# Do you feel some physical symptoms when speaking another language?



## Reili

When I speak English my mouth becomes dry, my tongue and jaw become stiff, and after 30 minutes I feel like talking very slow. Also I can't remember many things like personal names, things I did, etc. What do you feel?


----------



## mjscott

Some days Spanish comes falling off my tongue. Other days, it's like there's a cramp in the back of my throat that goes along with my brain freeze, and the words just do not come. This has happened during parent-teacher conferences! Just as you have to talk your way _around a word_ well-enough (describing it from the outside) until a native gives you the appropriate vocabulary (when you are learning a language), there are days when this happens to me, even when I _know_ that the words are stored there somewhere up in my brain! On those days (or after a long and stressful day) it's like my brain has a sign on it that says, "Spanish is closed for the afternoon! Come back again tomorrow!"


----------



## Aupick

Like a lot of learners of French, for a long time my throat would get dry and sore from pronouncing all those 'R's if I said more than a couple of sentences. It's happening less and less as my French improves, which can only be a good sign. In the beginning it takes a huge effort to pronounce the French 'R', and you have to exaggerate it to come anywhere close. After a while you can be more subtle, but if you start off trying to be subtle, you just miss it altogether.


----------



## Outsider

Sometimes, speaking French can be quite a chore. It's as if my mouth and tongue hadn't been made for it; my jaws get tired! It must be because of all those rounded vowels. The problem would probably vanish if spoke French more often.


----------



## chica11

For me it really depends on how much I am speaking my second language, spanish. To me languages are like muscles, if you don't use them then you lose them. So I try to keep up all the time. Now, I don't feel any physical differences between Spanish and English except I am sure my brain is working harder when I am speaking Spanish. Frankly that's why I need to return to Latin America or go to Spain within the next 12 months, for at least a little while. I remember after being in Costa Rica for a year and speaking primarily in Spanish, I came back and it actually took me a month to re-adjust back to English. I am about to start taking French again ( i've taken it on and off for years), and I have a strong feeling that my throat will start to hurt and my mouth as well!!


----------



## VenusEnvy

I agree with Chica in the "language", or rather learning them, is like a muscle. I speak Spanish everyday in my household, so I don't have much of a physical sensation or reaction when speaking it.  

I have noticed, however, that sometimes I stutter  when I want to say a lot.     This only happens with Spanish, though, not in my native tongue. Maybe my brain just thinks too quickly for my lips. ::tail between legs, scurries off::


----------



## meili

Everytime I speak in Spanish (fast!), my palate and tongue are doing a clap-clap, that is why after a moment, my mouth dries up!


----------



## Eddie

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> I have noticed, however, that sometimes I stutter...




The two t's do sound like d's. One of the many peculiarities of American pronounciation.


----------



## chica11

Hi!
Eddie, can you give me an example what you mean. by the two t's sound like D's. I am sure you are right. I just can't think of any examples and I am trying to. Thank you!!

PS. I think maybe the reason why most of us stutter or stammer a little bit in our second or third language (depending on circumstances) is also because of nerves and the desire to speak it correctly. Even though I am 100% sure that I don't speak perfect English, for someone reason it doesn't bother me. I know that I am a native speaker and that I speak English. But with Spanish I am always trying to do the best I can and improve on my skills so somehow that creates more nerves sometimes. For some reason when I am more relaxed and don't care about how perfectly I speak, I ended up speaking better. I hope I am making some sense.


----------



## Eddie

Hi, Chica.

 In American English, at least in my area of the nation, a double t in the middle of quite a few words is pronounced like a d.

bottle (also pronounced with a glottal stop, as in British cockney)
little (also pronounced with a glottal stop, as in British cockney)
fritter
litter, etc.


----------



## Rayines

> When I speak English my mouth becomes dry...


*Just the contrary....my mouth waters.... adrenalin?, hehe....maybe because I try to imagine all the words I don't know and I should use...I speak quickly....waving my hands... sometimes insisting and insisting to be understood.*


----------



## chica11

Hi Eddie, Thanks! I understand now and I think that over here on the west coast we also pronounce our double t's like D's. At least I do!!


----------



## VenusEnvy

Eddie said:
			
		

> The two t's do sound like d's.


Thanks for the correction. I have since edited my post.


