ESL Blogs

English is the most widely spoken language in the entire world. However, it is also challenging to learn, especially for foreign learners. The difficulty learners have depends on language or languages they know. English is easier to learn if a person already speaks a language with the same roots. Here we look at 5 difficulties English poses to those learning it as a foreign language and how they can fight these issues.

There Are Many Variations of English

English is a challenging language because there are very many variations of it. Though it is the same language, it is spoken quite differently in countries that have it as the primary language. In the UK, it is spoken differently in different regions. It is not uncommon to hear of regional dialects. In England alone, there are distinctive dialects, such as ‘Geordie’ in Northumberland, ‘Brummie’ in the Midlands, ‘West Country’ in Devon among other notable accents. This makes English sound different in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. You may even think that they speak four different languages. Getting used to the sounds you hear from a British person becomes difficult and will take much time.

In order to advance your English skills, you should take up English Language summer classes which will enable you to make much progress in the language. Being that the classes are small, teaching is, therefore, student focused. You also need to put in a lot of hard work and determination in order to succeed.

Pronunciation Is Difficult and Inconsistent

There are several aspects of pronunciation that make English difficult to learn. These includes:

• Certain sounds are particularly tricky

Certain sounds prove to be hard to pronounce as they are not common in other dialects. These include; “th”, differentiating between “r” and “l” and “b” and “v”.

In English, it is possible to group together a number of consonants in a sentence unlike in other languages; i.e. ‘strong’ has three consonants before the vowel ‘o’. This proves to be challenging and students end up inserting extra vowels to break up the consonants.

The only solution is by practicing and taking elocution lessons.

• You can’t always guess the pronunciation from the spelling

For example, dough and cough cannot be pronounced in the same way, even though they both end in ‘ough’. To overcome this, learn the exceptions where pronunciation is concerned.

• There are so many silent letters

Knife, honor, psychology, are some words that begin with silent letters. Character, autumn, castle are also words that have silent letters.

You can look up the pronunciation in the dictionary or language apps to overcome this.

• Regional dialects alter pronunciation

Pronunciation varies depending on where a person comes from. To minimize the confusion, you should learn from a person with neutral dialect so that you can learn to pronounce the words correctly.

Tricky English - the Vocabulary

Challenging task for students when learning a new language is to memorize sufficient words express oneself. This is not an easy feat to attain. Many people find English challenging because of the following reasons:

• The large number of words

English has the largest number of words as compared to any language. Moreover, there are several words that stand behind the same meaning, however, cannot be used interchangeably i.e. plump and fat. These differences are not so straightforward to foreigners.

• Difficulty in spelling

Idiosyncratic spellings mean that trying to spell an English word on the basis of it’s pronunciation is not easy. Although the words may end in recurring patterns, i.e. ing, there are always exceptions to rules. This means that logical deductions will not always work. Moreover, there are plenty of homophones in English making it hard to perceive the meaning.

• Idioms and slangs

Spoken English is usually less formal than written English. Slang is also very important for one to be able to keep up with the casual conversation. In order to speak English fluently, know the collocations and expressions, their meaning and when to use them is also important.

The best way to get through is by reading English books. There are several apps such as Duolingo that can help you with this. Make the dictionary your best study partner, to be able to understand words, their spellings, and meanings. You can also write short narrative essays to improve your writing skills.

English Grammar Is Full of Subtlety

English grammar is full of subtlety. With experience, a non-native speaker will learn to appreciate it. English grammar has a certain level of difficulty that poses a serious challenge to even native speakers, leading them to commit common mistakes. One of the challenges comes from the use of time; writing in present, simple present, future present, simple past etc. coupled with tricky auxiliary verbs, complex punctuation, idiomatic variations and their subtleties, then you have a perfect recipe for confusion.

Do not stress about it. Once you are speaking fluently and you have learned from your past mistakes, you will easily master all these. As the saying goes, you will get better with age.

Thinking in Their Native Tongue

English is not closely related to other languages. I mean, Spanish and Italian are closely related and even share some words, unlike English which is a stand-alone language. When you think in your mother tongue you end up coming up with words which do not make sense in English. You may come up with the word, ‘I do a promise’ instead of ‘I make a promise’. When learning English, always remember this. Think in English. This way, it will be easier to comprehend words and learn faster.

In conclusion, there is no secret to learning English. You must have determination and commitment in order to succeed. Lots and lots of practice will make you become as good as the native speakers. All the best!

About the author:

Rick Riddle is a marketing consultant and an up-and-coming blogger whose articles aim to help people with digital e-learning, self-development, blogging, entrepreneurship, and career. Feel free to follow Rick on twitter and LinkedIn.