Interestingly, science suggests that “Dutch courage” is real; alcohol really can help you speak a foreign language.
In 2017, researchers invited 50 Germans who spoke Dutch as a second language into the lab. Half were given a drink with vodka in it, while the others got a drink which was alcohol-free.
Once the Germans had finished their drinks, they were asked to have a conversation in Dutch. Two native Dutch speakers (who didn’t know who had drunk alcohol and who hadn’t) listened to the recordings and rated the Germans on how well they spoke Dutch.
The participants who had drunk alcohol were rated higher on their pronunciation, although it didn’t make any difference to the other areas.
It’s important to keep in mind that the benefits were linked to small amounts of alcohol.
In another study, participants consumed less than a pint of beer. Participants who drank more than that, or who drank on an empty stomach, performed worse than the sober ones. Which is not all that surprising.
Large amounts of alcohol impairs concentration, memory and makes you slur your words: not ideal for speaking a foreign language.
So, why does alcohol improve your pronunciation in a foreign language? One theory is that alcohol helps you open up to a new cultural identity.
Pronunciation forms a strong part of your identity because it links you to a community. Learning the sounds of a new language requires you to leave this behind, which explains why you might feel a bit silly when speaking a new language; it doesn’t feel like you. Alcohol helps you overcome this inhibition.
Another reason could be linked to the relaxing effect of alcohol. Anxiety makes it harder to speak a second language and as small amounts of alcohol reduce stress, this could explain why the drinkers in both studies had better pronunciation.
But what about the confidence-boosting?
Does alcohol help you feel more confident when you speak a foreign language? If we come back to our Dutch speaking Germans, there's a surprising twist in this cocktail.
When researchers asked the German groups how well they thought they’d spoken, there was no difference between the drinkers and the non-drinkers. One reason for this could be that the participants didn’t actually know if they’d drunk alcohol or not (they were told that they may have a drink with alcohol in it).
Alcohol has a strong placebo effect; people who think they’ve drunk alcohol can feel the same effects, even though they’re completely sober. Perhaps it’s the thought that you’ve drunk alcohol that makes you feel more confident, rather than the alcohol itself.
All this is interesting, but not very helpful for people who don’t drink alcohol. And even if you do like a tipple, what happens when you need to speak the language over breakfast, or at work?
It’s just not practical to have a glass of ouzo every time you want to speak a foreign language.
Of course, you don’t need alcohol to feel more confident when speaking a foreign language. There are plenty of other ways to increase your self-esteem. Next post I’ll share some extra tips on how to improve your confidence when speaking English, apart from lessons with me!
Greetings from Michael Robbs,
Professional Trainer, Coach & Mentor of our Business English Courses