Getting better through learning is not easy – something which applies to learning English too. If you choose to learn it and have enrolled into an education institution, you will of course encounter barriers along the way. This is normal; people will always face some sort of challenge when they do things new to them.

As for learning English at a particular university, if one happened to join for their language enhancement, they will then encounter something related with study (homework, exams…) which would somehow interfere your daily activities. In other words, ‘disturbances’. How about you? What disturbs you whilst trying to study?
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With regards to the video, there are basic barriers which hinder people in learning English language. One great barrier is TIME. How is time a barrier? It’s because it times everything which happens under the sun. In offices, school, homes and in any corner of the world, we do things which take time. Thus, managing it wisely is very much necessary. Steve, the speaker, and an English teacher too, lays down some of the facts about hindrances of learning and stresses that time is usually severely lacking for those students he teaches. Most of his students are living far away from home. Thus, he concludes, that it’s very difficult to teach those people and resultantly difficult for those people to learn the language. Many factors are taken into account - for example that getting to the site of the class is very time consuming for the students. Thus, when they arrive, their time left for studying is less than ideal. Also, what is discussed is the students’ behavior. So even though his input is the maximum, giving them lots of words and a great education, the student won’t even utter the foreign vocabulary due of shyness. Thus, the teacher must be the one to adopt that behavior, making it so it is the students who speak, and adjust his teaching strategy to heighten the learners’ comprehension and interest.

Steve is right, the time and characters of learners are very effective aspects to learning success. As for me, as a teacher too, I could say it’s very hard to teach with such time pressure and with the way the learners often have a discouraging temperament in the class.

I’m currently teaching Korean students. I have only two to three hours to teach them every evening. And obviously, it’s not enough for them to learn the language immediately. I’m’ teaching them basic English and the four communication skills (writing, reading, listening and speaking). Do you think they could learn those in two or three hours perfectly? How about the boredom and the laziness of the students? I’ve said laziness because it’s normal for those learners to feel so, especially every class and if they have further commitments - a class after a day’s work can be tough! Unfortunately, my students are good examples of that temperament. They would have countless alibis to go out of class for this and that. As a teacher, it’s a challenge for me to win their attention and have them interested in the lesson. But, they hate reading and writing English! In listening, I don’t have much trouble with that – this is because I’m using the TOEFL materials to enhance their listening skills. And they too like the activity. Before, I thought why each time we had our class, they couldn’t participate with the things was because of a lack of interest, and that they would rather have a break. Now, I know that it’s not that simple. It’s because they long time studying every day. They split their day hours for three classes in different educational institutions. Thus, during our time (evening), they have lost their momentum. That’s why they’d rather rest during our class and talk amongst each other and with me. But as a teacher, I never let them speak with each other in Korean, instead, they use English. It’s a practice for them to develop their speaking skill.

So, what are you’re own challenges for language learning?

Let’s just bear in mind that, in order to solve or rather to just help ourselves to learn more about the English language, we should have determination, dedication and interest. Let’s manage our time every day either for work, house chores, outdoor activities and most, for school.

People might well turn deaf after hearing lots of reminders about why learning languages is essential. But why? It’s very true – language learning is essential. It’s very important, highly important, if you are in a field of work where accurate communication is a must. This is deftly highlighted in the conversation below:
An emergency call: “ May day. May day. Hello! Can you hear us? We are sinking. We are sinking!”
Coast Guard : “ Hello. This is John Coast Guard”
Call: “ We are sinking!”
Coast Guard: “ What are you thinking about?”

What do you think of the conversation they have? It’s really pitiful (yet funny in a way), isn’t it? The coast guard had misunderstood the message he received and taken ‘SINKING’ to be “THINKING”. The sound of ‘TH’ and ‘S’ is different, and this is what we all know from English-Phonetics. Under it is the Phonology. It is the study of how sounds are combined in particular language and of how they are used in conveying meaning.

Most often, once you mispronounce the words, its meaning will change, depending on how the listener hears and interprets its meaning. Thus, sometimes, if the listener is not so aware of phonetics and you (the speaker), would stress the words differently, they will be confused. They understand another meaning of what is being communicated. The same thing if the listener is the one who doesn’t know how words are pronounced, and how to use them in correctly.

Just like what happened to those two gentlemen in the video. The coastguard didn’t understand at all well what was the caller was saying. Instead of ’sinking’, it turned to ‘thinking’. Yes! Those words are rhyme; with the ‘ing’ sound at the end; probably, that’s why the coast guard was mistaken. However, considering one can learn pronunciation, it’s such an unnecessarily stupid slip up!

