Dialects affect the way people speak and learn English and much depends on where they spend most of their time. Language experts at the University of Pennsylvania identify three dialects within the United States as inland North, South and the West. Dialects contribute to the way people pronounce vowels in different parts of the country. People living in Massachusetts pronounce the letter "r" differently than people do elsewhere; they say "Hah-vuhd" instead of "Harvard" or "cah" instead of "car." This makes learning the language from the beginning a confusing ordeal, namely because no correct dialect exists, especially in American English.
Traveling across the globe allows people to visit different countries, sample different cuisine and also hear a different variation on English. People living in Britain speak a different version of English than those living in the United States. Australians also speak a different version than both the Brits and the Americans. A baby born in Britain but raised in the New York City would still be British (by descent) but would not speak with any sort of British accent. Many differences in English occur because of cultural and etiquette rules, and learning each difference adds to the difficulty of learning the English language.
Throughout the world, each region uses different sayings to identify certain behaviors or actions. In England, people might call someone a "bloke," a slang term meaning "man." In Georgia, someone might say a person "is as sweet as a peach," reflecting their kind personality and demeanor. Southerners in the United States often greet people with a "Y'all" and in the northeast, they say "hello." Each saying takes on a different meant depending on the part of the country, making it difficult for those learning the language to differentiate what each saying means.
The media's effect on learning a language make it difficult to learn because of the constant barrage of messages, sayings and dialects people hear on a daily basis, namely because of media's portability. Internet viewing and satellite television make visual forms of media available just about anywhere. Movies and television also present the English language the way people speak it, which may be too fast a pace for those trying to learn.