A Phenomenological Study On Student Language Difficulties

Abstract

Language difficulties are a phenomenon that still exists in the cycle of student’s learning. Speaking is the active use of language to express meaning, and for young learners, the spoken language is the medium through which a new language is encountered, understood, practiced, and learnt. The spoken form in the young learner's classroom acts as the prime source of language learning. However, language difficulties can be a major challenges to effective foreign language learning and communication. English as foreign language (EFL) learners, no matter how much they know about the English language, still they face many language difficulties in speaking. Many studies have indicated that spoken language development has largely been neglected in the classroom, and most of the time, oral language in the classroom is used more by teachers than by students. However, oral language, even as used by the teacher, hardly ever functions as a means for students to gain knowledge and explore ideas. To develop the knowledge to deal with oral communication problems in an EFL context, researchers first need to know the real nature of those difficulties and the circumstances in which 'difficulties' are constructed.

Keywords: Language Difficulties, English as a Foreign Language (ESL), grammar, inhibition, extensive reading