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THE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND
TEACHING
AHATOVA NIGORA RAHMIDDINOVNA
Student of the group 2208
Supervisor:
Kasimova Zulfiya
Uzbekistan State World Languages University
TITLE: Appropriate solutions to most common problems in the acquisition of
foreign languages
Nowadays most people are trying to learn second language for wide range of purposes,
because of their interests, studies, job, travelling or just for fun. However, it may be
so challenging for some learners to learn and use English, and they may show very
little progress over time. Not everyone learns a foreign language rapidly or makes
effective progress in this language. It is usual thing that a learner experiences
difficulties and problems. Since effective language learning involves a variety of
skills, practices and abilities, problems could be based on a number of areas. So in this
article, I am going to focus on the observation and analysis of the problems and
difficulties in learning processes and try to find out possible solutions for each of them.
One of the most wide spread problems among language learners is persistent use of
first-language while learning foreign languages. This problem prevails in most
English classes of learners, not only primary students, but also the students who are
studying at Higher Education. They usually use their native language when they talk
to each other. Students tend to use their first language as a way of communication
among their friends. This may be because they want to communicate something
important and so they use language in the best way they know, they will almost
certainly find speaking in their language a lot easier than struggling with English. In
order to cope with this problem, teachers can discuss with students how they should
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all feel about using English or their own language during lessons. Teachers should try
to get their students' agreement that overusing their own language means having less
chance to learn English. Also, teachers can work hard to make students use the target
language and ignore what students say in their own language. Furthermore, I think
that instructors should speak English for majority of time, so that together with the use
of listening materials and videos, the learners are constantly exposed to the target
language.
Another problem that almost everyone struggle with it is the lack of self confidence
and motivation. "Everyone knows English better than me"- this is one of the most
common thoughts each student worries about. There is no doubt that there are some
people who indeed know a foreign language better than you do, but the majority of
people just pretend to overstate their knowledge. However, it does not imply that they
are speaking a foreign language better than you. The only feature they are really keen
on is self-confidence and motivation. One of the most efficient way to solve this issue
is not to stop trying. Try!Try! Try! Even if the words or new phrases you say in foreign
language end with embarrassment, do not stop there. There is always an opportunity
to reattempt. Also we have other solutions for this problem that is to celebrate even
the smallest wins and achievements. Learners should know that every small step they
made in a foreign language is the step for the right direction.
Thinking in another language is also specific difficulty related to learning processes.
Most students think in their first language when they start learning new language.
They tend to translate words and sentences in their head right away, which of course
takes time. However, by doing this, they get more and more confused. Each language
speaks for itself, no matter how similar you think your first language is with the
language you are learning. Learner’s culture can be a barrier to foreign language
learning as well. Cultural differences may cause confusion and cultural
misunderstandings. Learners may have problems communicating with target native
speakers because of cultural differences. To tackle this problem, reading and watching
in that language play an essential role. Reading books in foreign language that you are
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learning is so important. If language learners read books more in another language,
they will see the more direct benefits when it comes to being able to think in second
language. By the help of reading and watching different kind documentaries or
movies, a learner may start to have adequate knowledge and overlook about that
language and achieve cultural background. Then, this will not be a big problem for
any language learner.
In addition to the problems and difficulties which are mentioned above, there is one
problem that most language learners do not notice. It is the influence of first- language
accent on the way of using second language. Besides culture, the first language of a
learner may have a strong influence over foreign language learning. Every language
has its own accent and the way of pronunciation. The problem related to students'
accent is one of the most common issues while learning second language. It is fact
that there are many students whose grammar, vocabulary and the way of thinking is
brilliant but when it comes to pronouncing words, it is obvious that they have poor
pronunciation because of dialects and the accent of their native language. Most uzbek
students tend to transfer their uzbek phonetic pattern into English, particularly when
the English phonetics does not exist in their first language. It is noticed that uzbek
students pronounce “es” in the plural form of words in the wrong way. This is totally
driven from the first-language accent and the way of pronouncing words in their native
language.There are several tips to get perfect pronunciation and overcome accent and
dialectical problems. First and foremost, language learners should listen to songs and
watch movies in that foreign language. Also, imitation to native speakers or actors in
movies would be an efficient way. Another tip is paying attention to intonation and
stress while pronouncing words. Reading poems, speeches and songs aloud, and
concentrating on the pronunciation errors helps any language learner to improve their
pronunciation and "kill" the native accent.
Learning a foreign language is one of the hardest things a brain can do. Above all, it
takes time, hard work, and dedication. Among the problems that I discussed above,
not all problems happen as frequent as the others. In short, some problems occur
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regularly and some of others once in a while. It all depends on the abilities and
intelligence of language learner.
References
1.https://www.dtstranslates.eom/language/5-obstacles-learning-new-language/
2.
https://storylearning.com/blog/16-language-learning-problems
3.
The Adult Learner, 8th Edition, Malcolm S. Knowles, Elwood F. Holton, Richard
A. Swanson
4.
Essentials of Educational Technology, S. K. Mangal, Uma Mangal
5.
Professional journal of English education, volume 3. No 1. January 2020.
6.
Ozoda, Xakimboyeva, Djurayeva Dilnavoz, and Turg'unova Dinara. "Teaching
vocabulary in context for A1 level learners." ACADEMICIA: An International
Multidisciplinary Research Journal 11.4 (2021): 1416-1422.
7.
Xakimbayeva, O. K., and Ozod Mardonov. "TILSHUNOSLIKDA SIYOSIY
DISKURS TUSHUNCHASI." Новости образования: исследование в XXI
веке 1.6 (2023): 1044-1046.
