بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 1

الملتقى العلمي الأول لقسم اللغة الانجليزية C OMMON C HALLENGES F ACING E NGLISH L EARNERS

No one can deny that learning an additional language can present challenges; the good news is that overcoming these challenges and pursuing a course of study can bring many significant and lucrative advantages. Of all the possible languages to learn, English brings its own difficulties and challenges, but it is worth knowing because it is arguably the most commonly spoken and used language for communication. 3

1. The way that the language is read and spoken are different Very often, the way that English text appears on the page and the way that is pronounced and delivered are quite different. For non-native speakers of English, this can understandably be very challenging and quite confusing. One way to overcome this challenge is to participate in a range of speech related learning activities…. 4

The Internet makes a wonderful contribution here as a number of different online speaking and listening activities can be accessed, where participants can listen and then use small sentences to speak. Online as well as offline programs have been created to focus on learning English in this way and are designed to provide a listening opportunity followed by the opportunity to put sentences together, rather than trying to memorize and combine separate, individual words. 5

2. Fluent, spoken English is challenging to interpret In the specialized context of the classroom of an English course, it is common for spoken English to be delivered slowly and exceptionally clearly. Students of English find that when they are removed from this situation and trying to speak and understand English in more general settings, making sense of the language is all the more difficult. 6

One of the best and most successful tips for overcoming this challenge is to talk with English speakers as often as possible. In fact, engaging in conversation about all sorts of topics can be remarkably educational, and also a lot of fun. You will achieve the best outcomes when you are able to practice your oral language skills with a fluent and accurate speaker who will allow you the freedom to make mistakes, but will also provide you with guidance to overcome any mistakes you may make. 7

3. Colloquialism and slang confuse understanding of the English language Some students of English find that there is a lot of slang and colloquial language that is used when English is spoken in less formal contexts. Having studied the formal and correct forms of English, this can be remarkably confusing, but there are ways to understand the difference between formal and casual language. 8

Some people recommend that students of English watch television programs and listen to radio stations in which English is spoken. While you may not fully understand every exchange that takes place and every word that is spoken, watching and listening to television and radio can help you to gain an appreciation of the conversations taking place and the tone and intonation that underpins them. 9

4. misconceptions Some people think that English words have specific meanings. But English words, like words of almost every other language, have many different figurative meanings in addition to their literal meanings. 10

conclusion English can be a challenging language to learn, but the resulting benefits outweigh the difficulties. People learning English can benefit from taking every opportunity to read, listen and speak the English language and of course, putting the skills and knowledge learnt into practice is critically important. 11

S OME R ECOMMENDATIONS F OR LEARNING E NGLISH 12

1. Developing a passion for learning English All English learners would like to speak English well. They are excited in the idea of being able to communicate in English fluently. However, they usually don’t care about the learning process itself. For most learners, learning English is a duty — something that they have to, but don’t want to do. They don’t see pleasure in learning English. 13

To sum up, most learners would like to speak English well but don’t like to be learning English. This is the first and biggest problem facing an English learner, because a person who doesn’t like to learn English will not learn it well. If you don’t love English, English won’t love you back! 14

If you want to become a successful learner, you need to like the learning process itself. You need to treat time spent on English as time for pleasure and relaxation. For example, you need to enjoy: reading English sentences and thinking about their structure, learning new words from a dictionary, writing a correct English sentence by consulting dictionaries, grammar guides, and the Web, practicing the pronunciation of English sounds and words. 15

Ideally, learning English should be your hobby. You should think of yourself as an English Learner — a person who has chosen learning English as one of their favorite activities. 16

2Making a change to one’s life 2. Making a change to one’s life The decision to learn English requires changes in your life. For example, deciding that one will read an English book for 30 minutes every day and keeping to that decision. It’s very difficult to make a small, but permanent change to your life, especially if learning English doesn’t seem “fun”. However, learners should remember that studying English for 15 minutes every day gives you much better results than studying for a whole day once a month. 17