Free «Learning Another Language» Essay Paper

Today’s diverse environment requires specific relationships between people who are originated from various cultures, races, religions, socioeconomic statuses and so on. In fact, most of them have difficulties in building friendship and relationship within a particular group. As a result, many immigrants who belong to diverse groups face problems that need solutions. In order to feel comfortable in a group of peers, student, for example, try to get involved in a new social environment. Many students who come from different countries have difficulties in learning another language. In order to adapt in a new socioeconomic environment the knowledge of language is rather important.

There are different reasons why people need to learn another language. The main one is the ability to communicate with native speakers who speak a different language. Some people learn another language for pleasure, travelling, communication, and in order to broaden their minds. Nowadays, most people all over the world tend to learn English because it has become a global means of communication. This is a language of books, conferences, science, technology, and others. Doing business with foreign companies, for example, the English language helps individuals to succeed in their careers (Vela-McConnell 27). The modern global environment requires building new relationships with a diverse population. The best way to succeed in this process is to understand another people’s language.

Learning another language and sounding like a native speaker is the main task of learners. However, it is a daunting one because it depends on many factors. For example, personal abilities and language skills should be considered. Furthermore, the ability to communicate with native speakers can be of the greatest importance. In order to master one’s accent or phonetics the individual have to train a lot. Hodson and ‎ Hewstone (125) argue that in order to become fluent in speaking another language, a learner should practice in speaking daily. People need another language to create multicultural relationships by means of which they can explore different things such as provide negotiation, create cultural and communication competencies. These communication issues serve as the primary reasons why people need to learn another language.

Most people assume that learning another language is extremely difficult. Some people spend years in college learning another language but still have difficulties to communicate in it. Developing language skills means developing an ear and learning to listen to the native speakers (Thompson and ‎ Evans 236). Various languages sound differently and individuals have to distinguish a language sounds and rhythms that might be quite different from their own languages. Thus, the first solution to learn another language is to focus on listening and distinguishing sounds. Once a person can do this, she or he should concentrate on pronunciation. The latter is the main reason that makes a non-native speaker to sound like a foreigner. Actually, most second language learners have particular accents. In ideal, another language learner should get rid of this accent. A learner can have perfect knowledge of grammar and vocabulary but his or her inability to get rid of his/her specific accent indicates that he or she is a foreigner.

The third solution of learning another language is to learn more foreign words and expressions. An individual would not understand foreigners unless he or she does not know a vocabulary. To learn new words is not an easy task because it requires time and a lot of efforts. This is a challenging task and it should be fulfilled daily. The best way to learn words is to listen, repeat and memorize. However, new words cannot be memorized fast unless a learner will not use them in practice. It will be good to write a word, to make a sentence with it, and to make different other manipulations with it. According to Lancaster (102), communication both enables and hinders the development of language skills. Survey shows that foreigners have problems in communication with individuals who are native speakers. Oftentimes, non-native American students, for instance, feel uncomfortable because of lack of the English language. Therefore, they have difficulties in communication. However, as they are learning English they begin to understand how to interact and create friendship relationships.

International students’ population tends to have more interaction with locals. This interaction helps them to eliminate into American culture and achieve success in their future professional carriers. The knowledge of the English language is necessary for their life, interaction, and developmental growth. In order to master another, learners should be involved into interaction activities. The main idea of this interaction is to practice another language. The research asserts that learning another language culture is an important task (Masten, ‎ Liebkind and ‎ Hernandez 379). This knowledge allows learners to understand another culture, values, customs, traditions, and the way of life. Involving into a new culture does not mean to get rid of one’s national culture. It means to broaden the minds and opportunities. Group discussions may be a good tool to communicate with other language learners.

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that learning another language is a challenging task that requires time, efforts and language abilities. No matter what the purpose of learning is (e.g. communication, reading, travel, and so on) it is important to develop listening, speaking, and reading skills. In the further stages of learning individuals have to find different tools in order to master the language and use it for various purposes. In case they achieve this, they can integrate into a new language environment.