The Importance Of Building Speech Reflex

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Speech reflex is the ability to react verbally in a prompt and automatic way to an external verbal stimulus.

Imagine being asked a simple question while you're, say, doing the dishes--nothing philosophical, but daily and regular. "Hai già visto quel film?" ("Have you already seen that movie?") or "Cosa stai facendo?" ("What are you doing?").

In your native language, the answer would simply exit your mouth automatically and right away, no thought processes involved (or none that you're aware of). And it would happen as you continue to do the dishes.

Speech reflex is what made you reply so efficiently.

It's not speaking fast. It's reacting fast. In other words, you are reducing the time gap between your interlocutor's last word and your response.

Building efficient and sharp speech reflex is one of your primary goals when training to speak a foreign language. That's one of the main marks of fluency.

Speech reflex doesn't stop at your first reaction to a verbal stimulus, but it's also involved in what you say after. It makes you continue to talk effortlessly and correctly, as though your speech-producing organs were acting in total independence.

You can only build speech reflex by drilling out loud.

The word "drill" implies the repetition of frequent speech patterns. It must be done out loud because training is most efficient when it gets as close as possible to real-life scenarios.

This is why spending hours on end doing silent grammar exercises on textbooks is highly ineffective for speaking.

Here's an example of drill.

Take a frequent pattern.

("io") + present tense of "avere" + "molto-a"/"molti-e" + noun-adjective.

Instructions:

1) Say sentences out loud using the pattern above.

2) Say sentences back to back for 1 minute straight.

3) Reduce the pause between the last word of one sentence and the first word of the next.

4) Let the sentence flow out of your mouth without thinking.

5) After 1 minute, take a 30-sec. break. Then go again 1 minute.

6) Model your sentences off the samples below.

E.g. Io ho molti amici sinceri.

E.g. Io ho molte monete rare.

E.g. Io ho molti dischi di vinile.

E.g. Io ho molto lavoro difficile.

Point 4 in the instructions will probably be the most frustrating for a learner who is inexperienced with this type of training. The percentage of mistakes will initially be higher and the learner will likely encounter blocks as they try to produce a new sentence. It is of absolute importance to force a complete sentence out of one's mouth. When getting stuck, repeat the previous sentence--or a sentence said before--if that's all that comes to mind. Mistakes are also fine at this stage, and it's necessary to learn to accept them. The goal is not--at least initially--to produce a perfectly grammatical sentence, but to maintain the pace without losing rhythm. Training in order to acquire this skill means the learner has to temporarily sacrifice sentence correctness and comfort.

Do sessions twice a day (morning/noon and afternoon/evening) for two or three days. Then take a one-day break. You can practice something else during the break, just not this or other types of drills. Go back to it after at least twenty-four hours.

At this point, when doing the drill again, you should notice differences. Something should unlock, and blocks won't be as frequent and hard to overcome. You will be able to practice more comfortably.

If that doesn't happen during your second session, do everything as you did on the first day. Take another twenty-four or forty-eight hour break, and then go again. You should be able to maintain a better flow more easily then.

This kind of practice is what trains the mouth to react verbally almost instantly without the brain getting in the way when you're communicating.

Incorporating this drill as one of the main elements of your practice makes sure speech reflex and muscle memory are achieved in the long term--pattern by pattern.