Is English Onerous To Be taught? 13 Benefits, Challenges, and Ideas
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As one of many most spoken languages on the earth, English is a beneficial language to be taught. However is English laborious to be taught and the way troublesome is it to change into fluent? Whether or not English is straightforward to be taught relies on a variety of elements, together with your first language, your motivation and objectives, and whether or not you’re immersed in an English-speaking setting.
English has a popularity for being a difficult language to grasp, however some features could make studying English really feel more durable (or simpler) than different languages.
5 simple features of studying English
Is English simple to be taught? Whereas studying any language takes effort and targeted follow, sure elements of the English language make it simpler to be taught than others—providing you with a bonus in your language studying.
1. The alphabet is straightforward
There are solely 26 letters within the English alphabet, and also you don’t have to fret about accent or diacritical marks. The vast majority of written languages on the earth use the Latin script, typically alongside a distinct alphabet or as a manner of preserving and revitalizing an indigenous spoken language. Audio system of French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Swahili, Welsh, Turkish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, amongst many others, will acknowledge the Latin alphabet when beginning out in English.
Languages that use characters or different alphabets are among the many hardest for English audio system to be taught.
2. English is just not a tonal language
Not like languages like Mandarin Chinese language, Vietnamese, and Thai, the place tones (raised or lowered pitches inside a phrase) can change the that means of phrases, English is just not a tonal language. English does use some intonation to point feelings or questions, nevertheless it doesn’t change the that means of the phrases themselves.
3. English doesn’t have grammatical gender
English nouns do not need grammatical gender like masculine or female, in comparison with Spanish and different “gendered” languages. This simplifies many elements of speech. For instance, adjectives don’t must agree with the gender of the noun, and there’s just one particular English article, the.
4. English shares many cognates with different languages
The reply to “Is English a tough language to be taught?” can rely in your first language and what number of cognates it shares with English. Cognates are phrases in two languages that look and sound comparable and share the identical that means.
In case you already know primary phrases in a Romance language like Spanish, French, or Portuguese, you’ve gotten a head begin on vocabulary attributable to all of the cognates. That’s one motive why these are a few of the best languages for English audio system to be taught.
You’ll additionally discover many cognates when you’re accustomed to a few of the closest languages to English, comparable to German, Dutch, and Frisian.
| English Phrase | Cognate | Language |
| accident | accidente | Spanish |
| attribute | karakteristika | Albanian |
| dictionary | diccionnaire | French |
| false | falso | Portuguese |
| resort | Resort | German |
| island | eiland | Dutch |
| music | musica | Italian |
| rhyme | rým | Slovak |
| textual content | tekst | Polish |
5. Verbs are simple to conjugate in English
Is English laborious to be taught when conjugating verbs? Some languages have a whole bunch of verb types to point topic, tense, temper, and register. Altering these verbs to their right types is known as conjugation. The excellent news is that verbs in English are typically a lot less complicated.
Examine the beneath irregular previous tense French verb aller with English to go. French has an auxiliary verb with six completely different types and a previous participle that should agree in gender and in quantity with the topic. The verb in previous tense English is at all times went. You simply must know the English pronouns to make use of.
| English | French |
| I went. | Je suis allé. (masculine) |
| I went. | Je suis allée. (female) |
| You went. | Tu es allé. (singular, masculine, casual) |
| You went. | Tu es allée. (singular, masculine) |
| He went. | Il est allé. |
| She went. | Elle est allée. |
| One went. | On est allé. (impersonal) |
| We went. | On est allés. (casual plural masculine/combined) |
| We went. | On est allées. (casual plural female) |
| We went. | Nous sommes allés. (masculine/combined) |
| We went. | Nous sommes allées. (female/combined) |
| You went. | Vous êtes allé. (formal singular masculine) |
| You went. | Vous êtes allée. (formal singular female) |
| You went. | Vous êtes allés. (plural masculine/combined) |
| You went. | Vous êtes allées. (plural female) |
| They went. | Ils sont allés. (masculine) |
| They went. | Elles sont allées. (female) |
4 challenges of studying English
Is English laborious to be taught in comparison with different languages? English learners can face a number of distinctive challenges. Nevertheless, when you’re conscious of those, you’ll be able to work to beat them and discover language studying success.
1. Pronunciation and spelling are very completely different
English pronunciation and spelling might be difficult even for native audio system. English is a Germanic language, however has been influenced by many different languages throughout its improvement. Due to these combined origins, spelling doesn’t at all times make the pronunciation of English phrases apparent. And even when you know the way to pronounce a phrase, the spelling could also be laborious to determine.
English-speaking kids studying to learn and write usually have a separate class for spelling, and take part in “spelling bee” contests to spell phrases appropriately. This idea is stunning for audio system of different languages like Spanish, the place pronunciation and spelling persistently match.
English letters and combos of letters make completely different sounds relying on the phrase. English has round 44 completely different sounds, with 20 distinct vowel sounds that don’t at all times correspond to the letters of the alphabet. For instance, the letter “a” is pronounced in another way in cat, cake, father, couch, automotive, and local weather.
| English Phrases With “a” | Pronunciation |
| cat | kat |
| cake | keyk |
| father | FAH-ther |
| couch | SOH-fuh |
| automotive | kahr |
| local weather | KLAHY-mit |
The sounds of the consonants are additionally inconsistent. For instance, the letter “c” can sound:
- like an “s” in metropolis
- like a “ok” in cocoa
- like “sh” valuable
Within the phrases Pacific Ocean, for instance, each letter “c” is pronounced in another way!
