Catholic University of Mozambique

Institute of Distance Education

Topic: reflection about English proficiency and the impact of it in the academic writing.

Name of student:
Code: :

Curse:
Subject: English
Year :

Lecturer:

Maputo, Setember of 2023

English proficiency and the impact of it in the academic writing...................................................4

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7

Bibliography....................................................................................................................................8
Introduction
Language has been used by the mankind as a medium to express their thought and emotion.
Language also can be described as the best tools to communicate and express opinion either
agree or disagree between human beings. Apparently, language also evolves from solely
dependent on hard to interpret symbols into a variety of language. In the existence of the variety
of language, world has labelled some of the language as international language. This encourages
people to learn the particular language thus, makes the language as their second or third language

Language is absolutely central for learning, without it, it’s impossible to make sense or
communicate the understanding of a subject. It is a need to develop the language skills, and
specifically, in the academic English, in order to: understand and make the most effective use of
the study materials.

Improving English proficiency is often accomplished by developing your listening, reading,

The method applied to conduct this research is bibliographical, consisted on the review of books,
articles and documents in portable format related to the topic.

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English proficiency and the impact of it in the academic writing
Learning a language is one of the most difficult skills that a human can ever learn. Yet, it is also
one of the most critical skills that everyone must develop to properly live in a civilized society.
Learning a second language such as English is no different, except that it is for the great benefit
of having the opportunity to be eligible for many more jobs inside and outside the birth country.
Mackey (1965, p. 108) writes: “the learning of the first language follows the same pattern for
every one”, “the learning of the second language can take on a variety of patterns”. Second
language learning is greatly affected by linguistic, social, and psychological factors.

Lado (1971, p. 32) says, “Learning a second language is more than learning a description of it.
The process of speaking and listening is involved, and this process combines linguistic and
psychological as well as other elements”. He defines the second language learning as, “acquiring
the ability to use its structure within a general vocabulary under essentially the conditions of
normal communication among native speakers at conversational speed” (Lado, 1971, p. 38).

Besides the linguistic and social factors, there are some psychological factors, which affect the
process and progress of second language learning. These psychological factors include age,
motive, native skill, intelligence and personality, auditory memory span, intention, or readiness
to learn, emotion and drive.

Naturally, it is why developing English skills is the landmark goal that majority of people want
to strive for. In my experience of developing my English skills, there are many things that I
encounter as part of my development. The aspects throughout my English skill’s development
include how I developed the skills, the big hurdles hindering my mastery,…show more
content…

The first time I have attended classes in an English-speaking environment dated back to when I
was still a 7th grader. Consequently, the constant exposure to English language classes up to this
day is what formed the root of all the motivation I have today for maintaining my improvement
on my English skills. Furthermore, as the result of the motivation, learning English by myself

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became the primary passive activity for all of my leisure time. Since the last decade, the online
world has become the primary place where I always read and listen to everything in English.

Today, in the era of high technologies, English language skills are an important component of
everyone’s competence. Text messages and documents are essential to effective communication,
and literacy is a significant part of the modern person’s image. To improve my English language
skills, I will need to watch movies and read books in English and allot enough time for writing
and speaking practice.

According to Noam Chomsky (1986), there is an inherent ability in children when they are born
to learn any human language. This is borne by the fact that children are able to use some
linguistic structures accurately right from the time they begin to utter words which logically
points to their ‘being’ there in their minds. Chomsky has propagated the widely accepted belief
that every child has a Language Acquisition Device (LAD).

Watching movies in the original might help me enrich my vocabulary and improve my listening
comprehension. Furthermore, this solution would allow me to combine study and pleasure and
improve my motivation.

I can watch my favorite movies for hours. If I start with the movies which I have already
watched, I will not have difficulties with understanding what the characters say. By the way, I
would be able to find some differences between the English version and the translation.
However, the next step would be to start watching new movies. By the way, I will be able to
watch the recently released movies, which have not been translated into other languages yet.
Even if I have problems with understanding certain episodes, I may turn on the subtitles that are
frequently available. Therefore, by watching movies in the original, I will get a number of
advantages, including not only the improvement of my language skills but also exciting leisure
time.

Along with watching English movies, reading English books might also be helpful for improving
my language skills. In the time of social networks, students frequently prefer texting with their
friends to reading. Certainly, communicating and texting might be beneficial, but they are not
worthy substitutes for reading. When reading books, I will be able to use my visual memory and
improve not only the spelling of particular words but also sentence structures. By the way, by

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making notes of new words and most interesting phrases, I would become a thoughtful reader
and get the maximum from my reading sessions. Certainly, reading for pleasure on a comfortable
couch is relaxing. However, to gain the maximum effects of reading English books, I will need
to pay special attention to new words and phrases so that I can include them in my active
vocabulary.

Finally, I should allow enough time for writing and speaking practice, which are actually the
most powerful tools for improving language skills.

The academic essay is a specific writing genre functions within a set of norms, rules, and
conventions

The purpose of the academic essay is to persuade by reasoned discourse. Scholars use the essay
amongst themselves to advance ideas. Its value as an instructional tool is to assist students in
developing their critical thinking skills. As you recall, critical thinking is defined as: the ability
to read theory accurately, appropriate it meaningfully, apply it independently, generate results
based on that application, analyze the results, and form a clear argument based on those results
that can be defended with a specific line of reasoning.

A lot of learners are afraid of making mistakes. This fear can lead to writer’s blocks and public
speaking anxiety. However, practice is a critical element of language competence. Otherwise, the
new words, phrases and constructions learnt by watching movies and reading books in English
will be easily forgotten without using them in my papers and communication. Importantly, along
with overcoming my fear of making mistakes, I will need to do everything possible to improve
my grammar, learning the rules and carefully proofreading the papers. For example, when
working on my English papers, I should use spell, grammar and style checkers. This would allow
me to gain more confidence in my language skills. As to speaking practice, along with
participating in class discussions, I might find an English-speaking friend. When communicating
with my peer, I will not be preoccupied with my grammar, and it can be beneficial for my
speaking practice.

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Conclusion
Proficiency in English is a critical component of a successful modern society. English is the third
most spoken and most widely taught language on the planet.

English proficiency strengthens and expands your connection or your so-called “social capital.”
Social interaction is one of the essential aspects of human nature. Regardless of whether you are
an introvert, extrovert, or something in between, you are constantly building connections at
work, in your school, or neighborhood every day.

By watching movies, reading books in English and paying attention to writing and speaking
practice, I would be able to improve my language skills and make a valuable contribution to my
competence. While reading and watching movies allow combining study and pleasure,
substantial practice is required for exercising the received skills and enhancing my confidence.

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Bibliography
Chomsky, N. (1986). Knowledge of language: Its origin, nature and use. Westport: Greenwood

Lado, R. (1971). Second-language teaching. In C. E. Reed (Ed.), The learning of language .New
York: AppletonCentury-Crofts

Mackey, W. F. (1965). Language Teaching Analysis. London-New York: Longmans