Problems in Speaking English as Foreign Language

Problems in Speaking English as Foreign Language

There are many experts that suggest about problem. One of them says that problem will appear if there is inappropriate between exception and reality. Another defines that a problem will happen if someone’s necessity does not fulfill. A problem is something that if it appears many people will get dissatisfaction. It can make trouble and difficulty for him/herself or other people, and if people procure a problem, they always want to lose it. Problem is perceived gap between the existing state and a desire state, or a deviation from a norm, standard or status quo, although most problems turn out to have several solution. Problem is a question proposed for solution, anything which is required to be solved or done, or a source of difficulty.

The learners have their own difficulties in learning the language. Particularly in improving speaking skill is not easy for the students. The Following are the problems of speaking skill (Munjayanah, 2004: 17):

1. Inhabitation

Unlike reading, writing or listening activities, speaking requires some degree of real-time exposure to an audience. Learners are often inhibited about trying to say thing in foreign language in the classroom: worried about mistakes or simply shy of the attention that their speech attract.

2. Nothing to say

Even they are not inhibited, you often hear learners complain that they cannot think of anything to say: they have no motive to express themselves beyond the guilty feeling that they should be speaking.

3. Low or uneven participation

Only one participant can talk at a time if he or she is to be heard; and in large group this means the each one will have only very little talking time. This problem is compounded of some learners to dominate, while other speaks very little or not a tall.

4. Mother tongue use

It is easier for the student to use their mother tongue in their class because it looks naturally. Therefore, most of the students are not disciplined in using the target language in the learning process. 

 
What to do when we have these kind of problems? 

Try to use English everyday in our class, and or outside the classroom. This can stimulate our behavior to always use English as habitual even daily conversation. Keep in touch with someone who likes English too, because they have much more attention than to those who don't. 

Create a small group to train our English, whether in class or outside the class. Learning by doing is really important in learning to speak English. We can share information through the group, make small conversation, and check others error.  This also can give extra additional vocabulary to the persons.

While we have problems in our dialect, the solution is train our pronunciation to be better. Find some videos, musics, or authentic conversations in English. See or hear, then practice the sounds that we've heard in the source.