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Linguaholic

Do you care what others think about the way you talk?


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I though I don't, but I found that I do care. I take a notice of what my friend looks like while talking and his accent that I sometimes laugh at him. I do care when I speak it, I try my best to do it right with propr conversation style too.

:smile:

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As much as I hate to admit it, I do care somewhat. I tend to speak the way I like, but at the same time, I also try to also join in our group of friends' "insider language". I do it partly because it's still pretty fun and amusing, don't get me wrong, but I can't deny that I also avoid using some words and ways of speaking that I know will not sit well with them.

I honestly don't really mind it that much anyway, since I realize that everywhere I go, as long as I am speaking with other people, there will be a need for compromise - pretty much in the same vein as just merely being polite and various other social conversational norms. As long as you don't let it rule your life, it's acceptable to allow some degree of self consciousness from time to time, I think.

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I usually do. Sometimes I'm conscious enough that's why I'm a bit of perfectionistic in speaking out loud. I grew up at a school where grammar, spelling and other things are very important thus I am now very good in grasping the English language and constantly learning it and speaking it out.

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Not really. My grammar is good enough that I doubt anyone will care about the odd mistake, and my accent is something that is just the way it is, so if anyone thinks lowly of the way I speak then it doesn't bother me, although I certainly wouldn't mind the odd compliment which is sometimes so based on my accent :P

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  • 2 weeks later...

I trip over my tongue a lot. It's not great for when I try to tell witty jokes and I end up botching the punch line. That doesn't stop me from trying though. I'm not really concerned about how people perceive me through my grammar and pronunciation.

In a professional business environment, it would do you well to have great language etiquette. But I don't believe it seriously impacts what people think of you.

I do care because I come from a country that speak Patoise  and even though many people want to learn our language I want to brake away from it, Sometimes it sound terrible when you mix Patoise and English together. So i care about what people thinks about how I speak .

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I don't care about grammar or pronunciation so much as content. I try not to repeat myself or talk too much about what interests me.

I definitely get frustrated when I struggle to find words in a different language though. There's nothing worse than having a word at the tip of your tongue and not being able to remember it. The advantage of living in a bilingual city like Montreal is that you can get away with using a bit of both languages to express yourself. Some call it "franglais".

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I could probably say no, I don't care what others think of the way i speak, as would most people, but i do care how i speak, I'm constantly using words such as 'like' and 'innit' instead of isn't it, just because that's the way I've spoke for so long, It's a habit. If the way i speak isn't brought up, i usually don't notice, but usually the way i speak might come across as 'chavy' but it only really bothers me when it's brought to my attention by someone.

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I think that when we start to become overly attentive to what others may think about us, it serves an extremely self defeating purpose. Yes, people will notice if maybe you don't speak as smoothly as they do, but nobody starts learning a language and speaks smooth as silky satin overnight! Be patient with yourself and exude confidence regardless of how you sound!

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I never though about this before, but now that I am, I'm beginning to wonder... I always thought I wrote well to satisfy my own grammar Nazism, but maybe (just maybe) I've subconsciously been trying to impress other people(?). This is a very interesting topic indeed. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is a very interesting question. I certainly care about what others think about the way I talk. I believe that when one is speaking, communicating the message is of prime importance. Anything that distracts the listener should be avoided. By this, I mean things like wild gesticulation or swaying too much.

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I have taught at the graduate school level and speak professionally.  I talk as the spirit moves me but I have been either accused of sounding too "high brow" and other times I have been told I sound like I am "dumbing down".

I only care that if I am explaining something I am understood and if giving an opinion, I don't want to hurt feelings, so I hope not to be misunderstood.

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Yeah, I care some. I'm pretty shy and my voice can sometimes get shakey when talking to strangers, which is kind of embarrassing. But thinking about it just makes me more nervous so it is best to just forget about what other people think and be yourself, then you'll feel more confident.

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I care quite a lot, I don't want to sound too posh or too uncultured either, I just want to sound like a normal person. It kind of depends on who I'm speaking to at as well, if I'm talking to some bros I don't give a rat's ass, but if I'm talking to professors or business associates I speak in a more crisp way.

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I care about what other people think about the way I talk but not to the point where I change myself completely. Other people's opinions are important to me but if I'm not comfortable with it, I don't go out of my way just to please them. I mispronounce words and sometimes I even feel like I have my own accent but I just play it off. But of course, I always try to be better. :) 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I always make an effort to speak politely and use well chosen words. Actually, it's not much of an effort at all. At the same time I don't want to sound too "strenuous" and try and keep the conversation relaxed. The way a person talks makes an immediate impression on me and gives me clues as to their background and "social standing". I don't particularly like that word "social standing" but it tends to describe well what I am trying to say.

When I talk in another language, I am particularly eager to make no grammar mistakes. I always ask people to correct me if I repeat the same mistakes.

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  • 1 month later...

I definitely do. I like to seem presentable and would like to make a good first (and second and last) impression on whoever the listener might be.

To achieve this, I have joined Toastmaster's. Have any of you guys done something similar?

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I used to care about what the others thought about me, I still care at a lesser degree, but I can happily say I don't care about that as much as before.  I still worry about having a good pronunciation and grammar, but only on a laboral setting, when I'm with family or friend or in any other non laboral setting I'm completely fine!

Since I don't have any rule or quality exigence to comply  outside the work setting, nope, I don't care if my English pronunciation isn't always right.

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