My Little English Corner
A new accent is an adventure. Be bold! Exaggerate wildly!
Today’s discussion on 7 habits of effective people on learning English left me thinking of this proverb: All roads lead to Rome. Sportwoman self-deprecatingly said she considered herself a snail in learning English and she would just pick up a little bit every day but would be persistent. I was like: aha! That’s why she doesn’t really like the ideas of the article, because the snail way of doing things is exactly the opposite of “being effective”. Isn’t it? “Effectiveness” or “efficiency” is all about accomplishing something within the shortest period of time but the snail way is all about being persistent and not caring about efficiency.
Although I don’t agree that Sportwoman is a “snail” as she claimed, it dawned on me that maybe I was being picky and overbearing again. “All roads lead to Rome”. You can get to Rome by airplane, by boat, by train or a combination of different ways. Maybe that’s where the rub is. I want the rocket speed or even light speed, whichever is faster, because I have always been like this, eager to see results immediately after I’ve made some efforts. Other people might want a different speed, a snail’s speed, but along the way, they might want to smell the roses and enjoy other things. I have no right to judge their way or their preference. My way of going to Rome is not the only way or the way favored by everyone. Besides, figuratively speaking, every one of us has a different idea of where “Rome” is and how far he/she is from it. My “Rome” in studying English is to be able to speak English with the same confidence a native speaker has and to speak English without giving away where I am originally from too early in a conversation. This is a pretty high goal, but I still believe I can achieve it. The article encourages this belief as it mentioned the importance of “not letting any limiting belief block your way”. That maybe is why I like the article.
On the other hand, other people’s goal might be just “to speak clearly, but with accent”. A lot of people do say some accent is charming and shows that you are true to your roots and your identity. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s an easy goal to achieve and I might be very close to this Rome, if not already in it. Therefore, if this Rome were my goal, I could totally go to it in the snail way.
Anyway, the above is just some thoughts and reflections on today’s discussion. I need to let go of the habit of imposing my ideas and my will on others. What I think is the best way or the best method does not necessarily suit others’ goal or style. Just as RC said today, one man’s meat is another one’s poison. It applies to English study method as well.
