English as a Second Language: A Primary Skill
If youre immigrating to America or another country that has English as an official language, you might have to learn English as a second language. America is pretty diverse in some regions, and some places have communities that are located in America but exist as microcosms of a different country. However, many of us will have to or want to interact with people on a larger scale, and in that case knowing English is an important skill to have.
Its pretty intuitive, but language is a very important aspect of communication. People are familiar with the term language barrier, aptly named because not knowing the language of a country can close a lot of doors for you. Youll find it very difficult during social interactions. Theres only so much that body language can convey, and certain gestures can mean very different things according to country. You wouldnt want to accidentally offend somebody during your first encounter with them. Verbal language is one of the most important methods of letting people know what youre thinking. People cant read your mind, and it doesnt matter that your brain is full of ingenious thoughts if you cant convey them to others. Unfortunately, sometimes native-born Americans ignorantly assume that immigrants are dull because they cant communicate well, but this is really just an issue of not knowing the language.
Learning English as a second language is a way to bring down that barrier, but in itself it can be an obstacle. Unfortunately, English can be a difficult language to learn. It doesnt seem that way if English is your first language, but look at how many inconsistent pronunciations and exceptions to the rule we have, not to mention weird spellings. Examples are the silent e, water versus later, the ambiguous state of y as a vowel, and so on.
There are some programs and classes of variable quality available to learn English. The usefulness of them depends on the effectiveness of the instructor and how willing you are to learn. Also, language classes tend to teach you the exact grammar and basic representative concepts, whereas people fluent in a language use slang or they dont always speak according to the rules. This is why speaking and practicing English with other people is actually the best way to acquire English as a second language. Your English will sound much more natural with real-life experience.
Knowing a language is a seemingly basic skill, but it makes much more of a difference than you might think. Learning English as a second language might be a challenge, but being able to communicate well with others is a huge benefit.
