Native English Speakers 英語為母語的人

I have studied English for years, and now I live in London. Why do I find that I can understand non-native English speakers better than native English speakers? Could you help me to find out the reason?

Wenwen, London

收聽與下載

Wenwen contacted us because she finds it easier to understand non-native speakers of English than native speakers.

Though this might strange, there are a number of possible reasons for this which we examine in the programme.

In the programme Finn and Feifei compare some of the differences between native and non-native speakers in terms of:

Oxford Street shoppers

Native-speakers can be difficult to understand

  • speed of speech
  • running words together
  • clarity of speech
  • use of slang
  • accent

Just remember, the best way to get used to different styles of spoken English is to listen to as wide a variety of speakers as possible. And you're in luck, because our website is the perfect place to do that.

If you have a question about English, email our team at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. We may answer it on this programme.

Glossary 字彙

non-native speakers of English 英文不是母語的人

native-speakers （英文）為母語的人

running words together 連讀

clarity 清晰度

slang 俚語