Introduction to Speaking

Now I will talk about the fourth and last language skill: speaking.

For many people this seems to be the most difficult language skill. There reason for this is that most people are afraid to speak in a different language. They fear to make mistakes and to be ridiculed by others. But it is not very difficult to speak.

You just need to start talking and then you will get better the more you talk. And – believe me – most native speakers are glad when you speak some of their language. Then they are really nice and understandable and help you out, if you have problems. I experienced that a lot of times.

What is important when speaking?

We all like to talk
(source: http://englishinteractive.net/
speaking.html)

Pronunciation

I know that a lot of people have trouble with pronouncing the words correctly. Just remember, everyone is struggling: the Germans cannot pronounce the “th”, the Spanish tend to pronounce every syllable. But the more you speak, the better your pronunciation will be!

Stress

Going along with the pronunciation is stressing. This means to emphasis certain syllables in a word. If you do not stress the words in a correct manner, you might have difficulties being understood. When it comes to full sentences or phrases even, it is important to know which word needs to be stressed in order to put the focus on the word.
Let me give you an example (the bold words represent the stress):

Tomorrow I will have lunch with Maria. (The lunch is not today or any other day.)

Tomorrow I will have lunch with Maria. (It’s lunch, not breakfast or dinner.)

Tomorrow I will have lunch with Maria. (Not with Tony or Lucy.)

Intonation

When you speak, you always have an intonation. It is the melody of your speech. If you ask a question, your voice raises at the end of your speech for example. The intonation helps you to express your feelings and meanings better. Just imagine how an angry person speaks in comparison to a shy person.

A great example of stress and intonation
(source: http://labspace.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=427150)