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WHY ENGLISH IS DIFFICULT TO LEARN
Salsabila Alisha Putri Mustofa
Abstract
Learning English as a second language is not as easy as people think. Some
foreign learners find it easy, but some people find it harder than those who don’t.
The difficulty of learning it is different for each person. Learners need to focus on
the difficulties they encounter. There are several things that are difficult for
students in general. This essay highlights some of the things that make English
difficult to learn and the solutions.
Introduction
English is a universal language. It serves different status in different
countries. English may be used as the first language, the second language, or as a
foreign language. To be proficient in English conversation we must master
speaking and listening. Speaking and listening are the basis for having a
conversation and relating to each others. In my opinion, there are two things that
can hinder learning basic English in general, it is listening comprehension and
pronunciation. Which if there is an error, it can cause a miscommunication. Even
if it is something simple, it can be fatal. If the speaker mispronounces the word,
the listener can misinterpret the word, and conversely if the listener does not catch
the conversation well, miscommunication will occur.
Pronunciation
General observation suggests that those who start learning English after
graduating from school are most likely to have difficulty mastering clear
pronunciation, which increase signifcantly with age. Many learners of English as
a Second Language are "very difficult" to pronounce English, even after years of
learning that language. Pronunciation is considered an underdeveloped of
speaking. In general, if a learner wants to change the way words are pronounced,
he or she needs to change hisor her way of thinking about each sound of those
words. This applies not only to individual sounds, but also to larger linguistic
elements such as syllables, stress patterns, and rhythms. Still, pronunciation
lessons are largely ignored in the field of English education. (Gilakjani et al.,
2011)
Some of important factors that affect the learning of pronunciation. The first
one is Motivation and exposure, the learner’s motivation for learning the language
and the cultural group that the learner identifies and spends time with help
determine whether the learner will develop native-like pronunciation. The second
is exposure to target the language, When we speak of the exposure that a learner
has to the target language, it could be the format of their current daily life, and the
amount of previous lessons the learner took in the target language. The third is
attitude, Aspiring students with a positive attitude towards the target language and
its speakers were more successful than students with less positive attitudes. The
fourth is Instruction, Foreign language instruction generally focuses on four main
areas of development: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The fifth is age,
The effect of age on language acquisition, especially pronunciation, may make
adults find it more difficult to pronounce than children and are less likely to
achieve native pronunciation. And the last one is mother tongue influence, The
transition from the learner's native language influenced their production of
English-like stress alternation across a phrase.(Pourhosein Gilakjani, 2011)
There are things that learners need to improve their pronunciation. What
learners most want is a form of authentic conversation practice. Learners also
require considerable practice and repetition, which requires direct training in the
language they actually use. Basically, in order to pronounce a new language in a
way that is easy for native speakers to understand, learners stop thinking about the
language from the perspective of the first language category and start thinking
about it from the perspective of the new language. Learners need ample
opportunity to listen to their own speech and that of fellow learners in comparison
with that of native speakers.(Gilakjani et al., 2011)
Listening
In English language teaching, it is necessary to identify language
performance. The human race has fashioned two forms of productive
performance, oral and written, and two forms of receptive performance, aural (or
auditory) and reading. Language can be divided into two types : spoken and
written. Listening and Speaking are called spoken language, and Reading and
Writing are called written language. Many people around the world want to be
fluent in English without realizing that they need to be fluent in other skills of
English as well. As a result, much of language-teaching energy is devoted to
instruction in mastering English conversation with neglecting the importance to
incorporate of numerous other forms of spoken language into a language course,
especially in teaching listening comprehension. This may be one of many reasons
why people find it difficult to listen in English. Although the ability of speaking in
English is important, globalization requires people to master English and all its
aspects, reading, writing, speaking, including listening. Some people find it easy
to listen in English, while others do not. Some sources documented some reasons
why listening is difficult. They are clustering (a group of similar things),
redundancy (rephrasings, repetitions, elaborations, and little insertions of ‘I mean’
and ‘you know’), reduced forms (spoken language has many reduced forms and
sentence fragments), performance variables (in spoken language, hesitations, false
start, pauses, and corrections are common), colloquial language (idiom, slang,
reduced form, and shared cultural knowledge), rate of delivery (fast) , stress,
rhythm, and intonation, and Interaction.(Rintaningrum, 2018)
Inorder to practice listening comprehension, it is important to listen actively,
which means to actively pay attention to what you are listening to. Make it a habit
to listen to audio books, podcasts, news, songs, etc. and to watch videos and films
in the foreign language. Even after you start listening regularly, you may be
dissatisfied with your limited understanding. There are ways to improve listening
comprehension. First, translating creates a barrier between the listener and the
speaker. Second, most people repeat it over and over again. If you keep calm, you
can usually understand what the speaker had said. Translating creates a barrier
between you and the person who is speaking while you are listening to another
person speaking a foreign language, the temptation is to immediately translate into
your native language. This temptation is even stronger when you hear words you
don't understand. This is natural as we want to understand everything that is being
said. However, when translating into your native language, you should divert your
attention away from the speaker and focus on the translation process taking place
in your brain. There is no problem if you can put the speaker on hold. But in
reality, the person keeps talking while you translate.(Egamnazarova &
Mukhamedova, 2021)
Solution
Below is a reference in the form of an easy way to learn English. According
to ‘ I Find It Easy To Learn English When’ by Ratna Rintaningrum
(Rintaningrum, 2016), The lecturers of English views concerning how easy they
find it to learn English. The results of the interviews indicate that :
It is easy to learn the English language when they enjoy learning
English.
