Is English A Difficult Language?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chrysalisyah

Unfortunately, this still happens. Not all people from developed countries can converse well in English. They may gain easy access to modern technology and live in such hi-tech world, but without the heart to learn; english isn't something that is easy to learn.

---

I never know this thing happens.
In the last line you stated the reason. We also, despite the problem I had mentioned earlier, learn English. For example I myself. I really learn English under a very uncondusive atmosphere. Read my post under this one. I'll stated some of these problems we're being facing here in my country relating to learning it.

Poblems of learning English in my country and liekly others;
:D Inconsitency between English spellings and their pronounciation. eg H in 'ghost','honest' etc. K in 'knowledge','knight' etc.
:D Mother Tongue Interference
:D Attitudinal Problem
:D Problem of Quack Teachers
:D Pedagogical Problem
:D Material Problem
:D etc
If you look at any from the above, you'll see that it really is a great problem in English teaching-learning process.
How is it in your country? Are they same problems or there are some others?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muhsin

I never know this thing happens.
In the last line you stated the reason. We also, despite the problem I had mentioned earlier, learn English. For example I myself. I really learn English under a very uncondusive atmosphere. Read my post under this one. I'll stated some of these problems we're being facing here in my country relating to learning it.

---

When you have the will, you'll learn to appreciate knowledge more. In this case, you're willing to undergo such circumstances. :thumbs_up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muhsin

Poblems of learning English in my country and liekly others;
:D Inconsitency between English spellings and their pronounciation. eg H in 'ghost','honest' etc. K in 'knowledge','knight' etc.
:D Mother Tongue Interference
:D Attitudinal Problem
:D Problem of Quack Teachers
:D Pedagogical Problem
:D Material Problem
:D etc
If you look at any from the above, you'll see that it really is a great problem in English teaching-learning process.
How is it in your country? Are they same problems or there are some others?

---

Same here. Except for the quack teachers and material problem; in remote parts of the country. We have Multimedia Super Corridor(MSC) project launched a few years back in the country. We have "Sekolah Bestari" (smart school), schools are equipped with online learning/conferencing, et cetera. But, like I said before; if you don't have the will to learn, you'll go nowhere. The students in 9th and 10th grade in our country learn science and mathematics subjects in english. Yet, some still have the difficulties catching up in studies.

English is not a difficult language when compared to so many other languages of the world. Since it is unphonetic it appears difficult at times for learners learning it as a second language or foreign language. Now just look at all of us on this forum , we are communicating because of English (just as much as the internet)
English is the Lingua Franca of the world ( & Lingua Franca is a french borrowing) Today English has more speakers the worldover when compared to the native country. Nuguib Mahafouz who won the Nobel Prize for literature recently is an Arab(originally from Egypt) , & the first one to win this honour in the middle east.
Public speaking does need good language, be it English or any other. But it is important to remember " Language is the dress of thought - Dr.Samuel Johnson" . We need to have good thoughts ,then automatically our expression is going to be good.
English being unphonetic it becomes important to have a pronuncing dictionary for learners. George bernard Shaw said "English is the only language where you pronunce 'phet' as 'fish' , use the 'ph' in 'ephermal', 'e' in 'women' and 't' in 'caution' !
Whatever it is, it is English that has brought us together here, English speakers outnumber the Englishmen & today some of the most beautiful pieces of writing are coming out of the pens from Africa & South-Asia. the Chinese are on the spree learning English before they host the Olympics 2008.
The Man Booker Prize of the year was bagged by a young Indian writer Kiran Desai for her novel 'The Inheretence of Loss'. undoubtdly English is here to stay & will some day become the mother tongue of the world.

Hey Muhsin does not seem to have any great English Language problem - Muhsin 's language is passingly excellent if not arrestingly beautiful. Just forget all quack teachers & rely on guided self study when it comes to language. Always remember that a non-native speaker of English is far ahead of the native speaker - afterall it's his/her second language & yet he can perform as well as a native speaker ( some non-native speakers can be better than native speakers). So go ahead and better you English. It is not difficult, only thinking makes it so. Am I right Muhsin?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by geetanjali

Hey Muhsin does not seem to have any great English Language problem - Muhsin 's language is passingly excellent if not arrestingly beautiful. Just forget all quack teachers & rely on guided self study when it comes to language. Always remember that a non-native speaker of English is far ahead of the native speaker - afterall it's his/her second language & yet he can perform as well as a native speaker ( some non-native speakers can be better than native speakers). So go ahead and better you English. It is not difficult, only thinking makes it so. Am I right Muhsin?

