Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English

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This is veritably called a learner's dictionary since all the conducive learning factors are duly included to enable the learner. I can assertively say this since I have been a language teacher for over 50 years teaching the students from school to college level.In fact, English is indisputably international Lingua Franca.
- I( X1 {) I  @" Q* _With regard to the nature of language, having known the ins and outs of language during all my
$ o$ u3 k8 B8 E* P! Zlong experience, I would like to say that it (English)is found to be so "freakish" as it is said by C.L.Wrenn with regard to writing the orthography( spelling of the words) and the pronunciation.In other words, there is no harmony or the one-to-one correspondence between the spelling of the word we write and articulation( pronunciation) we make.This is a glaring discomfiture that a student learning English as a foreign language.Nine times out of ten, every word is to be learnt in it's own way despite the stipulated phonemes of the letters.
3 R$ l$ V: @' GNo linguist can gainsay this.For this underlying crisis in language, a so-called teacher is of no avail to teach.Only a virtual, competent teacher in an equally virtual environment can teach English.
5 Z, Y6 x! R7 q+ }; HOf course, language is obviously something to be learnt rather than to be taught.In other words, the conducive social surroundings matter a lot in helping the learner to pick up the requisite language skills viz., Speaking, Listening, Reading & writing invariably.
As the saying goes"A teacher is always a student" and in case of language, it is further emphasized.
$ n: R* J3 u' v) m. w8 ?! fThi is my opinion in a nutshell about English as language either to teach or to learn.

4 r, {5 C* z- m0 z! ggood good study ,day day up.