Learning English
Learning English or American native language is something young people in our country struggle with, as some of the recent letters in the DS would indicate. Here in the US foreign students come in and obtain a working knowledge of it within a semester or two that makes one begin to wonder why most of our students cannot do so in spite of learning it for almost their whole lives. The reasons are quite obvious, the old school methods of teaching the language based on grammar has become obsolete. For most commoners only a reasonable command to have things going for them is needed and not a thorough grounding on pedagogic canons. Pronunciation is correctly taught with emphasis not only on syllables but also on articulating proper mouth, tongue and lip movements. Expressions are taught by observing the language in action and following them in everyday use. Language cannot be stripped of its culture and English and Bengali are not just two interchangeable mediums. Most of us like to think that by learning the rules of grammar, original thoughts in Bengali can simply be translated to English. While this works to some extent, it often enough gives rise to weird expressions. Therefore, instead of attaching importance to grammar the language can be much better learned by speaking, reading, writing and particularly following Western cultural products (books, movies, dramas, music, etc.). In this day of information boom making a direct contact with native cultures and speakers is just a mouse click away.
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