Common Myths About Learning the English Language

Posted byVanya Wryter ConsultingPosted inEducation, LifestyleTags:, ,

How many languages do you speak? At a recent company get-together, we discovered that our team speaks 35 languages and not all of us are native English speakers. 

This informal dinner table poll about languages made me wonder how difficult it is to learn a language. I then searched the internet for common myths about learning the English language and made a list. Although this list is about English, the list seems to apply to learning any language.

Some key myths:

  • Native speakers can teach you better than non-native speakers
  • To be fluent, you can’t make mistakes
  • Learning English is boring
  • You don’t have enough time to learn the language
  • You need to visit or live in an English-speaking country to become fluent
  • You can’t afford lessons
  • You’ll never get the accent right
  • You are too old to learn English
  • You cannot speak English well without a large vocabulary
  • Technology makes it pointless to start learning a second language (you can use an app)

What do you think about these myths? Do you learn a new language better from a native speaker? Do you need to visit the country where the language is spoken to learn to speak it well?

In my experience, if you want to learn a new language, just start, no matter your age. Attend free classes, watch YouTube videos, or subscribe to language-learning apps. And regardless of technology, such as Google Translate, nothing is better than learning the language yourself to ensure the point you want to make is being said.

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28 thoughts on “Common Myths About Learning the English Language”

  1. Nice piece! I’d add that we can be dyslexic in one language and not another. It turns out that Italian speakers are only half as likely to show signs of dyslexia as English speakers. And levels of dyslexia are far lower amongst native speakers of languages with symbol-based writing systems. All those irregular spellings!

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  5. As a native English speaker, I’m glad I didn’t have to learn English as a foreign language because its rules, spellings and pronunciations can get very confusing! That’s why I’m super understanding and supportive when non-native English speakers make mistakes while speaking to me.

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    1. Yes, English has so many exceptions to spelling and grammar. I once read something that said we shouldn’t laugh at non-native English speakers who make mistakes when speaking English. It means they are fluent in another language and aren’t afraid to practice speaking another one.

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  7. I’m familiar with many of these and I think they are myths. I learnt English just fine living in a country where English isn’t the norm. I think if you have the drive you can learn any language.

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  8. Interesting points!!!

    Here English is secondary language, sometimes not even necessary.

    Like where I live ( udaipur ), it’s okay if you don’t know English.
    As we have 3-4 languages here.

    I like English, it’s a fun language and I’m still learning. 😃

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  9. I think people do get hung up on the myths. I watch many subbed shows and have an appreciation of what’s been said, except when I think about it. That is very few words stick, but some I can say. I find dubbing of Asian shows into English annoying because I know how many of the actors normally sound, whereas for European shows, that’s not the case. So, I don’t know what that’s about.

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    1. I agree. I prefer watching shows with subtitles, even if I don’t understand the language being spoken. I get annoyed when the mouth movements and the sound of the dubbed voice don’t match the actors. I actually like to hear what the original language sounds like.

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