Likely to improve their skills in English if they are persistent in learning
English.
That awareness of the importance of English is likely to help the
speed of learning the language.
Feeling of confidence in learning English is likely to contribute to the
speed of learning the language.
Self-taught is a way that makes a learner find that it easy to learn English.
Role of parents, although indirect, in supporting their children
learning English.
It easy to learn English when they taught English to others.
The greater the length of time involved in learning English has an
influence on the understanding of grammar and structure that in turn,
makes English easier to learn.
The availability of peers is likely to provide opportunities for learners to
use English.
Comfortable environment is likely to provide the opportunity for
learners to express their ideas that in turn help them to learn English
easily.
The role of a teacher as the source of information.
Knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and structure are likely to help
learners master the target language.
Conclusion
English serves different status in different countries. It may be used as the
first language, the second language, or as a foreign language . There are two things
that can hinder learning basic English in general, it is listening comprehension and
pronunciation. Many learners of English as a Second Language are "very
difficult" to pronounce English, even after years of learning that language.
Nevertheless, pronunciation class remains largely ignored in the field of English
education. There are things that learners need to improve their pronunciation. One
of them is plenty conversation practice and repetition. Although the ability of
speaking in English is important, globalization requires people to master English
and all its aspects, reading, writing, speaking, including listening. Some people
find it easy to listen in English, while others do not. There are some reasons why
listening is difficult. To train your listening skills, it is important to listen actively,
which means to actively pay attention to what you are listening to. The lecturers
of English views concerning how easy they find it to learn English. This will be a
reference that can be followed so that learners can learn English easily.
REFFERENCES
Egamnazarova, F. A., & Mukhamedova, M. S. (2021). Improving English
Language Listening Skill. Scientific Journal Impact Factor, 2(1), 28–32.
Gilakjani, A., Ahmadi, S., & Ahmadi, M. (2011). Why is Pronunciation So
Difficult to Learn? English Language Teaching, 4(3), 74–83.
https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p74
Pourhosein Gilakjani, A. (2011). A Study on the Situation of Pronunciation
Instruction in ESL/EFL Classrooms. Journal of Studies in Education, 1(1).
https://doi.org/10.5296/jse.v1i1.924
Rintaningrum, R. (2016). I Find It Easy To Learn English When ………:
Lecturers’ Perspective. 1(Jambi University Press), 14–21.
https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/60966406/JISE_OK_FULL_JAMBI_
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Expires=1632156777&Signature=PG4NlVOEagv6WAnhJ~iVJ~JnVpz3pub
ymHLEyK32H66P9nyN-
4q3Pzw6Ds5H2PBgSAPcDzAbIFgzkojSw7CBt4HMysca-
YMGcUPV0Wh8bLqj
Rintaningrum, R. (2018). Investigating Reasons Why Listening in English is
Difficult: Voice from Foreign Language Learners. Asian EFL Journal,
20(11), 6–15.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Khadijah-Maming/publication/3296259
74_The_Asian_EFL_Journal/links/5c12766c299bf139c756b1d3/The-Asian-
EFL-Journal.pdf