Yes, I am not surprised that you mention this. In Korea, we only know one form of English - written English. There are very few native speakers of English and even fewer native speakers who are qualified to teach English. We also have very little access to English language programmes on the radio and television. As a result we have almost no chance to practice. For a short time I took private lessons from the wife of an American soldier based in South Korea. She sounded as if she was speaking another language - not English. There are so many phrases, idioms and colloquial expressions which I am not aware of. One thing I learned from this experience, however, is that the only way to improve and to gain in confidence is to speak and that is what I am trying to do.' |