Compare the advantages and disadvantages of three of the following ways of learning a foreign language. State which you consider to be the most effective.
- studying on your own
- taking lessons with a private tutor
- taking lessons as part of a class
- taking lessons online
- going to live in a country where the language is spoken
In the contemporary era, due to the globalisation people are more inclined towards learning foreign languages for umpteen reasons such as education, employment and business. This essay will discuss the merits and drawbacks of three methods: formal classroom sessions, online learning and traveling overseas, of imbibing an overseas tongue.
Attending formal foreign language classes renders an opportunity to learners to grasp a new language through interactive and fun activities with their peers and help them to clarify doubts involved easily, owing to the physical presence of the tutors under the same roof, thereby escalating their comprehension. However, classroom language sessions are quite expensive which often push people to spend beyond their financial feasibility to afford the tuition fees and to purchase study material.
Learning foreign languages by dwelling in countries where they are spoken exposes the students to cultures and traditions associated with tongue, aiding them in grasping linguistic skills effectively since dialects are closely entwined with the ethnicities hailing from the area. Moreover, they obtain an unprecedented experience by interacting with the natives which would help them assimilating and instilling the accent in themselves swiftly. Nevertheless, such an arrangement can only last for short durations due to which people find it quite demanding to adapt to alien surroundings, and barring a few, some encounter cultural shock.
The Internet driven online classes have become a buzzword, by virtue of numerous parameters such as flexibility, cost-effectiveness and also, saving the most imperative commodity that is time, being wasted in commuting. Nevertheless, pupils fail to concentrate in online tuition due to the lack of discipline as they are not under the constant vigil of teachers, consequently, leading to the distortions in the foundation.
Overall, I feel despite certain failings, online language courses can be extremely productive for foreign language learners, and if they pursue their objectives with devotion, they can derive unprecedented benefits, in terms of speedy learning and also exhaustive knowhow.
