17/04/2026
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲?
*native speaker = mother tongue speaker
An adult student once told me he had been speaking English fluently for 30 years but when he travelled to the US or the UK, he could barely understand anyone once they started speaking fast. The reason for this is “fluency”. Fluency allows us to speak fast. Examples include: link or run words together, elision: compressing common words especially if we can replace them using the schwa sound, dropping letter, and swallowing syllables containing a vowel.
A basic example of fluency is how we say ‘an apple’ and ‘the apple’. For reading and speaking, children aged 8+ should be taught the rules for:
• “a” + words beginning with a vowel,
• “the” + words beginning with a vowel.
The problem is if you have never been taught to listen to fluent speech, you may think you’ve heard a new word when in fact, two or more words have simply been linked together producing a different sound, e.g. “fish and chips” comes out as “fi-shun-chips”. (elision)
Unfortunately, in real life situations, by the time you’ve worked out what was actually said, the conversation has moved on. Students need to be actively taught how fluency works and how different a native speaker sounds compared to a non-native speaker. This is the why we have listening tests! ;)
So, why don’t teachers teach fluency in schools? They don’t usually have the time. Also, fluency is best taught on a one-to-one basis or in a language lab. In addition, most language teachers (especially in Malaysia where there's scant access to native language speakers) have never been taught fluency themselves.
How to teach your children fluency?
1. Find a tutor who is an English native speaker AND who knows how to teach fluency.
2. Encourage your children to LISTEN to audio files.
3. Send your children on a course in a country where English is the first language.
4. Encourage your children to mix with native English-speaking children.
Test yourself:
Q1. Why do we say, “an elephant”, but “a university”?
Q2. Which extra letter can you hear when we say ‘the end”? (Tip: you hear a different sound AND an extra letter)
Q3. What is the name of the single most important sound in the English language? (BONUS POINTS!)
At intermediate level, you will learn which consonants we add to create fluency/fast speech.
NOTE: In Malaysia, there is a common misunderstanding of the difference between slang and accent. Your foreign accent is mainly caused by misplaced emphasize on words and syllables as well as insufficient practice with fluency. Try to think of accent as the sounds you produce, and slang as the actual words you use of words such as ‘cop’, ‘bro’ and ‘yeah’.
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