學習語言是要花時間的!
🍉Language acquisition takes time.
It is difficult to provide an exact answer to how long it takes to be fluent in English as it depends on a variety of factors, including the learner's native language, age, education, motivation, and opportunities to practice. According to the UK government, immigrants should reach "ESOL Entry 3" or "B1 level" before being granted citizenship, which might take around 360 hours of study to achieve. However, many people who attend courses are visiting students rather than people settling in the UK, and immigrants tend to have varied levels of education. Some highly motivated learners can learn very quickly, while others may need several years of study to attain fluency. Exposure to hearing English is crucial, and children tend to be faster at learning speaking and listening than adults.The other factor is if you already speak two or three languages you'll learn the next one faster.
A key factor for all immigrants is their level of education. It will vary from illiteracy to degree level and have a large bearing on how they can learn in the classroom.
🍄Reading question:
What are some common challenges that immigrants face when learning English?
Did you find it difficult to learn a language from scratch?
Immigrants are always being told by politicians to learn the language. But how long does it take to speak good English?
There are plenty of people in the UK for whom even basic English is a problem. According to the Census, 726,000 people in England and Wales said they could not speak English well, and another 138,000 said they did not speak it at all.
Every immigrant's experience of learning English is different.
Thura, 35, a doctor, fled Burma for political reasons and arrived in the UK in 2009. "At the beginning it was really difficult to understand. My reading was okay but not my speaking or listening." After three months he got a job in a care home, which is where he picked up most of his English.
He has since done a masters degree at University College London and now works in a hospital. What matters is not classes so much as being surrounded by English speakers, he argues. "It takes eight months to a year to learn it if you listen to proper English speakers," he says.
Ling's older son, who was eight when they arrived from China, is a different story. "After three months here he could speak very well." Arriving at a young age gives him a "big advantage" over her, she believes. "He is 13 now and speaks like a British person."
Ling, 40, who arrived five years ago from China, found it difficult to learn English. "When I came here I was pregnant and so I was at home for the next three years. It took me longer to learn as I was very busy with the children."
Eventually she was able to begin taking classes and now speaks good conversational English.
But even with classes, it can be a long process to pick up the language.
Ling is still hopeful she can speak perfect English like her son. But Thura says pronunciation is a big problem for even confident speakers. "It's almost impossible for me to lose my accent. But for someone coming here at 10 years old it's possible."
Other people's accents are also a big barrier. "I support Manchester United but I can't understand Sir Alex Ferguson. Scottish is a really strong accent."
It's common for children under the age of 11 to be very immersed and be fluent in about six months.
Adults may be better at reading and writing to begin with. But children are faster to pick up speaking and listening.
One thing most experts agree on is that exposure to hearing English is crucial. If someone is working only with people of their own nationality, or at home not meeting English speakers, they will not learn quickly.
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A key factor for all immigrants is their level of education. It will vary from illiteracy to degree level and have a large bearing on how they can learn in the classroom.
🍄Reading question:
What are some common challenges that immigrants face when learning English?
Did you find it difficult to learn a language from scratch?
Immigrants are always being told by politicians to learn the language. But how long does it take to speak good English?
There are plenty of people in the UK for whom even basic English is a problem. According to the Census, 726,000 people in England and Wales said they could not speak English well, and another 138,000 said they did not speak it at all.
Every immigrant's experience of learning English is different.
Thura, 35, a doctor, fled Burma for political reasons and arrived in the UK in 2009. "At the beginning it was really difficult to understand. My reading was okay but not my speaking or listening." After three months he got a job in a care home, which is where he picked up most of his English.
He has since done a masters degree at University College London and now works in a hospital. What matters is not classes so much as being surrounded by English speakers, he argues. "It takes eight months to a year to learn it if you listen to proper English speakers," he says.
Ling's older son, who was eight when they arrived from China, is a different story. "After three months here he could speak very well." Arriving at a young age gives him a "big advantage" over her, she believes. "He is 13 now and speaks like a British person."
Ling, 40, who arrived five years ago from China, found it difficult to learn English. "When I came here I was pregnant and so I was at home for the next three years. It took me longer to learn as I was very busy with the children."
Eventually she was able to begin taking classes and now speaks good conversational English.
But even with classes, it can be a long process to pick up the language.
Ling is still hopeful she can speak perfect English like her son. But Thura says pronunciation is a big problem for even confident speakers. "It's almost impossible for me to lose my accent. But for someone coming here at 10 years old it's possible."
Other people's accents are also a big barrier. "I support Manchester United but I can't understand Sir Alex Ferguson. Scottish is a really strong accent."
It's common for children under the age of 11 to be very immersed and be fluent in about six months.
Adults may be better at reading and writing to begin with. But children are faster to pick up speaking and listening.
One thing most experts agree on is that exposure to hearing English is crucial. If someone is working only with people of their own nationality, or at home not meeting English speakers, they will not learn quickly.
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