----------



## desde aquel verano

Eddie said:
			
		

> Hi, Chica.
> 
> In American English, at least in my area of the nation, a double t in the middle of quite a few words is pronounced like a d.
> 
> bottle (also pronounced with a glottal stop, as in British cockney)
> little (also pronounced with a glottal stop, as in British cockney)


Hi, Eddie. It's interesting you say that about the glottal stop. When listening to hip-hop artists from New York I've often heard quite noticeable similarities between their (Brooklyn?) accent and a London cockney accent.


----------



## Benjy

along slightly different lines. i remember when i was first in france i used to get really intense migraines after a whole day of speaking to people in french from the effort of concentrating on what people were saying  they went away after a few weeks.


----------



## DDT

Benjy said:
			
		

> along slightly different lines. i remember when i was first in france i used to get really intense migraines after a whole day of speaking to people in french from the effort of concentrating on what people were saying  they went away after a few weeks.



That must be France for I really experienced the same symptoms after moving to Paris...what's funny is that now I happen to feel the same after speaking Italian the whole day  

DDT


----------



## Philippa

Do I feel some physical symptoms when speaking another language?
I've just realised that I do!! My heart starts beating very fast, especially just before me initiating a conversation in Spanish, particularly on the phone when I psyching myself up to speak. I guess it must be the adrenaline as Inés says.
Oh, and I still sometimes get embarrassed and go red! Sad really!   
Saluditos
Philippa


----------



## Eddie

Hello, Desde.

Yes, you're right. You can hear the typical New York City glottal stop on those records. But it's not limited to Brooklyn (how do you know about Brooklyn?). You'll hear it throughout NYC, and wherever New Yorkers have moved to.

It's an almost impossible sound to teach to people who are learning English as a foreign language.


----------



## Maikax

Hey everyone..
I've been studing englsih for about a year but actually i feel kinda weird because i've noticed that my grammar has improved lately even though my speech still same   . what can i do?
I really appreciate your help


----------



## chica11

Hi Maikax,
Can you explain what you mean about your grammar improving but your speech is not?  Are you referring to the accent?  To me the only way to really improve an accent is by living the country of the language you are learning, either that or start speaking with lots of native speakers of English.  Eventually, after awhile it will improve greatly.  If you have the desire, then you can do it! 

OK, of course maybe I totally misinterpreted your concern/question.  Explain more and lets see if I can help.


----------



## Edher

Saludos,

I absolutely agree with the rest of the foreros about feeling physical symptoms whenever speaking a language that isn't my own. At times it could be quite frustrating because I can actually feel how I'm using a different part of my brain to express myself. And sometimes, it feels all a bit too forced. The feeling is similar to trying to write with your left hand (being right handed.) There's always a feeling of abnormality. 
In a way it's a bit like acting because you have to be extra conscience of what you're saying. Whenever I speak my native language it all comes naturally to me, I don't have to think. I can just feel the words cascating out of my mouth. However, whenever I have speak in English my thoughts have to go through all these extra procedures: Correct pronunciation, right use of words, right use of grammar, it's quite annoying really.
It might be because I like to have control over every single detail of my speech and I know I can achieve that in Spanish. In fact, I think I have a much better sense of humor in Spanish since I even play with the words. In English since I have to overthink about what I'm going to say I have to concentrate. Nothing like being relaxed in your own language and letting your ideas just flow out of your mouth smoothly. Perhaps in the future they will invent a machine that you place over your mouth and automatically translates anything you want to say into any language you choose. HAHAHA. Will see about that.

Edher


----------



## Reili

Philippa said:
			
		

> Do I feel some physical symptoms when speaking another language?
> I've just realised that I do!! My heart starts beating very fast, especially just before me initiating a conversation in Spanish, particularly on the phone when I psyching myself up to speak. I guess it must be the adrenaline as Inés says.
> Oh, and I still sometimes get embarrassed and go red! Sad really!
> Saluditos
> Philippa


 
I would fell just the same when in my first English classes I had to express everything in English... teachers didn't allow us any single word in Spanish, so it took me around 2 months to overcoming my nerves. Just watch lots of TV programes in Spanish and imitate the way people talk thre. Nowdays some American girlfriends phone me and I find easy talking  English. Good luck!


----------



## garryknight

Edher said:
			
		

> Perhaps in the future they will invent a machine that you place over your mouth and automatically translates anything you want to say into any language you choose. HAHAHA. Will see about that.


They already have dual-language translation computers that do just this. I believe they've been used in places like Afghanistan and Iraq by the US Army. For 2-300 languages you'd just need a few more memory chips.


----------

