There are plenty of different ways to learn any language and lots of different resources to do it. With a language such as English, which is the world's most popular language to learn, there are so many different ways you can do it.
Today, we'll be looking at the different ways to learn the language and the role pop culture can play in helping to teach or study the English language.
The Different Approaches to Learning English
There are as many ways to learn any language as there are language learners, but we can broadly classify the approaches into three main areas: immersion, classroom learning, and self-study.
In reality, the lines between each of these are quite blurred and students should use combinations of these approaches in different amounts according to what works best for them and their budget.
Before we see where pop culture comes into all of this, let's take a look at some of the pros and cons of learning English in each of these ways.
Immersion
Classes
Autodidactism
Learning English Through Immersion
Immersion is one of the best ways to learn any language because the student will learn it exactly like native speakers do.
Immersion is essentially living as much of your life in your target language as possible either by moving to a country where the target language is spoken (US, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, etc.) or making it so that you're exposed to the English language as much as possible through the media you consume and the people you interact with.
The advantage of immersion is that you spend a lot more time using the language as well as hearing and reading it. When studying any language, you'll likely only get a few hours a week to attend esl classes or sit down and study, but with immersion, almost every waking moment is spent either actively or passively improving language skills.
Learning English in English Classes
Language classes are another common way for students to learn any foreign language. These can be with a private English language tutor or in group classes with other students, but in both cases, the learner won't likely spend as much time with their target language as they would through immersion.
One of the downsides to classes is that you usually have to pay for them or you won't actually get that many hours a week. Learning any language can take hundreds of hours of study and having a few hours of class each week equates to years of study.
However, for many people, taking English lessons or hiring a private tutor is much cheaper than moving to an English-speaking country so in many ways, online esl classes are actually cheaper.
Learning English Through Self-study
Last but not least, foreign languages can be learned through self-study. Almost every student wanting to speak a language fluently will have to do some self-study, but some students teach themselves a language without ever attending a class or living somewhere their target language is spoken.
In some ways, self-study is free if the student chooses to use free resources, but most decent resources will come at some cost and self-study will usually take longer than immersion or classroom study.
One of the biggest advantages to self-study is that the student has far more control over what and how they study, but this can also be a disadvantage for inexperienced students who aren't really sure about how and what they should be studying.
In most cases, students will likely have to spend some time studying on their own, immerse themselves in the language (or at least simulate it through pop culture and media), and get some guidance from a native speaker, teacher, or private tutor.
For every student, pop culture and media remain one of their best resources. Here are some of the different resources they could use.
Learn English with Movies and TV
The English-speaking world produces a huge amount of TV and cinema, which means that any English language student has so much to choose from.
Movies and TV are generally good resources for learning languages because there's such a broad range of language being used. A documentary will likely use formal language and a clear delivery whereas certain movies and TV shows can include colloquialisms, lower register language, and English being spoken the way people do in their everyday lives.
With streaming services, movies and TV shows have never been more accessible and viewers from all over the world can find English-language productions, often with subtitles available in both English and their own language.
It's often a good idea for learners to start with subtitles in their own language as they won't likely have the necessary English comprehension skills to fully understand what's going on in English. However, as they progress, there'll come a time when they should swap to English subtitles to better test their comprehension.
Eventually, they might want to remove subtitles altogether and watch movies and TV shows completely in English with no help from the subtitles.
Learn English with YouTube
There's lots of English-language content on YouTube and language learners on a budget can benefit a lot from YouTube since most of the content is freely available.
You get what you pay for with most language learning resources, but many English teachers and YouTubers offer educational content for language learners.
Learners can also watch YouTube videos that aren't specifically focused on teaching English as long as the videos are in English.
Learn English by Listening to Music
Listening to music in English is a great test of a learner's aural comprehension and for certain learners, an excellent way to develop an ear for the language.
With music more accessible than it's ever been thanks to platforms like YouTube and Spotify, learners can easily find English-language music in their favorite genres.
English learners should consider studying and memorizing lyrics while keeping in mind that songs don't always follow the grammatical structure and syntax of everyday English.
Learn English by Listening to Podcasts
Podcasts are another great way to improve aural comprehension and are generally best suited to more advanced English learners as they won't have subtitles to help them and will need to have a good ear for the language.
However, there are also plenty of podcasts for learning English where the level of English used is better suited to non-native speakers of English.
There are podcasts on almost every topic in English and it can help learners to find a subject that they're interested in and listen to English-language podcasts on it.
One of the biggest advantages of podcasts is that they're widely available for free.
Learn English by Reading Books, Comics, and Graphic Novels
The English language has both a spoken and written form and for the latter, books, comics, and graphic novels are an excellent way for learners to improve.
Books are naturally more verbose whereas comics and graphic novels are usually better for lower levels since the art and imagery can make the dialog more understandable.
Nowadays, English language learners can find physical versions of books, comics, and graphic novels in stores and online or read digital versions of them on their smartphones, tablets, computers, or e-readers.
Learn English by Playing Video Games
Both children and adults can improve their English by playing video games. Since most video games have English language options, any learner can change the settings either in-game or on their video game console or PC and enjoy their favorite games in English.
The advantage of this is that for many games, you won't be able to progress unless you actually understand what's going on. While a movie or TV show will keep playing whether you understand or not, video games often test a player's understanding of how the game works or of what's going on before they can progress, making them incredible resources for teaching.
Learn English on Social Media
Last but not least, students can learn English with social media. With many of the other examples of popular culture we've seen so far, most of the learning has been passive and learners will be testing their comprehension of English produced by somebody or something else rather than speaking or writing in English.
With social media, English language learners have opportunities to produce either written or spoken English, and with the right communities and support, can learn a lot about the language through regular practice.
They'll naturally be able to test their English comprehension, too, as they'll need to interact with other social media users. This may be trickier than it first seems, though, as social media users are very likely to use English vocabulary derived from popular culture rather than the traditional vocabulary they might learn in English classes.
With any of these English-language resources, just remember that the quality can differ and it's important that the learner knows when it's appropriate to use the kind of language they see and hear when using popular culture to learn English.
While popular culture is one of the best resources to use to improve your English, private tutors can offer tailored esl classes houston to students. On Superprof, there are plenty of qualified and experienced English tutors who can help. There are tutors for all levels and budgets and even if you can't find any local tutors, there are even more tutors offering online English lessons to students all over the world.
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