Abstract
The second/foreign language learner usually confronts diverse linguistic problems evidently handicapping and hampering his/her learning and eventually negatively affecting his/her general proficiency in the target language. Both as a learner and a teacher-researcher of English as a foreign language (EFL), I have had first-hand experience and the opportunity to observe that the Bengali speaking learner confronts difficulty in learning English pronunciation, vocabulary items, word formation, sentence construction, and conveying meanings through and/or receiving meanings of words, phrases, clauses, sentences/utterances, discourse, and the like. And such problems obviously seriously retard his/her learning of EFL. Hence, the present writer feels justified in identifying the major linguistic problems the Bengali speaking EFL learner encounters as well as in discovering the causes of the problems. Finally, the writer has made a number of recommendations with a view to addressing and lessening the problems, on the one hand, and ensuring the smooth and optimal learning of EFL on the other.
Keywords
Bengali speaking EFL learners, linguistic problems, causes & solutions
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Phonetic and phonological problems
2.1 Monophthongs and diphthongs
2.2 Consonant phonemes
2.3 Stress and intonation
3. Morphological and syntactic problems
4. Semantic and pragmatic problems
5. Conclusions and possible solutions
Research Objectives and Focus
This work aims to identify and analyze the primary linguistic challenges encountered by Bengali-speaking students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). By examining the discrepancies between the learners' native language and the target language, as well as shortcomings in current teaching methodologies and materials, the study seeks to propose effective pedagogical strategies to optimize the learning process.
- Phonetic and phonological interference from the native language.
- Challenges in English morphology and syntactic structures.
- Difficulties in semantic and pragmatic language acquisition.
- Pedagogical improvements regarding syllabus design and teacher training.
Excerpt from the Book
Monophthongs and diphthongs
The Bengali speaking EFL learner generally finds the five long monophthongs /i: u: a: ɔ: ə:/ of the English language seriously problematic since these simple vowels are not available in his/her mother tongue and he/she is not accustomed to differentiating between short and long monophthongs. To emphasize a point or express various emotional effects, Bengali vowels are lengthened to some degree. But vowel length in the Bengali language is phonetic, not phonological. Besides, the Bengali speaker cannot easily and authentically pronounce schwa /ə/ since this phoneme is absent from their first language. Moreover, he/she can hardly differentiate between /e/ and /æ/ as in ‘men’ and ‘man’ respectively because this differentiation is not that much exercised in Bengali. In addition, the Bengali speaking learner is used to nasalization of vowels without any nasal consonant in his/her mother tongue, for instance, the first vowel in the word ‘kada’ /kʌnðə/(weeping) or the only vowel in the word ‘chad’ /ʧʌnd/ (moon) being clearly nasalized. This factor occasionally affects his/her pronunciation of English vowels devoid of nasalization.
The learner also suffers difficulty in pronouncing English diphthongs due to his/her mother tongue interference. The English language has eight diphthongs, each of which is a combination of two monophthongs one gliding into the other and naturally longer than a pure vowel. On the other hand, the Bengali language possesses eighteen regular diphthongs which are characteristically different from and shorter than English ones. As a consequence, the Bengali speaking learner pronounces only the first part of a diphthong and makes it identical with a monophthong, for example, ‘late’ being pronounced like ‘let’.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter highlights the challenges Bengali-speaking learners face in EFL classrooms due to linguistic differences and formal instructional constraints.
Phonetic and phonological problems: This section explores how native language interference leads to difficulties with English vowels, consonant phonemes, and prosodic features like stress and intonation.
Morphological and syntactic problems: This chapter examines the struggles learners face with English word formation, sentence structures, and grammatical rules that differ from their native Bengali.
Semantic and pragmatic problems: This part details how non-contextualized vocabulary instruction hampers the ability of learners to use English effectively in real-life communication.
Conclusions and possible solutions: This concluding chapter synthesizes the findings and recommends comprehensive pedagogical reforms including teacher training, syllabus adaptation, and communicative practice.
Keywords
Bengali speaking EFL learners, linguistic problems, causes, solutions, phonetic interference, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, language teaching, syllabus design, teacher training, mother tongue interference, communicative practice, language testing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this study?
The study investigates the major linguistic obstacles faced by Bengali-speaking students while learning English as a foreign language and proposes potential solutions to improve their proficiency.
What are the core thematic areas discussed?
The themes include phonetic and phonological challenges, morphological and syntactic difficulties, and semantic and pragmatic barriers in language acquisition.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to identify why Bengali-speaking learners struggle with specific aspects of English and how the current teaching process can be adjusted to address these issues effectively.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The author employs a descriptive and observational methodology, based on extensive practical experience as a teacher-researcher of English in the Bengali context.
What aspects of the teaching process are analyzed in the main body?
The analysis covers the role of the teacher, the impact of the syllabus, the effectiveness of teaching materials, and the necessity of appropriate language testing methods.
How would you summarize the work in a few keywords?
Key terms include: EFL learning, linguistic problems, pedagogical solutions, mother tongue interference, and communicative competence.
Why are English diphthongs particularly difficult for these learners?
Because the Bengali language has different, shorter diphthongs, learners often fail to give English sounds their proper length and tend to replace them with pure Bengali vowels.
How do differences in sentence structure affect learning?
The disparity between the English SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) structure and the Bengali SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) structure frequently causes translation errors and difficulty in grasping English syntactic rules.
What is the author's stance on the use of the mother tongue in the classroom?
The author suggests that limited and judicious use of the mother tongue can be beneficial to clarify complex linguistic concepts and assist in the teaching process.
Why does the author advocate for local experts in syllabus design?
The author argues that foreign experts often lack the necessary insight into the specific needs, cultural factors, and socio-economic realities of the local Bengali-speaking students.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Dr. M. Maniruzzaman (Autor:in), 2010, Learning EFL by Bengali speaking learners: Major linguistic problems and possible solutions, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/152574
