Why do you want to learn English? Before you begin, or go back to, studying English, ask yourself one question. Why do I want to study English? Is it because you want to, or because someone else wants you to? Like every decision in life, studying English must be something you want to do.
English Language Learners Definition Attention span can be a big issue. It takes a lot of constant thinking, planning, and activity to keep your mind occupied. Try deciding what you’d rather do: watch someone dance for 2 hours, or learn how to dance? Living in North America, watching people dance is pretty hard to come by. Two hours of supervision are needed to properly do it, plus the dances, which is another 5 hours of your day, and / or curfew. A lot of our resources support us in many areas, yet our attention span falls short on other areas. I would say, with that, why study English? It’s because you enjoy it, people ask you questions about how to use it, or you may need it in your work (like a foreign speaking job). That’s how learning English is beneficial to you. In fact, the less you do with it, the more you enjoy it. We all know quality is paramount worldwide. Let’s learn an English phrase that means the same thing in Spanish: hablar español. I lived in Spain for 4 months in 2018-2019. When I moved back to the U.S., I finally began the process of learning English since I loved the country and I also realized, like many, that I had nothing to say in Spanish (I was studying Spanish in college). By studying English, I not only improved my skills for Spanish, but I observed the way people speak in Spanish both with and without English. And when I asked people, most responded, in some form, that they could relate to a given situation better in English. They felt that they understood the other side better. By approaching learning English the same way that people of different nationalities spoke Spanish, I could get a better grasp of how Spanish people live and interact with each other. I was more aware of subtle differences in the way people spoke; how the many accents present in Spain reflected itself in speech outside Spain, and how people from different nationalities spoke English around the world, including in U.S. Spanish. By learning English, I got an enhanced ability for approaching conversations with the goal of understanding how to better speak English — although everyone talks in English. Learning English is the same concept. Learning English is by design Learning English as a child required a lot of effort: putting in a lot of study, doing homework, and just putting in effort (eating and sleeping well).
I’ve been studying English since I was ten. I love the language, but I want to continue because it’s interesting and rewarding. Yes, the rewards are great, but the rewards don’t bring happiness if you don’t want to study the language. At the age of twenty-one, I spent two years in Japan and two years in Korea. And now I live, work, and travel in both Japan and Korea. Even though I have fluency in the Japanese and Korean languages, I love both countries. For the past two years, my place of birth is in Japan. Even though Korea has changed, I still consider Korea my home. Similarly, I love Japan. Still, as time goes on, I feel more and more China-based. While I don’t want to go back to China natively, I plan to explore those parts of Korea and Japan. After living a few years living abroad, I realized that I am not really an “expats.” Only Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders call themselves that. In each country, I lived, ate, and worked. I made friends and had adventures. While there are similarities, there are also differences. For example, in China, I only drank alcohol. Also, I was always surrounded by Chinese people. Koreans hate the language, but they can eat, work, think, and do what’s in their minds. English is a foreign language, but many countries in Europe hate it and don’t even use it outside of work. Although I now have English as a second language, I still only speak English to some people in California and New York. My home country, where I was born, still uses English in unknown areas. For example, I can’t just ask a Chinese person in Australia, “What is 新年?” (lit. How many years have passed?) I will just be met with a confused look. For a deeper look at the psychological reasons behind why we learn a foreign language, take a look at Dr. Gary Chapman’s article in Psychology Today. And there is also Howard Gardner’s 7 Laws of Power. Still, for the time being, English is my second language. Therefore, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. And it’s not difficult for me to understand the recent love and support of the English language by the likes of Elon Musk and Barack Obama. If you are interested in learning English, it’s good to start now. Many online resources are readily available and save you a lot of time. Finally, before you begin, you must decide: If you are interested in English, it is good to begin.
Deciding to study English adds to the complexity of your goals. It can know a lot about you, and your ability to live an English life sets the standard you must have to live your life as an English speaker. It entails personal values, and many people define English as an activity. They study the language to fulfill their personal goals. Coming to an English-speaking country provides an opportunity to all of a sudden have a goal that is bigger than yourself. But that’s not all. English also teaches you about the society and culture in England. Knowing about England’s past, culture, and traditions is crucial. Like knowing about Egypt, Iran, or Lebanon, knowing about the country you will wish to be a part of, is key for English students. If you want to be an author or an entrepreneur, you need to incorporate these skills into your future study of English. *Language learning has many benefits: Money and your future earnings depend on what language you learn. Even a beginner’s level should at least reach a certain level and a motivated person will improve quickly. Learning one language should be enough if you want to achieve your dreams in the future or be a successful person in the current society. The first step to your success is overcoming personal goals and then, based on these goals, language learning. If you have set them, and you want to uphold them with your future goals, then you must start now. Once you know why you want to learn English, or you develop a plan of how you will be able to study English, you will find the motivation to study. After that, the best way to get motivation is to learn English. English has been in the world for more than 500 years. At this very moment, it scores over 15 different languages and is a lingua franca in more than 70% of the world’s languages. Learning English will give an advantage in so many countries around the world; not least in Japan and the United States. English helps you stay connected to your parents, your friends, your country. If named “World Language,” English is more than “just another language”. Embracing an area of the world and knowing a lot about this area allows you to have a more targeted and specific goals. But it isn’t enough to study English because your goal is to improve English. Sometimes, it’s better to know something about other areas, like culture or history. For example, Japanese is the language of finance in Japan. “To earn, one has to know finance”, is a saying in Japan.