Confidence: The Unstudied Rule of English

There is a persistent illusion among many learners of English that confidence must wait for correctness, that one should first master the 'rules' of English before even begining to sound assured or confident. This belief is understandable, but it is entirely mistaken, and it does considerable damage to otherwise very capable speakers.

I have met students with an impressive command of grammar who nevertheless speak as if they are trespassing in the language, hesitating, softening their voices, and apologising in advance for mistakes that have not yet been made. At the same time, I have encountered speakers whose English is plainly imperfect, but who sound persuasive and competent because they speak without hesitation. The difference lies not in knowledge, but in confidence.

Confidence redirects the listener’s attention away from the perfection of your grammar and sentace structure. When confidence is present, the meaning of what you're saying takes priority and the errors recede. When it is absent, even accurate sentences invite unnecessary scrutiny.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an obvious example. His English has always carried a heavy accent and a fair number of grammatical irregularities, yet this has never prevented him from sounding authoritative. “I speak English with an accent,” he once said, “but I speak it better than most people speak their own language.” This is deliberately provocative, or perhaps he is trying to be funny. But it captures an essential truth: he never asked permission to be taken seriously.

Schwarzenegger does not apologise for his English, and as a result, his audience does not treat it as a weakness. His confidence compels attention to what he means rather than how elegantly he says it.

Many foreign students do the opposite, beginning with the fatal disclaimer, “Sorry, my English isn’t very good,” thereby almost instructing the listener to search for faults. Confidence, by contrast, signals that communication is the goal, not perfection.

English, though an international language, is judged in practice by clarity and conviction more than by purity. To speak it well is not to speak it flawlessly, but to speak it as though one belongs in the conversation. In most cases, that alone is enough.