---

What an eneffable?
I had never seen a post-a funniest one like this very one, 'cuz I had never been praised like this time. However thanks for that.
Once again. I'm "he" not "she" as you doubted in your post.
Also, the language isn't difficult. But whoever took it so, must definitely find the way he takes it.
Thnaks for your encouragement.:thumbs_up

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chrysalisyah

Same here. Except for the quack teachers and material problem; in remote parts of the country. We have Multimedia Super Corridor(MSC) project launched a few years back in the country. We have "Sekolah Bestari" (smart school), schools are equipped with online learning/conferencing, et cetera. But, like I said before; if you don't have the will to learn, you'll go nowhere. The students in 9th and 10th grade in our country learn science and mathematics subjects in english. Yet, some still have the difficulties catching up in studies.

---

How sure you are that you don't got quack teachers problems. Is it not in only your school (maybe of boys who were born with a silver spoon?) Don't you think that? But, it seems this problem is every where?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muhsin

Poblems of learning English in my country and liekly others;
:D Inconsitency between English spellings and their pronounciation. eg H in 'ghost','honest' etc. K in 'knowledge','knight' etc.
:D Mother Tongue Interference
:D Attitudinal Problem
:D Problem of Quack Teachers
:D Pedagogical Problem
:D Material Problem
:D etc
If you look at any from the above, you'll see that it really is a great problem in English teaching-learning process.
How is it in your country? Are they same problems or there are some others?

---

Almost exactly same here in my country. How do you think these problems can be solved? Government? Students? Or both?:idea:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by geetanjali

English is not a difficult language when compared to so many other languages of the world. Since it is unphonetic it appears difficult at times for learners learning it as a second language or foreign language. Now just look at all of us on this forum , we are communicating because of English (just as much as the internet)
English is the Lingua Franca of the world ( & Lingua Franca is a french borrowing) Today English has more speakers the worldover when compared to the native country. Nuguib Mahafouz who won the Nobel Prize for literature recently is an Arab(originally from Egypt) , & the first one to win this honour in the middle east.
Public speaking does need good language, be it English or any other. But it is important to remember " Language is the dress of thought - Dr.Samuel Johnson" . We need to have good thoughts ,then automatically our expression is going to be good.
English being unphonetic it becomes important to have a pronuncing dictionary for learners. George bernard Shaw said "English is the only language where you pronunce 'phet' as 'fish' , use the 'ph' in 'ephermal', 'e' in 'women' and 't' in 'caution' !
Whatever it is, it is English that has brought us together here, English speakers outnumber the Englishmen & today some of the most beautiful pieces of writing are coming out of the pens from Africa & South-Asia. the Chinese are on the spree learning English before they host the Olympics 2008.
The Man Booker Prize of the year was bagged by a young Indian writer Kiran Desai for her novel 'The Inheretence of Loss'. undoubtdly English is here to stay & will some day become the mother tongue of the world.

---

Oh my dear, forget 'bout so-called comparism here. Is it difficult on its own or not...I think that 's the point.
The answer is always under our nose but we human always stay going wild:idea: ; As I cunningly gather from your post; English is quiet difficult even to you but not as difficult as you faced when learning other languages. Is that right?..lol:lol:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muhsin

Yes they find it so 'cuz they don't wanna learn! As far as you wanna learn, reading is an essential thing for you to do. Thus, Goodfella, what you was saying is sincerely, frankly baseless. Think another reason.

Oh, are you likes? Probably. So, better desist and imbibe good culture.

---

Who knows?:crash:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Goodfella

Who knows?:crash:

---

Don't you know? Do you really mean that? Or you're just kidding...so you must be dear.:idea:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Goodfella

Almost exactly same here in my country. How do you think these problems can be solved? Government? Students? Or both?:idea:

---

Both. But its more on us-student. Right?

Well, the question does depend on some things.
First, for example, how related your mother tongue is to english or , how many linguistically similar constructions are there? English is simpler to learn for speakers of Indo-European languages, esp. germanic languages.(or those languages that have been greatly influenced by indoeuropean languages/germanic lanugages/english) Similar words and grammatical constructions. Similar language logic. When the tongue is based on a grammar system that is completely different from your own, it is harder to learn.
Trying to look at things from the universal perspective, there are things in each language that make the learning of it difficult. For example, the mutations in celtic tongues, articles in german, large number of cases in finno-ugric languages besides other things. Things that make a language difficult to learn are exceptions, things you simply have to memorize. The kinds of things that people who made up artificial languages tried to avoid to make learning them be simpler.
But such things in english - we have learned english for too long a time to see any of those difficult things in it. Perhaps the tenses and the usage of them? But is that difficult?

English is hard as other foreign languages, English is easy as other foreign languages.