Choosing a language to learn
If you want to learn another language, how do you choose which one? According to www.ethnologue.com there are 6,909 languages currently spoken in the world. That doesn’t include ‘dead’ languages such as Latin. That’s a lot of languages to choose from.
A lot of people ask which language is easiest to learn but there is no simple answer. If you are motivated to learn something and have a reason to do so then it will be easier for you to learn, you will be more likely to put the work into it. Likewise if you have access to the language, via other speakers, printed or recorded media etc, then your proficiency will improve faster. Languages have been graded by the US State Department as to how many hours they take for an English speaker to become proficient. The Latin and Germanic languages (basically, Western European languages) are rated as the easiest, with German slightly harder because of its more complicated grammar.
General agreement is that Esperanto is the easiest language to learn. It is an artificially created language but speaker numbers are low. It is also quite difficult to find Esperanto classes. After Esperanto, Spanish
The other factor that might influence the language you learn is how many people speak it in the world. Mandarin Chinese has the most speakers worldwide, and Chinese courses are becoming popular. If you don’t like grammar and prefer to learn the spoken language then Chinese could be a good option for you. Spanish is the second most widely spoken, and English is third. Hindi and Urdu, which are very similar, come in at 4th place, and Arabic is 5th. Indian languages aren’t too difficult to learn the basics of if you are not worried about reading and writing. Arabic grammar is very difficult though, and it is a very challenging language to learn. Classes in all these are becoming more common. The sixth most widely spoken language is Bengali, another Indian sub-continent language, but Bengali classes aren’t very common, although you may be able to find a teacher for private lessons if you want to learn it. Portuguese is next but classes in Portuguese are not as easy to find as they should be. Russian is number 8, with classes widely available. It is a difficult language to learn, not so much because of the Cyrillic alphabet but the very complicated grammar. It’s easier to learn if you have already learned German, or an Eastern European language such as Polish. Japanese is 9th most widely spoken and it is possible to find part time classes. German is 10th and a very popular language for English speakers to learn, although the grammar isn’t easy.
Whichever language you choose, the more languages you learn, the easier it gets, so jump in and get started!
Paula is a qualified EFL teacher who has taught in the UK and abroad. She has also taught adult literacy and numeracy in prisons and is now combining a small amount of private teaching with writing.
Discussion
Talk back on Choosing a language to learn article:
No response to the article yet. Be first to leave your opinion about the "Choosing a language to learn".
Read more Articles about Classes, Courses & Lessons
Articles
-
The Chinese Challenge
The Chinese are known for their puzzles, and their languages are equally puzzling to most Europeans. China is becoming a much more prominent world power now, and trade with China is extremely important to most Western nations. For those reasons, Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular language to learn but apart from an increase in trade and global events, what’s the point of learning Chinese? Chinese culture has given us some wonderful inventions in the past, with the most important four being paper, the compass, gunpowder and printing. There is a rich history of literature and culture in China and knowledge of the language opens up a wealth of opportunities for cultural exchange as well as economic benefits. more
-
Is it double Dutch?
‘Double Dutch’ is a phrase used in English to mean nonsense, or something that is difficult to understand, as in “It’s all double Dutch to me.” The phrase is thought to have originated in the early 19th Century and is probably due to the difficult relationship with the British and the Dutch in the 17th and 18th Centuries and the fact that the British held the Dutch in very low regard. more
-
Turning Japanese
Japan can seem like an alien land to western travellers, with customs that are far removed from European customs, unrecognisable food and an even more unrecognisable writing script. In most western countries, travellers can usually recognise at least a few simple words outside shops, on menus, or on food packaging. In Japan, and other eastern hemisphere countries such as China, that is not always the case. more