What The Importance of Language in Our Life Through Sitcoms

People from all over the world can now interact with one another thanks to the advancement of social media. English, the universal language, is becoming increasingly important. The majority of non-native English speakers believe the language is difficult to learn because of difficulties with accents, slang, expressions, and world plays. I truly believe there is real importance of language, that knowing English is nowadays a “must-do’ skill and in this essay I will share this statement through personal example and thoughts. 

I learned new vocabulary that is commonly used in everyday English conversations. In these sitcoms, I heard characters use slang or informal phrases that English learners would not find in books. As a result, I can incorporate all of them into my practice and make my English conversations sound more natural, making me sound more like native speakers. Second, not only does this method help me collect many interesting English words for myself, but it also teaches me how to use them in the proper context. Last but not least, pronunciation is the most important skill that I can gradually improve. I could improve my listening and speaking skills by watching these sitcoms.I notice how the characters pronounce each word and imitate them to get the correct pronunciation. Not to mention that, unlike traditional learning methods such as books and exercises, their appealing content will never bore me during the learning process. By watching ‘Mind your Language,’ I will learn both pronunciation and grammar at the same time. Sitcoms are the most effective way for me to learn English.

The series makes fun of the cultural differences that can arise in a classroom, causing conflicts and misunderstandings. It does touch on sensitive topics with its racism; however, the stereotypes are used in an extreme manner that serves only to make jokes and draw attention to them and the audience. Also, I realized that a generalization of stereotypes must take into account the individual, because someone may meet someone from a particular country and find him or her to be talkative and outspoken. That does not imply that the entire popultion of that country is like him/her. Generalizing can be dangerous, especially when a country is so diverse. Pakistan was represented by Ali and Renjeet. Most importantly, the stereotypes that we have toward other people from different backgrounds must not lead to negative perceptions because both positive and negative stereotypes are risky. It doesn’t matter where you are from, but we should not just accept your cultural background, but we should be open to learning about it because your culture is a part of your identity that allows you to reflect on your language, but with limitations. 

The ‘Mind Your Language’ series emphasizes the importance of language awareness, specifically how foreigners make fun of the English language by literally translating, mistranslating, or mishearing words. Be mindful of what you say to others and avoid saying things out of frustration, as you may say things you later regret. Please don’t say anything if you don’t have anything positive to say. Overall, just be mindful of your language.