Posted: Dec 29, 2010 8:53 am
z8000783 wrote:Weaver wrote:There is a story, not positive how true it is, but I've heard it from multiple sources, that English is among the most difficult languages to master.
The US Army Defense Language Institute ranks languages by their difficulty to master, on a scale of 1-5. Arabic and Mandarin Chinese come in at level 4. This much I know is true.
Supposedly, the only level 5 language is English.
Level 5 certainly seems to be accurate judging by how much Americans struggle with it.
The [only] purpose of language is to communicate ideas which is impossible to do with 100% accuracy. English with it's extensive vocabulary and comprehensive verb tenses attempts this better than most by removing the need for a knowledge of the context to know what the words means as with many languages.
John
Comparing languages this way makes no sense, it's like comparing different ways animals have hit upon and trying to gauge whether wings are better than fins, or maybe legs are best - but how many, six or four? Languages develop and are always used in specific social contexts, just like species live in specific habitats, and you can't say much that is meaningful about them without taking this into account.
As for the relative difficulty of different languages for learners, it all depends on who is evaluating which language. Two factors are important, similarity to (or difference from) other languages the learner already speaks, and the amount and type of exposure to the new language. Obviously, learning a language from a completely different language family (hence, structured in very different ways from yours, so you can't anticipate any of its features) and which you only hear/read/speak in the classroom will be more difficult than a language that is cousin to your mother tongue and that you hear all the time on TV, let alone in the streets of the city where you live.