Which language would you say is the most difficult to learn?

1. 83

   ethel smithposted 12 years ago

   Which language would you say is the most difficult to learn?

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2. 61

   ncyberianposted 12 years ago

   Japanese because the way of writing their letters are complicated and long

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3. 60

   denkmuskelposted 12 years ago

   I wouldn't generally say that there are languages that are harder than others. In the end all languages are learned by children in about the same period of time. So how hard can any language be? Also I believe that when you love what you do, the effort becomes very rewarding hence pushing ones motivation and making it easier to progress on the chosen path. If it comes to speaking though, I would say that tonal languages like Thai or Chinese are quite a challenge for most adults even though they love it. These might require a re-training of your facial muscles that might take some time. But again, it's the motivation that counts. Without motivation every language will become difficult, sooner or later.

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4. 62

   Ruby Rectorposted 12 years ago

   English, because there are exceptions to every rule, and it is made up of words from a variety of languages.  I actually learned more about English grammer from my high school Spanish class than I ever did from any English class I ever took.

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5. 60

   prezbuckyposted 12 years ago

   Most difficult, from an English speaker's point of view:
   - Sub-Saharan African languages, especially those involving clicking sounds
   - East Asian languages (Japanese, Mandarin, Thai, etc.)
   
   I can imagine that English might be difficult for others to pick up, especially when it comes to spelling and pronunciation.
   
   Here are some examples supporting the above statement:
   
   Different words that sound exactly the same:
   - Two, too, to
   - They're, their, there
   - Scene, seen
   - Lead (metal), led
   - For, fore, four
   - Cue and queue
   
   Phonemes spelled differently in different words:
   - The "uff" in "stuff" and "enough"
   - The "air" in "hair", "there" and "compare"
   
   Vowels pronounced differently in different words:
   - The "o" in "women" and "wombat"
   - The "o" in "promise" and "protection"
   - The "a" in "father" and "faster"
   - The "i" in "high" and "hit"
   
   And finally... two completely different words that are spelled the same:
   - Tear & tear (and "tier" makes this a happy family of confusion...)
   - Bear & bear (and there's also "bare"...)
   
   So English is no picnic either.

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6. 57

   Ferraoposted 12 years ago

   where we cannot speak there we at least try to babble. learning a new language is a challenge, how quickly we learn a language all depends on us. The environment plays a vital role. Take for example we have to learn German and we are working with people who speak only German and only a bit of the language you speak. Your circumstances will force you to learn that language. It's survival that will make you learn the language. so it does not really matter which language, its the circumstances and the will to learn and live up this new challenge that counts.

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7. 60

   aristineposted 12 years ago

   Languages with characters instead of letters, because there's only the alphabet. With like mandarin for example, you have all these strokes that you have to remember. @__@ ( This also makes me wonder how people know all those languages..it's just too much of a brain overload. )

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8. 0

   kiasumamaposted 12 years ago

   Chinese. I am a Chinese and I know how difficult this language is.

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9. 79

   JamaGeneeposted 12 years ago

   Some people say Norwegian, some say Portuguese, others say any of the oriental languages.  But I'd have to say anything other than English (American or Brit) is the "most difficult" simply because I don't have an "ear" for foreign languages.  Oddly, at one time I could decipher printed German and some Swedish. Go figure. ;D

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10. 58

    rivvyposted 12 years ago

    Sanskrit, for me, not just the writing, but there are 31 ways to say "mother" got it for the Ayurveda and the philosophy...more?,,,so far...Aramaic? Blackfeet? Maori? Saami? Eek!
    But Brazilian Portuguese? Maybe it's me, but the music teaches me...

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11. 61

    The Invincibleposted 12 years ago

    Chinese, I guess... Or may be Telugu and Tamil

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12. 59

    landscapeartistposted 12 years ago

    i would have to agree that English is the by far the hardest.  There are so many words that are pronounced the same but are spelled differently, and some that are spelled the same but mean something totally different when put in context with other words in a sentence.  i.e. tear as in "tear a piece of paper in half" and "a tear welled up in her eye"  and "tier".
    Also there is 'to, too, and two'
    There are so many adults that only know English and still struggle with it.

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13. 59

    petersavageposted 12 years ago

    The English language is the hardest to learn.

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