English As A Foreign Language: English Is My Second Language

Today more than ever people across the globe attempt to be at least a bilingual and to master one foreign language to meet the pressing requirement of communication. A vast arrays of liguists and teachers of foreign languages come up with diverse solutions for learning a language fast and in an effective way. English L2 learners in Azerbaijan face with a myriad of problems on the way of becoming a fluent speaker in the English language. Teaching English language became a vital necessity in order to meet the modern standards. There are two types of teaching English language. English as a second language where the English language is taught in English speaking countries for the most part by native speakers with the aim of assimilating mostly migrants to the local culture. English as a foreign language could be considered teaching English at secondary and high education system where English L2 learners are with the learners of the same background and age, but taught not in English speaking countries. Learners English as a foreign languages are in a more disadvantageous posion then English L2 learners English as a second language, since former learners are not in direct exposiure of ythe words which makes it more challenging to memorize words with their relative meaning. Learners of the English language as a second language have the advantage of direct exposure and immersion to culture and to the words as a embodiment of a local life. 

However, it would not be false to say that learners of English as a foreign language are deprived from the immediate exposure. Thus, case in point: for English L2 learners in Baku it becomes harder to memorize words and extensively to use them. But the advent of internet as well as the improvement of technology give us opportunities to become familiar with their culture and language. And it is evident that words ability of using them in relevant context is crucial for becoming a fluent speaker. Words are building block of each language and even the least popular language contains thousands of words with different meanings. Considering the fact that the English language is a lingua franca and renowned and used all over the world the scope of vocabulary is unimaginable. So learning English words is a nightmare for the majority of students. 

Nevertheless, no other generation is blessed and equipped with modern technology which creates a great deal of opportunity for better acquisition of foreign languages. Some argue that there are a lot of distractions out there and learners cannot completely focus on the material they are learning. Bearing in mind this problem, we tried to explore ancient theories that could help in mastering vocabulary. Needless to say, the whole burden of learning words heavily rely on human brains and memory. Despite all advanced technology human brain yet stays one of the mysteries of our world. Unfortunately, it is inevitable reality that people every day forget about lots of things. As time goes by patterns which in our short term memory ( working memory) fade away. The need to enhance all these patterns in our long term memory today becomes more relevant and pressing. Thus, teachers and linguists involved in teaching foreign languages try to find the key to unlock the door to human’s long term memory. For the majority of English L2 learners to learn vocabulary of the learned language turns out to be a great challenge since it requires from learners time, energy and persistence. Learners try to find shortcuts to memorize words. They want to learn language fast while studying less. Some learners English as a foreign language have shiny object syndrome when they get eager to learn something new and at the very beginning it seems easy but afterwards when novelty starts wearing off they give up the idea of learning a foreign language. In most cases students study hard, but they cannot remember words which they crammed. Psychological studies show that when learners have progress they become more enthusiastic and enjoy the process itself.