English Language Challenges

As this year comes to an end, so does this particular step in the process that has been studying English. Obviously the learning process (as with any other language) never actually ends. Overcoming a challenge means opening the door to new and more exciting ones, and a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the language.

That being said, my experience up to this moment studying English at university has overall been a very good one. The main point being that on this course I gained a more profound insight in the way the English language actually works, making me more aware of the way in which phrases are constructed. Before I mainly relied on memory or “gut feeling” that comes with experience.

Of course there are still thing I need to improve and work on. Conversational or spoken English is something I’m still trying to get the hang of, specially relating to flow and pronunciation. That means that the next step in my learning process would be to find someone to talk to and practice face to face. Outside university, I’ve found several ways to use English on a daily basis, but with an emphasis on writing and reading. I mainly read in English while surfing the web, be it searching for international news, listening to podcasts, writing on internet forums, or just chatting with other people in video games.

The way in which the use of blogs is integrated in the study of English is, in my opinion, a good way to teach the language, considering a medium (internet) that it’s becoming the main way in which non-native speakers use the language and interact with native speakers. Internet has made it possible to overcome the geographical barrier and be able to speak with people all around the world, so it’s vital to learn and use this new tools.