| What makes one language harder or easier to learn | | | | they need to be. |
| than another? Unfortunately, there is no one simple | | | | Tones A few languages use tones, a rising or falling |
| answer. There are some languages which have a | | | | pitch when a word is pronounced. This can be very |
| number of characteristics that make them relatively | | | | subtle and difficult for someone who has never used |
| difficult to learn. But it depends much more on what | | | | tones before. This is one of the main reasons Chinese |
| languages you already know, particularly your native | | | | is hard for native English speakers. |
| language, the one (or ones) you grew up speaking. | | | | Chinese isn't the only language to use tones, and not all |
| Your native language The language you were | | | | of them are from exotic far-off lands. Swedish uses |
| surrounded with as you grew up (or languages, for | | | | tones, although it is not nearly as complex or difficult as |
| those lucky enough to grow up speaking more than | | | | Chinese tones. This is the kind of thing that can only |
| one language) is the most influential factor on how you | | | | really be learned by listening to native speakers. |
| learn other languages. Languages that share some of | | | | By the way, there are examples of tone use in English |
| the qualities and characteristics of your native English | | | | but they are very few, usually used only in specific |
| will be easier to learn. Languages that have very little in | | | | situations, and aren't part of the pronunciation of |
| common with your native English will be much harder. | | | | individual words. For example, in American English it's |
| Most languages will fall somewhere in the middle. | | | | common to raise the tone of our voice at the end of a |
| This goes both ways. Although it is a stretch to say | | | | question. It's not quite the same thing, but if you think |
| that English is harder than Chinese, it is safe to say the | | | | about it that way, it might make a tone language a little |
| native Chinese speaker probably has nearly as hard a | | | | less intimidating. |
| time to learn English as the native English speaker has | | | | The writing system Some languages use a different |
| when learning Chinese. If you are studying Chinese | | | | script or writing system and this can have a major |
| right now, that's probably little consolation to you. | | | | impact on whether a language is hard to learn or not. |
| Related languages Learning a language closely related | | | | Many European languages use the same script as |
| to your native language, or another that you already | | | | English but also include a few other symbols not in |
| speak, is much easier than learning a completely alien | | | | English to represent sounds specific to that language |
| one. Related languages share many characteristics | | | | (think of the 'o' with a line through it in Norwegian, or the |
| and this tends to make them easier to learn as there | | | | 'n' with a little squiggly over it in Spanish). These are |
| are less new concepts to deal with. | | | | generally not difficult to learn. |
| Since English is a Germanic language, Dutch, German | | | | But some languages go farther and have a different |
| and the Scandinavian languages (Danish, Norwegian | | | | alphabet altogether. Greek, Hindi, Russian and many of |
| and Swedish) are all closely related and thus, easier to | | | | the other Slavic languages of Eastern Europe all use a |
| learn than an unrelated tongue. Some other languages | | | | different script. This adds to the complexity when |
| related in some way to English are Spanish, Italian and | | | | learning a language. Some languages, like Hebrew and |
| French, the more distant Irish and Welsh and even | | | | Arabic, are also written from right to left, further adding |
| Russian, Greek, Hindi and Urdu, Farsi (of Iran) and | | | | difficulty. |
| Pashto (of Afghanistan). | | | | Some Asian languages, like Japanese, Korean and |
| English shares no ancestry with languages like Arabic, | | | | Chinese, all use more than one writing system. To one |
| Korean, Japanese and Chinese, all languages | | | | degree or another they use a 'Romanized' script (using |
| considered hard by English standards. | | | | letters like in English), but the real use of the language is |
| Similar grammar One of those characteristics that are | | | | in their unique writing forms. |
| often shared between related languages. In Swedish, | | | | Chinese is the Mother of All Difficult Writing Systems. |
| word order and verb conjugation is mercifully similar to | | | | Each word has a symbol representing it, meaning you |
| English which makes learning it much easier than say | | | | literally have to know thousands of different symbols in |
| German, which has a notoriously more complex word | | | | order to read Chinese. Furthermore, the symbols aren't |
| order and verb conjugation. Although both languages | | | | phonetic, so they give you no clues as to how they |
