Are English Speakers Slow speakers?

[uberdwayne]

Hey guys, a question for you (υμιν).

Is it just me? or does it seem like native english speakers speak they're language slowly? When I listen to someone speak in French of Spanish, even a native greek reading the NT, I find their tempo for the language is much quicker than we as english speakers!

any thoughts on this?

[Markos]

It must be all our pregnant pauses. βαρβαρ...βαρβαρ...βαρβαρ...

[Paul Derouda]

It's just you. I always find it pretty hard to follow a native who speaks English, though I don't have problems reading. Communicating in English with other non-natives is much easier. I've never been to an English speaking country, maybe that's why.

[uberdwayne]

Eitherway, It seems to me as though (hang on, this is gonna be greatly exaggerated...) as a native english speaker, I could finish a sentance in 5 seconds.... But If I listen to someone who is native French, they speak same amount of syllables in 3 seconds.

[daivid]

If you are listening to someone who you are having trouble understanding then they will be talking too fast for you. For that reason I am very skeptical of any subjective impressions that speakers of a language that you are not a native speaker of speaker faster than your own.

When a speaker of English as a second language says that English speakers speak slowly then I will take note. I have yet to hear this.

[uberdwayne]

This is a very good point! I have never herd a non native english speaker say we speak slowly. I suppose if this were to happen, it would be less subjective