The Challenge of Learning US English

The Challenge of Learning US English This is  a  guest post from our enthusiastic user Attila.    You can find the original  post here:  â€œThe Challenge of Learning US English” I launched a new blog called “The Challenge of Learning US English”.    Why did I begin this  blog?  I have had many thoughts about learning English that I’d like to  share.  I began to write these thoughts in an article, but then I realized  that one article wasnt enough.  Instead, I would need to write a series of  2-3 entries.  However, a series was still not enough. My ideas were like a  tree and new branches of thoughts continuously sprouted from my mind.  So  why not begin my own blog about it.  Some of my topics are serious, some of  them are just for fun. First of all, let me give you some details.  I’m 45 and I’ve been learning  English for ages. I started at the age of 12, but had many breaks. If I  added up my most active periods of learning, the total wouldn’t be more  than 4-5 years. During this long period of time, I’ve met several challenges (I  intentionally wrote the word challenge, not the word difficulty.) A  challenge has the power to push you forward and motivate you.  To learn a  foreign language is not easy, but it’s beautiful. It’s a discovery of a different culture, different people.  I’d like to show how I discovered (and  am continuing to discover!) this beautiful language. I’m not a native  speaker, and I’m not a perfect English speaker. Nor am I a teacher.  So Im  not interested in teaching English at all.  Instead, I would like to show  language learning from the perspective of a language learner. I’m going to post my favorite books, websites, TV shows, and other  material related to my learning process.  I’ll show you my successes and  experiences (I’ve had a lot!).  Ive also had pitfalls and several  misunderstandings (when I misunderstood someone, or I was misunderstood). I  won’t keep them in secret since they’re also important when learning  English. I do love all kinds of English, but I’m going to concentrate on American  English.  So I’m going to follow the American spelling rules and try to use  the words, phrases, and idioms of American English.  Im focusing on  American English because of the great opportunity I had to spend 4 months  in the States in 2013. Please feel free to make comments or contact me.  I don’t guarantee that I  can answer every question, but I hope there will be comments from native  speakers as well, maybe from teachers, and maybe they can answer some  questions as well.  I would like to help people discover English together. You can find my italki profile here. My teacher (Gardeniafly) who I found on italki.com helps me by reviewing my  posts. Please visit my blog, and if you like it share it with your friends. The Challenge of Learning US English This is  a  guest post from our enthusiastic user Attila.    You can find the original  post here:  â€œThe Challenge of Learning US English” I launched a new blog called “The Challenge of Learning US English”.    Why did I begin this  blog?  I have had many thoughts about learning English that I’d like to  share.  I began to write these thoughts in an article, but then I realized  that one article wasnt enough.  Instead, I would need to write a series of  2-3 entries.  However, a series was still not enough. My ideas were like a  tree and new branches of thoughts continuously sprouted from my mind.  So  why not begin my own blog about it.  Some of my topics are serious, some of  them are just for fun. First of all, let me give you some details.  I’m 45 and I’ve been learning  English for ages. I started at the age of 12, but had many breaks. If I  added up my most active periods of learning, the total wouldn’t be more  than 4-5 years. During this long period of time, I’ve met several challenges (I  intentionally wrote the word challenge, not the word difficulty.) A  challenge has the power to push you forward and motivate you.  To learn a  foreign language is not easy, but it’s beautiful. It’s a discovery of a different culture, different people.  I’d like to show how I discovered (and  am continuing to discover!) this beautiful language. I’m not a native  speaker, and I’m not a perfect English speaker. Nor am I a teacher.  So Im  not interested in teaching English at all.  Instead, I would like to show  language learning from the perspective of a language learner. I’m going to post my favorite books, websites, TV shows, and other  material related to my learning process.  I’ll show you my successes and  experiences (I’ve had a lot!).  Ive also had pitfalls and several  misunderstandings (when I misunderstood someone, or I was misunderstood). I  won’t keep them in secret since they’re also important when learning  English. I do love all kinds of English, but I’m going to concentrate on American  English.  So I’m going to follow the American spelling rules and try to use  the words, phrases, and idioms of American English.  Im focusing on  American English because of the great opportunity I had to spend 4 months  in the States in 2013. Please feel free to make comments or contact me.  I don’t guarantee that I  can answer every question, but I hope there will be comments from native  speakers as well, maybe from teachers, and maybe they can answer some  questions as well.  I would like to help people discover English together. You can find my italki profile here. My teacher (Gardeniafly) who I found on italki.com helps me by reviewing my  posts. Please visit my blog, and if you like it share it with your friends.