| are related to English, German kept it's more complex | | | | are pronounced. For example, even if you don't speak |
| grammar, where English and Swedish have largely | | | | Spanish, you could guess at the pronunciation of the |
| dropped it. | | | | word 'palabra' and you would be understandable. Look |
| The Romance languages (French, Spanish, Italian, | | | | at a Chinese word and you are lost. You know it or |
| Portuguese and a number of other languages) are | | | | you don't. Period. This is one of the great challenges in |
| famous for sharing many characteristics. It is not | | | | learning Chinese. |
| surprising since they all evolved from Latin. It is very | | | | Cultural differences Some languages actually have |
| common for someone who learns one of these | | | | aspects of the culture built into the language. In English |
| languages to go on and learn one or two others. They | | | | we can speak politely to a stranger, but in many |
| are so similar at times that it seems that you can learn | | | | European languages for example, you will actually use |
| the others at a discounted cost in effort. | | | | a different word for 'you' and a different verb |
| Commonalities in grammar don't just occur in related | | | | conjugation depending on who you are talking to, even |
| languages. Very different ones can share similar | | | | though you may say the same thing. |
| qualities as well. English and Chinese actually have | | | | The levels of respect in Japanese take this to an |
| similarities in their grammar, which partly makes up for | | | | extreme. You will use different words to say the |
| some of the other difficulties with Chinese. | | | | same thing depending on whether you're talking to |
| Cognates and borrowed vocabulary. This is one of | | | | your sister, a stranger, your boss or the President. This |
| those characteristics that make the Romance | | | | kind of subtlety can be very tricky and certainly adds |
| languages so similar. And in this, they also share with | | | | to the difficulty level of a language. |
| English. The Romance languages all have the vast | | | | What makes one language harder or easier to learn |
| majority of their vocabulary from Latin. English has | | | | than another is not all dependent on your native |
| borrowed much of its vocabulary directly from Latin | | | | language or other languages you know. There are |
| and what it didn't get there, it just borrowed from | | | | some absolute factors, like your intelligence, natural |
| French. There is an enormous amount of French | | | | talent for languages, memory and listening ability. Much |
| vocabulary in English. Another reason that Spanish, | | | | of this can be learned or improved with training. |
| French and Italian areconsidered easier than other | | | | Individual limitations in these areas can be offset |
| languages. | | | | bylearning how to learn languages. Master the unique |
| There are always borrowings of vocabulary between | | | | skill set that language learning requires and anyone can |
| languages, and not always between related languages. | | | | improve their ability to learn languages. |
| There is a surprising amount of English vocabulary in | | | | So, is Spanish an easy language to learn? Well, if your |
| Japanese. It's a little disguised by Japanese | | | | native language is English then, yes, it is relatively easy |
| pronunciation, but it's to discover it. | | | | to learn compared to some other languages. You're |
| Sounds Obviously, languages sound different. Although | | | | using the same script, pronunciation is very similar |
| all humans use basically the same sounds, there | | | | overall, the grammar is not too difficult and there is lots |
| always seems to be some sounds in other languages | | | | of familiar vocabulary. If your native language is Italian, |
| that we just don't have in our native language. Some | | | | it's even easier. If your native languagewas Chinese, |
| are strange or difficult to articulate. Some can be quite | | | | then it's probably not easy at all. There are very few |
| subtle. A Spanish 'o' is not exactly the same as an | | | | recognizable traits in Spanish. |
| English 'o.' And then there are some vowel sounds in | | | | Some languages have additional levels of complexity |
| French, for example, that just don't exist in English. | | | | over others and this certainly makes some inherently |
| While a French 'r' is very different from English, a | | | | harder or easier than others. But your native language |
| Chinese 'r' isactually very similar. | | | | will always influence your learning process. Your |
| It can take some time to get comfortable with these | | | | language learning ability will always be 'colored' by your |
| new sounds, although I think that faking it is acceptable | | | | native language, but it needn't be limited by it. Learn and |
| until you can get a better handle on them. Many people | | | | absorb as you did when you were a child and 'easy' |
| don't put enough effort into this aspect of learning and | | | | or 'hard' becomes irrelevant. |
| this makes some languages seem harder to learn than | | | | |