Key Takeaway

“Understanding and speaking are not the same muscle. Your kid might have exercised one muscle for years, while the other has barely had a turn.”

Question: If a kid understands a language, how is it possible they can't speak it? It seems like a contradiction.

S. Tüzel: It seems like one, but it isn't. Because understanding and speaking are two completely different skills. Understanding is a matter of recognition; you catch the word that comes your way. Speaking, on the other hand, is about production; you build the right word from scratch, and you do it in seconds. Recognizing is always easier than producing.

We all experience this: we instantly recognize a song when we hear it, but if we try to write the lyrics on a blank piece of paper, we get stuck. Or we recognize a face when we see it, but struggle if asked to draw it. This is exactly what your kid is experiencing.

Canadian researcher Merrill Swain studied immersion program students who spent years listening to and reading plenty of English, and found something striking: these kids understood the language very well, but noticeably lagged behind in speaking and writing. In other words, input alone (listening, reading) doesn't automatically lead to speaking.

Question: Well, despite listening and understanding so much, why doesn't production come naturally?

S. Tüzel: Because skills are "specific." Meaning, whatever you practice is what you improve. You master listening by listening, reading by reading; but the only way to master speaking is by speaking. One of the clearest frameworks explaining this is Robert DeKeyser’s skill acquisition theory.

According to this theory, knowledge starts at the "I know the rule" stage; but being able to use it fluently and automatically while speaking is a completely different, much slower process. A kid might know a word, but to bring it out in a sentence, at the right moment, without thinking, they need to use it over and over again.

“Knowing is one thing, being able to use it on the spot is another. The latter only comes with practice, which means speaking.”

In short, we gave the kid input for years but asked for very little output. We hardly exercised the speaking muscle at all. And then we act surprised, asking, "Why aren't they speaking?"

Question: Sometimes they know, I'm sure they know; but the moment they need to speak, they freeze up and go silent. What's the reason for this?

S. Tüzel: This is the point where emotions step in, rather than language. Speaking, unlike other skills, is a performance done in front of others. And where there is performance, there is anxiety.

The classic study on foreign language anxiety by Elaine Horwitz and her colleagues shows exactly this: the fear of making a mistake and "looking silly" when using a language can cause a kid to fail to say what they actually know. When anxiety spikes, the brain practically raises a shield; the knowledge stays inside but can't get out.

“Because they go silent, we assume they don't know; yet most of the time they do know, they are just scared.”

Think of a student who goes into an exam and forgets everything, but remembers it all as soon as they walk out the door. A kid freezing while trying to speak is very similar to this. The issue isn't knowledge, it's their level of confidence in that moment.

Question: At home, even if I don't speak English myself, how can I help exercise this "speaking muscle"?

S. Tüzel: I suggest three things; all three are direct applications of the science we discussed today.

Notice that all three reward the attempt, not the accuracy. Because at this age, the biggest obstacle to speaking isn't a lack of knowledge, but having their courage to try broken.

Question: So is it right to push kids to speak, or does it cause harm?

S. Tüzel: There's a very fine line here. Pushing and inviting are not the same thing. Cornering a kid with "Come on, speak, why aren't you speaking?" increases anxiety and makes that shield even thicker. But offering them safe, fun, and pressure-free opportunities to speak is essential.

So the answer is: invite production, but never force it. Speaking should feel like a game for kids, not a chore. Keep the door open; but leave stepping over the threshold up to them.

Question: If you could say just one sentence to a parent in this situation, what would it be?

S. Tüzel: I would say this: your kid's silence isn't an "inability," but rather an unexercised muscle and a fear that hasn't been overcome yet. Both will resolve over time in the right environment.

“Understanding is the seed, and speaking is the flower. But no flower blooms in fearful soil.”

When you give kids a safe speaking space, small but regular opportunities to produce, and the freedom to make mistakes; you will see that silent knowledge slowly turn into sound. Because that knowledge is already there; all it needs is to feel safe enough to come out.

About the Interview Guest

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sait Tüzel is a researcher and associate professor working in the fields of educational technology, AI-supported learning, media literacy, and learning analytics. His work focuses on the impact of technology on metacognitive development, critical thinking, and access to quality education.

He also leads the development of Flalingo’s AI-supported language learning ecosystem. In his academic work, he centers on how languages are learned and how learning processes can be empowered by technology.

Sources

Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. (The Output Hypothesis: the role of production in language acquisition.) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprehensible_output

DeKeyser, R. M., & Suzuki, Y. (2025). Skill Acquisition Theory. In B. VanPatten, G. D. Keating, & S. Wulff (Eds.), Theories in Second Language Acquisition (4th ed., pp. 157–182). Routledge. (The transition of knowledge from "knowing the rule" to automatic use and skill specificity.) yuichisuzuki.net (preprint PDF)

Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety. The Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. (How the fear of making mistakes and negative evaluation hinders speaking.) ling.ohio-state.edu (PDF)