Why Filipinos Speak English Well - 0 views

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  #1 Ryad Egelund on 30 Jun 12

   

  In the middle and upper classes of society, the parents often talk to their children in English, and the children respond in English as well. Quite interestingly, children who are glued to cartoon or animated shows day in and day out are able to speak better English (with American accent) than those who are not. Now, I'm not saying I am encouraging watching TV. I am merely pointing out the fact that watching TV is also an educational experience if not abused.
  
  This ability of the Filipinos to speak English gives them an edge over their Asian counterparts when it comes to finding and landing jobs in English-speaking countries. Filipino workers are highly favored and in-demand abroad because foreign employers deem communication skills as important, and they know that with Filipino workers, they will not have any major difficulty understanding one another.
  
  But you know, the reasons why Filipinos speak English well become immaterial because what's really important anyway is that they do, and that they possess far greater qualities than the ability to speak the English language.
  
  1. Open your mouth and move your lips!
  
  When speaking American English, it is important to remember to open your mouth. This may sound funny to you, but if you think about it, many languages do not require much movement in the mouth to form sounds like American English does. This is especially true when forming vowel sounds. For example, the "ay" sound, as in the word "say" is formed by opening your mouth so that the teeth are more than an inch apart and spreading your lips in a smile. If you keep your teeth too close together and your lips relaxed and flat, the result will be a distorted sound.
  
  2. Speak up
  
  If you tend to speak too softly, your listeners may not hear everything that you say. Let's add not opening your mouth wide enough and not moving your lips enough when you speak, which creates mumbling. They may need to ask you to repeat yourself several times, or even worse, they may not ask you to repeat and go away not understanding what you said. This is the worst case scenario, as your listeners may misinterpret your words.
  
  3. Take the time to pronounce all the sounds in words
  
  Many people tend to omit sounds in words, especially the final sound. For example, when saying the words "right now", make sure not to omit the final "t" on "right". While Americans do not pronounce the final "t'" in "right" completely, they hold their breath and place the tongue in position to say this sound, in effect "marking" where the sound should go. This creates a slight pause in between the two words. To completely eliminate the "t" would make this phrase sound like "rye now."
  
  In addition, when saying words with three or more syllables, avoid omitting an unstressed syllable. For example, the word "generally" has four syllables. The first syllable is stressed, and the last three are not, so it should sound like "GEN-er-uh-lee". It is common for some individuals to omit the "er", or second syllable, making the word sound like "GEN-uh-lee." Don't let this happen to you!
  
  4. Learn English, Learn English

   

  <div class="cArrow"> </div><div class="cContentInner">In the middle and upper classes of society, the parents often talk to their children in English, and the children respond in English as well. Quite interestingly, children who are glued to cartoon or animated shows day in and day out are able to speak better English (with American accent) than those who are not. Now, I'm not saying I am encouraging watching TV. I am merely pointing out the fact that watching TV is also an educational experience if not abused.<br /><br />This ability of the Filipinos to speak English gives them an edge over their Asian counterparts when it comes to finding and landing jobs in English-speaking countries. Filipino workers are highly favored and in-demand abroad because foreign employers deem communication skills as important, and they know that with Filipino workers, they will not have any major difficulty understanding one another.<br /><br />But you know, the reasons why Filipinos speak English well become immaterial because what's really important anyway is that they do, and that they possess far greater qualities than the ability to speak the English language.<br /> <br />1. Open your mouth and move your lips!<br /><br />When speaking American English, it is important to remember to open your mouth. This may sound funny to you, but if you think about it, many languages do not require much movement in the mouth to form sounds like American English does. This is especially true when forming vowel sounds. For example, the "ay" sound, as in the word "say" is formed by opening your mouth so that the teeth are more than an inch apart and spreading your lips in a smile. If you keep your teeth too close together and your lips relaxed and flat, the result will be a distorted sound.<br /><br />2. Speak up <br /><br />If you tend to speak too softly, your listeners may not hear everything that you say. Let's add not opening your mouth wide enough and not moving your lips enough when you speak, which creates mumbling. They may need to ask you to repeat yourself several times, or even worse, they may not ask you to repeat and go away not understanding what you said. This is the worst case scenario, as your listeners may misinterpret your words.<br /><br />3. Take the time to pronounce all the sounds in words<br /><br />Many people tend to omit sounds in words, especially the final sound. For example, when saying the words "right now", make sure not to omit the final "t" on "right". While Americans do not pronounce the final "t'" in "right" completely, they hold their breath and place the tongue in position to say this sound, in effect "marking" where the sound should go. This creates a slight pause in between the two words. To completely eliminate the "t" would make this phrase sound like "rye now."<br /><br />In addition, when saying words with three or more syllables, avoid omitting an unstressed syllable. For example, the word "generally" has four syllables. The first syllable is stressed, and the last three are not, so it should sound like "GEN-er-uh-lee". It is common for some individuals to omit the "er", or second syllable, making the word sound like "GEN-uh-lee." Don't let this happen to you!<br /><br />4. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.justlovinit.com/espresso-english">Learn English</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.justlovinit.com">Learn English</a></div>

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