English as a Second Language Essay

Originally, England’s linguistic changes made English the second language and over the years, second language teaching has undergone a lot of erratic changes. Religious schools have greatly influenced the moral and cultural framing of English at this point in time. UK was also the center of developmental English teaching during World War II. Pioneers such as Harold Palmer, Michael West and Lawrence Fawcett triumphed in founding principled basis for teaching English as a second language. These strategies and methodologies derived from teaching of English on Great Britain were adjoined with other existing forms from overseas settings. In general, English is the first and widely taught foreign or second language and is considered as a medium language for education. Today, it is a common context to learn or study more than two languages. Pope stated, â€Å"English represents access to specific knowledge and skills and tends to be identified with the technology and science as well as the economic and cultural models of the modern 32). Different approaches such as communication, vocabulary and grammar are used in teaching English as a second language. Learning also depends on the fluency level aim, if it is purposely learnt for specific tasks or if the learner wants to achieve a native speaking tongue. English and other foreign languages can be mastered through live encounters or cross-cultural communication and study or technical translation. Early introduction of English in schools poses an academic advantage when it comes to learning the language. Basically, background knowledge of English and other foreign language is one of the most important things to consider. Reading is a cardinal skill in learning. It enhances metalinguistic awareness but for some reason, it can become a hindrance and a false knowledge. Students tend to enjoy meaningful conversation more than teachers’ theoretical strategies of detailed vocabulary and grammar lessons and this causes the problem in comprehension. Since some students do not deliberately concentrate on their reading skills and focus more on conversing, complete understanding is not achieved and it is merely viewed as a plain reading. Children at a very young age study two or more foreign languages and sometimes, English is rather a third language. Schools and educators sometimes forget to pay attention over the verity that it could be too much for young children to learn multiple languages all at the same time. For universities that use English for substantial academic paper works and materials, reading is crucial. But every teacher and learner should focus on the remaining language skills: listening, speaking, writing, and assessment, even if these are all adjunct to the capital skill that is reading. It is important for the teacher to have a considerable degree of attention towards the native language of the learner because native language plays a vital role in understanding a foreign language. English is the universal language. In some instances, teachers also experience difficulty expressing thoughts in English and this indicates that it is hard to achieve proficiency even if an individual has the basic and complex knowledge of the language. Teachers and educators’ goal should not be for the learners to achieve a native speaking tongue that flawlessly pronounces tones and speaks vocabulary and grammar perfectly. The ultimate goal is for students to learn how to listen, speak, write and read in English in a manner of complete comprehension and not necessarily to acquire a native speaking tongue. Works Cited Pope, Rob. â€Å"The English studies book: an introduction to language, literature and culture. † 2002). Routledge. 420 Smith, Richard C. â€Å"Wren and Wyatt†. 2003). Routledge.