WITH the Internet, you can now learn English anywhere in the world. If you are living in the Mediterranean coastline somewhere in Spain for example, there are many English language schools erected there. That’s because sites such as Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol have lots of British tourists all year round and they speak English. And since these British tourists speak English with the non-r accent, English language schools here in Spain are patterned after that.

By the way, the development of the non-rhotic accent in English started as far back as the 15th century in old England. Certain words in the English language like bass were originally called barse. The most pronounced non-rhotic accent can be detected in the Australian version of English so if you want to go to Australia, you may do so this Christmas. However, it is unlikely that there are still flights reserved for you there so that Australian trip can wait until summer next year where it will be winter in Australia.

In a typical English language school in Spain, you will be assigned a student partner in the entire course of six academic months. And by the way, that’s just the Basic English acquisition course which is officially called as TOEFL or Teaching of English as a Foreign Language. The other courses are intermediate and advanced. During the first day of class, you will be exhorted to write a short essay in English and you will have to recite that essay in front of the class. The essays will be longer as the class progresses. If you opt to continue with the intermediate and advanced stages, you will become a language instructor yourself. British English with the non-rhotic accent is what you will typically hear on Sky News.

But if you want to learn the way Americans speak on Fox News with the complete r accent (except in the New England states), then go to the United States and enroll in an English language school there. You just need the right visa to do so. But if you cannot be in the United States physically, then a Spain-based English language school also offers video conferences with American natives who are paid by the school to tutor you how to speak English the American way. By the way, this is charged against your tuition as an extra but you will never regret including this feature in your enrollment. Who knows, you’ll migrate to North America someday.

There are other countries in the world whose peoples speak English as a first and second language. These include certain countries in Africa like Botswana, Cameroon, Fiji, Micronesia, Ghana, Gambia, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Of course, understandably, English here is spoken with a heavy accent. English is also spoken in India but with a non-r accent because it’s influenced by the British. So you can also learn from language schools in these countries. Have fun learning globally.

ORIGINALLY thriving from the German tribes of old, English is now one of the official languages of the United Nations, the official language in aviation and is used by 53 countries in the world comprising a total of 380 million individuals. 1.8 billion More people use it as a second language and this is the focus of this article – how to optimize learning English as a second language.

English has been the dominant language since time immemorial as far as the 19th century to the present is concerned because it is used by four of the world’s biggest superpowers – the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia down under. The United States obviously use English although there are other minorities here such as the Hispanics who have their own language. But other countries too such as Canada use English and language schools have sprouted up everywhere. It sure is a lucrative business because a lot of non-English speakers all over the world crave to speak English for a variety of reasons but mainly because of business.

They need to know English so they can transact well with Americans, English, Canadians and Australians without in need of translators. To transact business in a personal manner means giving one room for innovations and opportunities. Translators just tend to clutter the job. Anyway, another reason why people need to learn English is for people speaking two distinct languages to understand each other. A guy who speaks Mandarin can certainly relate to someone who speaks Maranao through the English medium.

In Canada, there are language schools catering to English acquisition as a second language and most of the prominent ones are located in Ontario simply because Ontario is the most booming province in Canada with the country’s largest city, Toronto, as its capital. In Canada, even foreign students who have already entered college in their home countries but who are still 17 years old need to go back to their senior year in high school just to learn English for one whole year! These students are grouped as foreigners so one will really have a jolly time conversing with classmates from different countries. Now, that’s not just second language acquisition. It’s also called cultural appreciation.

In Canada, there are traditional language schools other than the ones being offered in high schools. These language schools cater to adult students who are sent by their employers back home to learn English there. Their tuitions are totally financed by their employers including the related expenses they have incurred in their six-month stay in Ontario. These students may come from as diverse countries as France, Israel, Mexico, Japan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates or Taiwan. They do have one goal though – to learn English. Since the environment is catered to adults, there is less excitement and rowdiness involved although the goal definitely remains the same – to learn English. So what are you waiting for? Come here in Canada and learn English. Just be wary about the processing of your travel documents though. You need to have a visa to come here.