TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES

Аннотация

This article discusses main problems faced in teaching English as foreign a language (TEFL), including pronunciation errors, grammatical difficulties, lack of practice and exposure to English in daily life. It also highlights how native language affects learners` pronunciation and their overall learning process. Additionally, the study provides some effective solutions for these issues, for instance, conducting specialized pronunciation classes with native speakers, doing exercises related to grammar, as much as possible, integrating English into everyday activities to be more fluent and articulate. Key words: TEFL, pronunciation skills, stress, shadowing, grammar rules, syllable, digraph, Duolingo, BBC Learning English, Ted Talks, YouTube tutorials. Undoubtedly, English has been the main language in education, business, communication, and even networks. In terms of education, learning English is one of the most important aspects of study for those lives in countries where English is not the primary language. Despite the global importance of English, teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) presents various challenges for both educators and learners. First and foremost, one of the main concerns are language barriers and pronunciation issues. Obviously, English and Uzbek differ significantly in many aspects. For example, many English learners struggle with pronouncing the digraph "th" because of its absence in their native language. In phonetics, "th" is pronounced as either the voiceless in "think", or the voiced in "this". As it is enunciated differently in contrasting context, learners find it difficult to master. Another major issue is word stress. In the Uzbek language, the last syllable of the word is highlighted, such as in "bola"(a child), while native English speakers do not stress the final part of the word in the same way. As a result, many learners grapple with pronouncing word endings correctly. As seen in the past tense forms like "worked" and "learned". Additionally, there are some words which are not fully pronounced. For instance, when enunciating the word "star", the final "r" is omitted in certain accents. It sounds like "sta". Naturally, it makes learning process more challenging for students. One of the ways which can help to solve this problem is engaging in conversation with native speakers as they are more fluent and provide useful techniques to improve pronunciation. Moreover, an interesting technique called 47 ACADEMIC RESEARCH IN MODERN SCIENCE International scientific-online conference "Shadowing" can be another effective approach to learning the correct pronunciation of certain words in English. At the same time, it is both enjoyable and beneficial to watch short segments of various films for improving pronunciation and listening skills. Another significant challenge in learning English is achieving proficiency in its complex grammar rules. While English is domain language all over the world, researches show that its grammar is quite difficult to master and remains major weakness for learners. For instance, second-language learners struggle with English tenses. Unlike Uzbek, which has only three tenses-past, present and future- English has twelve main tenses in various categories. In turn, it results in incorrect use of tenses and students lose their confidence in real-life situations. Misuse of tense and other grammatical structures may lead to misunderstandings which discourage students from actively participating in conversations. In addition, irregular verbs present another challenge for non- native speakers as some verbs undergo significant changes like "go-went-gone", "eat-ate-eaten", "write-wrote-written". However, some verbs simply take the "ed" ending to convert into past tense and past participle such as "work- worked", "listen-listened", "ask-asked". In these kinds of situations many students face challenges which hinder them from mastering English grammar. As a solution, studies suggest various strategies, including interactive grammar exercises and using online resources. Practicing grammatical tasks by memorizing and reciting grammar rules for at least two hours a day can be a good way to achieve high level of English grammar. Moreover, it is more beneficial if it is supervised by professional English teachers as they can help correct mistakes and provide clear explanations. Besides, in today`s technologically advanced era it is possible to go online quickly and find online resources which allow students to expand their knowledge and provides exercises to improve their grammar skills. The third major challenge in studying foreign language is limited exposure to English in students` daily lives. While students spend most of their time with learning foreign languages, in their everyday life they do not have a chance to interact with everyone in English, because in society they are required to communicate in their native language. Furthermore, if students attend s