English phrases may also have silent letters at the start, center, or finish of a phrase:
- the silent “w” in write and wrestle
- the silent “ok” in knife and data
- the silent “l” in calf and ought to
- the silent “b” in thumb and tomb
Additionally, not all teams of letters are pronounced the identical manner, as with the beneath tough pronunciation pairs.
| English Spelling | Pronunciation |
| daughter | DAW-ter |
| laughter | LAF-ter |
| tough | ruhf |
| via | throo |
| eight | eyt |
| top | hahyt |
| cheese | cheez |
| geese | gees |
2. Homonyms are simply confused
One other problem of studying English is studying homonyms. Homonyms are pairs of phrases which can be both spelled or pronounced the identical, however have completely different meanings.
Homophones are English phrases with the identical pronunciation however completely different meanings:
- plain (not adorned or seasoned) vs. airplane (plane)
- son (male baby) vs. solar (middle of the photo voltaic system)
- meat (flesh of an animal) vs. meet (make somebody’s acquaintance)
Heteronyms have the identical spelling however completely different pronunciations and meanings:
- wind (air blowing) vs. wind (to coil or wrap round)
- pronunciation: “wind” vs. “waynd”
- tear (liquid from eyes) vs. tear (to tear)
- pronunciation: “teer” vs. “tair”
- produce (to create/make) vs. produce (recent vegatables and fruits)
- pronunciation: “pruh-DOOS” vs. “PRO-doos”
3. English makes use of many phrasal verbs
Phrasal verbs are combos of a verb plus an adverb or preposition. The phrasal verb that means is commonly completely different from the meanings of the person phrases that make up the phrasal verb. This may be difficult for learners.
Since they’re so frequent in dialog, turning into accustomed to phrasal verbs might help you learn to communicate English. These are a few of the commonest phrasal verbs:
| English Phrasal Verb | Which means |
| again up | help |
| again down | retreat |
| break up | finish a relationship |
| break down | cease functioning |
| look into | analysis examine |
| take care of | take care of watch to maintain secure |
| tackle | assume accountability for |
| take off | take away start a flight on a airplane |
| take up | start a passion |
| take down | sort out take away from a wall |
| soak up | undertake/invite |
| take out | invite for a social engagement purchase meals at a restaurant to eat at house |
| take away | be taught achieve |
| speak up | communicate or focus on favorably |
| speak down | speak to in a superior or haughty manner |
| inform on | tattle on inform on |
| inform off | reprimand scold |
4. English has irregularities and exceptions
Whereas English learners can use grammar guidelines to determine sentence construction and phrase types, there are lots of exceptions to every of those guidelines, comparable to:
- irregular previous tense verbs like went (previous tense of to go)
- irregular plurals like ft (plural of foot) and deer (plural of deer)
- irregular comparatives like higher (comparative of good)
- exceptions to possessives like its (belonging to it)
- adverbs that don’t use “-ly” comparable to quick or effectively
Ideas for studying English with out stress
Whereas studying English is usually a problem, it’s definitely worth the time it takes to be taught. And due to its usefulness all over the world as a frequent language, you’ve gotten many alternatives to be taught and follow English. These 4 suggestions might help you obtain proficiency as you pursue English language studying.
1. Reap the benefits of multimedia
English language motion pictures, music, books, podcasts, social media influencers, and stay broadcasts of stories, sports activities, and occasions are sometimes obtainable all through the world. The place obtainable, mix English audio with subtitles in your first language to listen to English in motion whereas having fun with your favourite leisure.
2. Make associates with English audio system
Whether or not you’re restricted to easy greetings and small speak or prepared for intermediate conversations, training with a associate might be an effective way to achieve confidence. Search native teams for different English language learners or change with somebody who desires to be taught your language.
3. Use a confirmed studying technique
You discovered to speak in your first language naturally, with out having to memorize lengthy lists of vocabulary and grammar guidelines and exceptions. The best strategy to be taught a brand new language is mirroring the way in which you discovered language as a toddler, via context and reasoning.
4. Fall in love along with your favourite English dialect
English is spoken in nations all all over the world and contains all kinds of accents, expressions, and slang. English audio system from England, Scotland, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, Canada, India, and the USA can all talk with one another, so studying normal English phrases can be useful all over the place.
Whenever you discover the styles of English spoken in Boston, Edinburgh, London, New York, or Kingston, you’ll take pleasure in a wealthy linguistic range. Choose up a couple of native phrases and also you’ll be capable to impress the locals wherever you journey and join with cultures all over the world.
Rosetta Stone simplifies the challenges of studying English
Whether or not you wish to be taught the fundamentals of English or obtain fluency, Rosetta Stone might help you meet your objective. The Dynamic Immersion technique is a confirmed strategy to be taught new vocabulary, homonyms, and even phrasal verbs in context, with out getting caught on the difficult elements of English. And the TruAccent speech recognition engine makes positive you don’t must depend on complicated guidelines about spelling and pronunciation as you be taught.
It doesn’t matter what your first language or how completely different it’s from English, you’ll be effectively in your strategy to talking English with confidence!
