Unpacking causes of failed English communication

Noor Zia

Communication is a process by which information is exchanged between individuals. Through this, people can share their thoughts and ideas with others. People communicate well in their native language.

They can comprehend and analyze information in their native language. Sometimes, there is a need to learn a foreign language, like English. Because it is an international language, and people all over the world are supposed to understand it. People try hard to learn the English language, but usually they fail. What are the causes that make them fail to communicate in English?

There are many factors due to which people fail to speak fluently in English. For instance, in Pakistan, the education system is in English. However, most students who have graduated from colleges and universities cannot speak or write a sentence in English. There is a lack of practicality. Language needs to be spoken.

Merely studying in English cannot make a person able to talk in English. Even after graduating from the university, students are not able to talk fluently for five minutes in English. The most surprising thing is that in Pakistan, the majority BS English graduates cannot communicate properly in English.

Many problems arise for students whose native language is not English but who are supposed to study in it. In Pakistan, the negative results are evident. At the university level, the majority of students are passive in the classroom. They never ask or talk to their teachers. Also, at the time of presentation, they suffer a lot. They memorize the content, but still, they go through the process of anxiety. They think that if a teacher asks questions, they will not be able to respond.

In addition, rote learning is also one of the problems that arise due to not understanding the language. Students say that they memorize things because they are not able to understand them. Rote learning is the memorization of information based on repetition. It does not seem necessary whether students understand it or not; the only aim is to memorize the required stuff.

Western countries discourage rote learning. On the other hand, in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other Asian countries, rote learning is highly encouraged. That is the reason while studying in English, students can’t understand and speak a few sentences in it.

Hence, it is the 21st century, and people should have good communication skills in English. The reason is that it is an international language. If foreigners can’t understand your native language, they can understand English. The institutions should consider this matter and work on it. If, from the lower grades, students start understanding English after graduation, they will be able to speak in it; otherwise, they will not be able to make even a simple sentence structure or differentiate between present, past, and future tense.

The writer is student of 8th Semester at Department of English in Islamia College University Peshawar.