Building Confidence in a Second Language

[Jessica]

I am a student studying at a Bilingual University. I have a hard time keeping my confidence level up when speaking french because there are just simply so many people around me that can speak it so much better. My instructors also believe in picking on people in class in order to force them to think on their feet and thus learn the language easier. I really do not believe that this is the way to teach french and often I am not prepared when the question comes my way because my learning pace for french is much slower as I have nobody outside of school to practice with (unlike most of my fellow classmates whose parents tend to speak french to them at home.) I end up frozen and can't say anything, but when I am prepared for the question I perform much better. My instructor says my pronunciation is perfect and I also do much better when I can write my thoughts down first, it's just that I have trouble with the oral speaking.

I would like to ask if anyone has had similar experiences or if anyone can offer me any confidence boosting ideas. I have studied French all through high school and now into University and have always struggled with this lack of confidence in this area. Talk to me about my major, philosophy, and I will talk 'till one is blue in the face and have confidence in my knowledge, but with French, I just seem to think that I will never be as good and will never speak as fluently as others. I think this is an issue that deters a lot of students from learning French because they rarely get the encouragement directly from their instructor.

I am also beginning to think that I need an emotional attachment to French in order to learn it better. Perhaps a movie that speaks to me or something.
Any thoughts for this flustered student? Is there anyone out there who has learned french all by themselves with no help from family members?

[Al Graham]

Hi Jessica

I'm also learning French, though at the very beginner level, at a community centre. I can understand your problem with freezing up when trying to speak the language. A couple of thoughts that might help:

-to become comfortable speaking French, it sounds like you need a low-pressure environment. Have you considered taking a conversational French course for beginners while continuing with your university course? A conversational course might help you to relax and get used to speaking French. My class is 90 minutes per week, it's fun, and nobody expects me to come up with perfect sentences or to always know the right word. There are no tests, no pressure, and everyone is a beginner. (You may want to try an intermediate level or higher, since you already have skills.)

I think your idea of an emotional attachment is right on. Is there a French-speaking group in your city or university that's involved with a subject in which you are deeply interested? Maybe a volunteer group which would be grateful for your help?

Don't give up--one day the French language will come rolling out of your mouth with ease.

Good luck,
Al

[Jessica]

Thank you very much Al.

I am going to see if there are any local spots where I can practice in a pressure-free environment like you said. In fact there are quite a few groups at school that are both English and French speaking so I will check those out as well. I can't believe I didn't think of that! I think there is also a club called Bilingual Buddy too if I'm not mistaken. I'm making progress everyday and that's what counts and thanks for the vote of confidence :) I'm studying for a grammar test as we speak so it really helps.

Jessica