Learning English speaking is easier than learning how to drive a car

Take car driving as an example. In Taiwan, the examination to get car driving license is quiet difficult. We need to perform we have the ability of driving through S shape road without stop, parking along sidewalk directly without back and forth, and reversing parking successfully one shot and then to award the license. While, many people still cannot drive on the road or on the freeway even they got license already. The better way to keep them and other peoples’ safe is letting them practice in real situation accompanied by coach, and familiar with driving skills and rules as much as possible. Finally, road test became a necessary test item in driving license examination.

Learning English speaking is less dangerous than learning car driving, the percentage of suffering damage from making mistake in a new language is very low except extreme cases, but why we are afraid to speak English rather than driving cars. It is really difficult in speaking if we have to check grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and tones before delivering one sentence and do all above activities within one second. But why does the difficulty only happen on me in speaking English but not Taiwanese or Mandarin? First, I never learned grammar of Taiwanese or Mandarin, I just listen to other people and try to use the languages in my real life. Second, there is indeed grammar in Taiwanese and Mandarin, but it is embedded in all the sentences in my brain and I apply it automatically. Just like driving a car, we use the turn signal when changing lane, with practice, the action become our instinct. And if we haven’t drive car for a long period, we would forget this action and even how to drive.

Therefore, learning English speaking should be easier than learning how to drive a car, observe how native speakers use the language, practice with basic rule until we make the rule become instinct, improve skill by various expression ways, then we can drive the language comfortably but not just get a license. Besides, keep reminding ourselves, without perfect driving skills, we still can enjoy scenery on the roads and achieve our goals, this is for fighting the pressure of 100% correct requirement from school.