Shrinking the Language Barrier

By Liz Schilling

"Shhh...shoot...sh...should...suit...shh..." a determined voice projected over the slight hum of a tape recorder and the tapping of two nervous tennis shoes.

"Make it more relaxed and shorter," a voice coached from across the table.  

"Ssss...Soot...soot," Yongxue Yu repeated, after having finally arrived at the correct pronunciation. "Soot!"

Yu, a graduate assistant from China, has been practicing the "uh" and "ew" vowel sounds, along with grammar and additional English language skills, since he arrived in the United States in May 2001 to further his physics education at Miami.

To meet university requirements, Yu took the SPEAK test upon arriving to determine his ability to communicate effectively in English.

Any student whose native language is not English and who has a graduate teaching assignment is required to take the SPEAK test.   It is designed to see how comprehensible and natural international graduate assistants will be in front of a classroom composed of predominantly American undergraduates.

After failing the SPEAK test, Yu was required to enroll in the language modification program at Miami's Speech and Hearing Clinic, a program that has been offered since 1989.

Language modification is a systematic method for changing speech patterns, including pronunciation, voice production, intonation and rhythm.   By working with speech therapists, students are able to improve accent.

Cheryl Stewart, the clinic coordinator, said before therapy begins, graduate assistants assess students to see what areas need improvement.

Language modification takes hard work and dedication even outside of therapy sessions.   "In their own time, students are encouraged to keep a journal with English words they do not understand, watch TV and listen to books on tape while following along with a book," said Stewart.   "Part of therapy is incorporating the American culture."  

After a year of therapy, Yu retook the SPEAK test and conditionally passed, which gave him authorization to teach in a classroom.   However, he was still required to attend therapy once a week to continually improve his English, which is evaluated by a committee.

While the SPEAK committee critically evaluates the student's proficiency, "We don't expect them to be perfect," said member Julia Ward.

Ward, who   has been teaching writing to international students at Miami for 21 years, also said, "We feel we have responsibility to the students enrolled in therapy as well as the students the graduate assistants will be teaching,"

After two years of therapy, Yu said that his English pronunciation, accent and grammar have improved. Even though it is difficult to hear some errors, he can often correct his mistakes.

"I know all the rules, but when I speak I forget them," Yu said.   Before coming to Miami, Yu had the ability to read and write in English, but wasn't able to speak it very well because he never had the chance to practice in China.            

"Coming to therapy is especially helpful for people who are new to the U.S., because it helps them adjust to new surroundings," said Lauren DePaoli, graduate assistant at the Speech and Hearing Clinic and Yu's speech therapist.   "They can come in here and ask questions about meanings they are unsure of, which help them understand our culture."

Yu began working with DePaoli in August 2004, after he conditionally passed the SPEAK test. Their therapy sessions consist of taping conversations, reading articles or talking about daily tasks and then listening to find errors.

"This [therapy] is the only time that I can speak English a lot," said Yu.   "Outside of here, I just listen to it."   Even though Yu is able to teach physics, his department has many other graduate assistants who teach.   So instead of utilizing his English, Yu works in a research lab along side another Chinese student, and they communicate in their native language to be more efficient.

DePaoli, who has eight students this semester, including Yu, enjoys her job because, "I really like learning about people and things from different countries and how their life is different from ours."

Because Yu will be graduating in May, he will not have to take the SPEAK test again; however, he will continue with therapy sessions to improve his English proficiency.   The English skills Yu has developed will benefit him as he applies to post-doctorate programs across the U.S.  

Having few English-speaking skills in a new country has been a great challenge for Yu, but he remains determined.   "When I spoke...speak language, I first make it in my mind, but, I make it first in my native language before I translate it to English," said Yu.   The only times Yu stammers or speaks Chinese-English, he said, are when he can't remember the corresponding English word.  

"Try to listen to yourself making different vowel sounds," DiPaoli told Yu after explaining how each vowel sounded.

The tap-tapping of his tennis shoes pauses as Yu's confident voice correctly recites, "hook..hook, cook, look...took."

Read more of Liz Schilling's articles:

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