How drinking (a little) alcohol boosts your ability to speak a foreign language

""drunken Germans usually pronounce Dutch better than sober Germans," they said in a statement read at the ceremony. "The results suggest that modest alcohol consumption may reduce language anxiety, leading to improved fluency in a second language," said the report on the University's website. "Given that executive functions are important when speaking a second (non-native) language, one might expect that alcohol would impair the ability to speak a second language," said the researchers."

"The experiment involved 50 native German speakers who had recently learned Dutch taking part in a short, standardised conversation in Dutch after consuming either a low dose of alcohol or a non-alcoholic beverage. Their conversations were recorded and rated by native Dutch speakers. According to the University of Bath the findings revealed that participants who had drunk a small amount of alcohol were rated as having better Dutch pronunciation."

A controlled experiment examined how modest alcohol intake affects second-language speech. Fifty native German speakers who had recently learned Dutch engaged in short, standardised Dutch conversations after consuming either a low dose of alcohol or a non-alcoholic beverage. Recordings were evaluated by native Dutch listeners and participants who consumed a small amount of alcohol received higher pronunciation ratings. Small doses (less than a pint) appeared to boost confidence and reduce language anxiety, improving fluency. Effects worked only in moderation, and using alcohol as a formal language-learning tool was not recommended.

Read at The Local France