has had this experience is Hanan Razek. Hanan is a journalist at BBC Arabic and also host of the podcast "Beating Speaking Anxiety". Here she is, telling BBCLearningEnglish presenter Joji about speaking English. My English was actually pretty good, but having conversations with Pippa, I found it really difficult. So when I first joined the BBC, the Learning English team made an assessment of my English level, which they used to do for all new joiners to see if they need any help or courses. My results were pretty good and I was fluent. But on that very same day, leaving the building and going to get some coffee, I couldn't really understand what the barista was saying. And I felt pretty nervous to order coffee and was trying to stress every single word, hoping that my grammar is correct and I am pronouncing the words right. Yeah, I'm sure that's a situation lots of people can relate to. Hanan's results on her English assessment were pretty good, but she was still pretty nervous to speak in English, for example, when ordering a coffee in English. The modifier "pretty" means "quite" or "a bit". Joji says that Hanan's experience is something that lots of people can relate to. If you relate to a situation, you know what it feels like, usually because a similar thing has happened to you. So lots of people feel nervous speaking another language, even if they're good at it, like an "an". We can call this "speaking anxiety". "Anxiety" means an uncomfortable feeling or worry about something that is happening or could happen in the future. So why does so many people have anxiety about speaking a foreign language? Experts think it's connected to the beliefs we have about ourselves. Han Luoh, professor of Chinese at La Payette College in the United States, explains more to BBC Laming English presenter Joji. Usually, the beliefs that cause anxiety, especially severe anxiety, are we call it irrational beliefs, and also, like, some low self-perceptions, fear of negative evaluation, all those learner internal factors. Han says that learners worry about mistakes because they're scared of negative evaluation. In other words, that people will judge them for their mistakes and think badly of them. Han argues that irrational beliefs can make us anxious. Irrational beliefs are beliefs that aren't based on things that are true. They're not logical. Han says some people who have speaking anxiety have low self-perceptions, your self-perception is what you think about yourself. Self-perception and irrational beliefs are both internal factors. They come from inside your head, not from the people around you. So, for example, when you speak your first language, you might feel confident and intelligent, but when you speak in a new language, you make mistakes and feel less confident. You can't show people what you're really like, and this is frustrating. But, as we tell people all the time at BBC Learning English, mistakes are normal. You have to try to speak even though you make mistakes. And mistakes can be a good thing. They can help us learn. And if you want more tips to improve your speaking, listen to the beating-speaking anxiety podcast. There's a link in the notes below this episode. But Beth, I think it's time for the answer to your quiz question. Yes, I asked you how many words does the average English speaker use in daily communication? The answer is 20 to 30,000. That's quite a lot. Yeah, that's loads. Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt. Pretty can be used as a modifier to mean quite or a bit. If you relate to a person or situation, you understand them. Usually because you've experienced something similar. Anxiety is feeling uncomfortable or worried about something that is happening or could happen in the future. Irrational beliefs are beliefs about something that is not true. They're not logical. Self perception is the way you see yourself. And internal means inside the body or mind. Once again, our six minutes are up. But if you'd like to find out more about speaking anxiety, then head over to our website, BBCLearningEnglish.com, to find our beatings-speaking anxiety series. There are podcasts about the things we find scary when speaking a different language and videos with tips to help you feel more confident with speaking. Thanks for joining us and goodbye. Goodbye.