Linguistics

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The Realities in Learning English

In learning English as a Second Language (ESL , or perhaps any other second language , two of the biggest challenges is exercising the mouth to pronounce the new lexicon , and ultimately , being able to use the words correctly

Certainly , new language learners struggle with grammatical errors and morphological generalization in the early phase of learning , but it should be expected especially from learners who spoke and read an entirely different language all their life . Grammatical errors and

morphological overgeneralization are different concepts . Grammar refers to the set of linguistic rules for proper word usage in general therefore grammatical errors mean failure to apply the correct word usage in any given text or oral speech . Morphological overgeneralization , on the other hand , is failure to distinguish the different ways in which grammatical rules apply in the lexicon

For example , English language learners may initially prefer non-finite forms (e .g , she go ) before they use finite (e .g , she goes ) forms . This is a problem under grammatical errors . Children learning English and French in the past normally used non-finite forms until they become more accustomed to the proper English usage (Paradis Genesee , 2

An example of morphological overgeneralization is applying the rule twice in a word without knowing it . For instance , since the past tense of rent is rented , new English learners become aware that we add -ed to indicate past tense . Now suppose an English learner knew that went ' is a word that is used to say someone has left , s /he would use "wented " as past tense of went , without fully grasping that went is the past tense , and go is the basic form of the word

Code-mixing is also normal among bilinguals - adults and children alike It is the use of elements (phonological , lexical , morphosyntactic ) from two languages in the same utterance or stretch of conversation (Genesee Nicoladi 12 . Code-mixing is one of the ways in which new language learners deal with the new lexicon in their mind . Eventually , they begin to inderstand more words , and later become able to use a single code in the same utterance or stretch of conversation

Despite the physical challenge of speaking a new language , and the mental challenge of choosing the correct word usage learning ESL is fun and it makes one 's mind richer . When you can read and understand English , you learn more things , and are able to try new things , too Anyone who is interested in the affairs of the world should study ESL because a lot of information circulating in the world is in English , and we all know that information is power . Hence , if you cannot understand English , your power becomes limited

There are many ways to learn ESL , but the best known strategy is to exercise speaking English daily with a native English speaker to better understand the rules and the stories behind words

People who teach ESL need to be patient and very creative in their job They must note that for those who were monolingual since birth , learning a second language can be a pain . Teachers can use videos and audio materials to better demonstrate the use of English as a language and distinguish the difference in the sounds of syllables between two or more lexicon . This way , the learner is encouraged to relax , and just speak in English conversation with confidence despite little mistakes along the way . Practice is the key

References

Genesee , F Nicoladis , E (2006 . Bilingual acquisition . In E . Hoff M . Shatz (eds , Handbook of Language Development , Oxford , Eng Blackwell

Paradis , J Genesee , F (1996 . Syntactic acquisition in bilingual children : Autonomous or interdependent ? Studies in Second Language Acquisition , 18 , 1-2 ...