A little beer?
Say 'welcome' to your new favorite reason to indulge your desire to enjoy a glass of fine wine!
A recent study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology claims that small amounts of alcohol help people speak foreign languages better. Researchers found that drinking helps people speak foreign languages more smoothly, even when they didn't think they could do it well.
The study authors observed 50 German native speakers studying at a university in the Netherlands where all subjects were taught in Dutch. Each student who participated in the study confirmed that they drink alcohol from time to time. Participants took a Dutch language test.
Each volunteer was subjected to a 2-minute conversation in Dutch with a local interviewer, which was recorded. Half of the volunteers were given alcohol before the test, and the other half were given water. The amount of alcohol varied depending on the participant's weight. (For example, someone weighing under 70 kg was given about 400 grams of beer.)
The conversation was then analyzed by two Dutch speakers who were not told which participants had consumed alcohol and which had not. Participants were also asked to rate their own performance.
Those who had drunk alcohol did not rate their performance higher than those who had drunk water, which was an indication that they did not necessarily feel more confident about their level than those who drank water.
But the Dutch raters saw it differently. They rated those who consumed alcohol as speaking Dutch more smoothly than those who drank water – especially when it came to pronunciation. In terms of indicators like vocabulary and grammar, the Dutch raters said that both groups had similar results.
There's a catch here, however. The amount of alcohol is key. Scientists express the theory that overdoing alcohol can have the opposite effect, making the pronunciation of words in a foreign language worse due to unclear pronunciation. Additionally, it is unclear what the stress levels or emotional state of the participants were during the test – factors that could hinder their performance. The study authors note that this experiment should be conducted with other foreign languages to see if the same effect is observed.
Still, the researchers conclude that a little 'liquid courage' can help with smoother speech in a foreign language.
Don't drink? There are other options.
If a little wine is not your cup of tea, there are other ways to improve your foreign language speaking. You can try one of these:
Prioritize rest.
There is evidence showing that your brain can absorb new information while you rest. This doesn't necessarily mean you can learn Spanish while snoring in bed, but research shows that a person's brain can learn and understand new sound patterns even while you sleep. The results suggest that rest is vital for brain power.
Motivate yourself.
Research shows that a person's level of motivation is proportional to the ability to achieve success when it comes to learning a foreign language. If you want to speak a foreign language smoothly, think seriously about your motivation.
Write down the words you learn.
Writing during the learning process can help your brain absorb new information. Research shows that when learners took notes with pen and paper, they remembered the presented information better compared to learners who took notes on a laptop.
However, if you want sure results when learning foreign languages, rely on Kabinata.com – Bulgaria's number 1 online platform for learning foreign languages!