For a non-native speaker, using English as a second or third language can be an emotional rollercoaster, especially when speaking in front of fluent English speakers.
Mother Tongue Influence on English Is a subtle “regional fingerprint” in your speech.
It happens when the sounds, patterns, or grammar rules of your native language influence the way you speak English.
This Episode guides you in detail about it.
[00:00:04] Hello and welcome to Eloquence Echoes with Tanuja. Tell me honestly, have you ever noticed a puzzled expression on the face of your listeners or of your audience when you spoke in English with them?
[00:00:21] You thought, perhaps, that my idea, my instructions or whatever you're speaking are not clear to them. And you went on an over-explanation mode that further worsened the matters. The real villain here is Mother Tongue Influence. Your Mother Tongue Influence on the way you speak English. Mother Tongue Influence? Now what is that?
[00:00:50] You must be wondering. You've asked the right question now. What is Mother Tongue Influence? And what does it do? How does it impact your career, your professional image and your progress? Is the topic of this podcast today. Stay tuned. You learn a lot.
[00:01:15] What is MTI? MTI, which is the abbreviated form of Mother Tongue Influence, is a subtle regional fingerprint in your spoken and written English. It happens when the sounds, the patterns or grammar rules of your native language influence the way you speak or write English.
[00:01:43] In India, there are over 22 official languages. MTI is common because each language shapes the way we think, pronounce and structure the sentences in English. While these influences give us a unique identity. They can sometimes get in the way of being understood clearly in a professional setting.
[00:02:12] Now let me give you some examples of Mother Tongue Influenced English. MTI influences the pronunciation and the grammar structure of English language. One of the common examples of MTI is speaking sure or pronouncing sure sound as sir sound.
[00:02:38] For instance, C-shells are spoken as C-cells. Cell is a very different word with a different meaning in English. But you actually mean shell. Your listeners will obviously get puzzled. Another example.
[00:03:01] The pronunciation of W and V in Hindi are just the reverse of what they are in English. V in Hindi is pronounced with a W sound. For example, negative. That's how it would be said. That's how it would be said. Because there's a V letter over there which is pronounced in the W sound. Negative. Positive. Perspective.
[00:03:31] Like that. However, V in English is a clear V sound. And W is a different sound. So, negative. It should be a negative, positive, perspective. That's how we should be pronouncing. But we say just the opposite. Obviously, our audience will get confused.
[00:03:59] Similarly, the word schedule is often, not often, most of the times pronounced as schedule in Indian English. Immediately. That's again Indian English, Indian mother tongue influence pronunciation. It should be immediately. Sometimes, extra sounds are added to words like film to film.
[00:04:29] Parak to park. Environment instead of environment. What worsens the matter is the mother tongue influenced grammar. Oftentimes, it is a direct translation of how grammar patterns are used in our mother tongue. For example, in Hindi we often say, Payment, Karna hai. Or Payment, Kardu.
[00:05:00] It is directly translated to, do the payment. Which is no word. Do the payment is not done in English. We say, make the payment. Another incorrect use of do is, Mistake kardi. Galpi kardi. You've done a mistake. That's how we say. Rather, it should be to, you've committed a mistake. You've made a mistake. I will revert back to you. This is such an embarrassing mistake.
[00:05:29] Revert is nowhere to be used. You should be saying, I will get back to you. Another example of incorrect grammar or a direct translation is, Open the light. In Hindi we say, Batti jala do, batti khol do. Light is no cupboard to be opened or closed. We should be saying, turn on the light. Turn off the light.
[00:05:56] What makes it worse is the dropping of, or rather not using, the articles in English. A and in the. These are absent in our regional languages, all the regional languages of India. So, we do not even take the trouble to use them when we speak English.
[00:06:20] So, our words are without, our words and our sentences are without any articles, which is not correct in English. So, what should we do? What if we speak like that? Let it be. You would think. People do understand us. Yes, which people who are around you? Your local people. Do you know what you're missing out? Stay tuned.
[00:06:55] When you speak MTI influenced English, you are misunderstood. Your message is miscommunicated. And, when it's a miscommunication, you lose out on opportunities. Opportunities to become a leader. Opportunities on a global level. To even talk to your clients.
[00:07:24] To take your business outside your territory, your country. Because, you pitch the ideas in your local English. Your MTI influenced English. People don't buy you. Remember, a heavy accent in your English is perceived by native speakers of English as a sign of incompetency.
[00:07:50] I know, you must be thinking, what has this got to do with incompetency or competency for that matter? But, that's the way it is. You cannot deny this fact. You lose out. You lose out on your opportunities to grow. Grow your career. Grow your business. You lose out on your credibility. And, you lose out to stand out as a leader on a global work space.
[00:08:23] What should you do? Okay. Let's learn now. Here's good news. You can reduce your mother tongue influence. You can eliminate that mother tongue influence. You can speak a clear, correct English without any regional accent or regional effect on your grammar of spoken or written English. You can do so. When you do so, the world opens up for you.
[00:08:54] There is clarity in your message that gets across barriers, ensuring you're heard and understood. You have a global reach. You have a professional growth. You have a professional growth. Because many organizations value employees who can communicate effortlessly on a global scale. And, what does it lead to? Your confidence.
[00:09:23] You feel self-assured to address meetings, interviews, and presentations. In short, speaking without a regional accent or MTI is like upgrading from a local train to a bullet train. It takes you places faster and with less friction. How to do that?
[00:09:51] MTI correction is not magic. It's a skill you can learn through focused training. You can learn to pronounce sounds correctly and naturally. You can improve sentence structures for clarity. You can practice strategies to make your communication crisp and professional.
[00:10:15] With the right guidance, you can transform your communication into a powerful tool. Every step you take to improve your communication brings you closer to your goals.