I remember an incident which relates to the situation above. There was one time that we, AB-English students in BSU, were asked to join a debate session in our gymnasium. One of our opponents had laid down his argument regarding the exploitation of women. The remarkable words he said were, ”women is inferior than men”. His argumentation is very erroneous in terms of subject verb agreement, if we are talking about the English Language. Thus, many on our side opposed his idea – he just wasn’t clear! Furthermore, he unfairly generalized women! What a disastrous speech!

Can you now see the importance of learning a language? Going back to the video. the coast guard really needs to be better educated in the field of languages considering the type of work he does. However, it’s not only this man, but all of us. And to those people who are still in need for proper articulation, correct term use, exact formulation of phrases, sentences, paragraphs and so on, don’t waste your chances!

Who would have thought – fishes are learning foreign languages nowadays too! Impressive, no? Furthermore, it’s not just fish – from Apes to Zebras, all the other animals are jumping on the language- learning- bandwagon too!

Our video shows a cat attempting to eat a fish in its bowl. Unfortunately for the cat (but happily for the fish!), he doesn’t succeed. The small fish triumphs over its feline enemy. What a huge embarrassment for the cat to have beaten by a fish. The poor mog was scared by the surprise of the fish assuming a dog-like voice… and what’s the arch nemesis of every cat? Yes, a dog! How clever of the fish! This is an excellent example of how knowing foreign languages can help you defend yourself. Perhaps not in an identical situation to the fish - though you never know! – but certainly whilst away from home, your comfort zone, being able to communicate properly can get you out of all sorts of trouble! And so it would seem that learning a foreign language is an advantage for even the highest form of animals – us humans!
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Learning a foreign language is indeed something for everyone (yes, even to animals!). As what Dr. Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies language acquisition in children says: “You can train animals to do all kinds of amazing things”. Aptly, I now make reference to those cases in which people who are interested in training animals are inputting maximum effort into development and mastering skills to enhance the animals’ capabilities. For instance, the animals are trained how to do exhibitions and tricks, even in the ways which people usually do. Thus, we could even say that the educational grounds between humans and animals are gradually getting closer.

Back to us humans, learning foreign language could be more than useful in defense from any social attack. In what sense? Let’s make an example: You go to a place previously unknown to you. You haven’t a friend there and all of a sudden, you break one of their rules (the difference in what is culturally acceptable throughout the world can be shocking!). So, you find yourself owing an explanation (and panicking – what are the consequences? A sanction? Prison?). You want to demonstrate your respect for their culture and explain how it was not your intention to break any rule… But how? Easy: Perfectly, reasonably and clearly! Well, so long as you know their language…

Let’s not argue with the idea that, foreign language learning is a must. It’s not just an ambition or a past time luxury, rather it is a key to getting closer to our friends all over the world! Ambition is fundamental – for oneself and for eliminating world ignorance. Let’s rid ourselves of obstacles which limit exploring, and integrating ourselves with, other cultures. There is so much to learn from them, so much to be taken! Let’s break down the language barrier and build our defenses- Learn FOREIGN languages!

As the old saying goes, “Children must obey their parents”; and it’s right! That’s why, whatever children are doing, they must be frequently checked upon by the parents. Parents should be the idols and the role models of the children, setting a good, solid moral example. It is usual for children to follow in their parents’ footsteps – often in their choice of employment or in their hobbies; it is after all what they have been brought up alongside. Bearing this in mind, the guidance and monitoring of children by their parents really is important.

But what if the parents themselves are not so worldly or aware of different cultures? We present what is, although very funny, a highly discouraging scene for children who would be considering their parents as role models to follow! See the video!

To explain…The recording shows the entire family riding in a car. The father turns the music on, everyone in the car is shown to be enjoying the song – including the mother and the children in the backseat. They all enjoyed the MUSIC and the RHYTHM….but the lyrics? Highly inappropriate for children - and in fact anyone of any age: The family begins to join in, shouting out loud: “I wanna fuck you in the ass…” (!)

It really is very funny to hear – this is a normal family who would never normally dream of saying such words yet because of their ignorance of foreign languages, they are embarrassingly caught out, completely oblivious to what they are repeating. However, to take a more serious approach to this scenario, one could say that the innocent children were victims of their parents’ illiteracy.

With regard to the characters in the video, one could really not take an opposing view, their ignorance is common place amongst the lesser educated who don’t bother learning a language. I realize that, if only they have even a little bit of ‘know how’, they would not choose to sing such a song and impose bad vocabulary on the young children.

As highlighted in the situation described above, language learning is very important. If only everybody could be educated to understand more than the one language, to eliminate IGNORANCE and eradicate cultural misunderstandings. People, in general, are intelligent, faster learners and resourceful. Therefore, ignorance of other languages is not excusable. Every crisis and problem has a solution and so speaking the one sole language can be a thing of the past. People, let’s be more intellectual, let’s not allow ourselves be a slave to ignorance and laziness! Let’s be accomplished Language Learners!.