Language is the ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication
Language is thought to have originated when early humans started gradually changing their early communication systems. The structures of language as having evolved to serve specific communicative and social functions.
Language is not the creation of one person or of one period but it is an institution, on which hundreds of generations and countless individuals have worked on
Languages were typically spoken not written. Now, languages evolve and diversify over time. The production of language is a continuous process.
Humans acquire language through social interaction in early childhood, and children generally speak fluently when they are approximately three years old.
Languages develop to be used for 3 Objectives:
Informative Language Objective – [communicate any information]
Expressive Language Objective – [Express emotions and feelings]
Directive Language Objective – [Performace Actions]
Language is one of the most fundamentally characteristic of the faculties of Humankind
Therefore, the importance of language for society cannot be minimised. The importance of language is essential to every aspect and interaction in our everyday lives and for wider society.
Why are Languages Important?
In an increasingly globalized world, just getting by with your home language is no longer enough. Those who can speak one or more foreign languages, as well as their native language, have many advantages.
In this Importance of Language Guide, we explore the Importance of Language in terms of [Business, Cultural and Individual Perspective]
From a Business perspective, it can be quite beneficial to know foreign languages in order to connect and network with people from all over the globe.
From a Cultural perspective, learning a foreign language gives you a chance to experience an entirely different culture in a very intimate way. A cultural is deeply integrated with its language, so to truly experience it you have to speak the foreign language.
From an Individual Perspective, Speaking a foreign language can be a highly enriching experience. Learning a foreign language can also be a lot of fun, and give the student a great feeling of accomplishment.
Importance of Languages for the Individual
1. Importance of Languages for Personal Communication
Language Personal Communication
Language is not only a mode of communication between individuals but is also a way for the expression of their personality.
We use language to:
inform the people around us of what we feel
what we desire
question/understand the world around us
We communicate effectively with our words, gestures, and tone of voice in a multitude of situation.
Would you talk to a small child with the same words you would in a business meeting? Being able to communicate with each other, form bonds, teamwork, and it’s what separates humans from other animal species. Communication drives our lives and better ourselves.
Even with the ability to communicate with each other. Misunderstandings happen. Remember, communication is a two-way street that should be embraced and not ignored.
2. Importance of Languages for Personal Development
Believe it or not, some people can be arrogant to believe they can’t go to foreign countries without knowing anything about the language or culture of the people in the places they visit.
The importance of language is beneficial regardless if you do it for fun or for your career or even just for personal travel. They expect the indigenous people to accommodate them and know their language.
The importance of language isn’t much different no matter what your nationality is. Honestly, if you were to study other languages you will find that most of them are actually pretty similar. Mainly the differences are in alphabet, pronunciation, and grammar with the syntax generally staying the same.
We should use it to show our understanding of the cultures and lives of our fellow men in other lands. We should go behind the outer shell and see the speaker beneath.
3. Importance of Languages for Career Development
improve your career with new languages
The importance of languages really shines in your career and business with companies trying to reach global audiences and markets. More and more business leaders recognize to compete you have to have knowledge of many foreign languages.
Your colleagues/clients will be more likely to trust what you are saying and there will be a more intimate relationship than if you were to conduct all communication through a translator. This could be an important step in building strong and lasting business relationships that help ensure the success of your own business.
More and more school are recognizing the importance of language. Some schools begin offering to teach a second language as early as middle school.
Many schools and employers are requiring specific language requirements as part of their application process.
4. Importance of Languages for Understanding Culture
spread culture carrier language
Knowledge of other languages, as well as their culture, shows that you respect the ideas that they bring to the table and you understand their needs and wants better than somebody who does not have this background. Through language, we can connect with other people and make sense of our experiences.
Our language is the most important part of our being. It’s important to learn other languages besides our own because it helps us to learn about other peoples and cultures but the most important one that we can learn is our own mother tongue as this is one of the most basic parts of our identity.
If we lose our own tongue, for example, when we grow up in a country which is not our own, in my opinion, we are losing a part of ourselves. It is an important attribute of his personality.
5. Importance of Languages for Developing Children
Children with languages
Imagine what it must be like for your child to develop these skills that we take for granted.
As a parent, teacher, or another type of caregiver, you shape a child’s language development to reflect the identity, values, and experiences of your family and community. Therefore, it is up to you to create a warm and comfortable environment in which your child can grow to learn the complexities of language.
The communication skills that your child learns early in life will be the foundation for his or her communication abilities in the future.
Strong language skills are an asset that will promote a lifetime of effective communication.
Important of Language to Society
Important of Language to Society
Importance of language to society is clear. It has led man from mere clumsy animal to a human being in the real sense of the word. It has simplified the conveyance of ideas, smoothed social contacts, conserved our culture and transmitted it to future generations.
1. Importance of Languages for Improved Social Contact
improve social skills language
Society, as we have seen, is a web of social relationships which imply the development of social contacts among individuals with language contacts become easy to be established because men can easily exchange their ideas.
According to E. H. Sturtevant, “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by which members of a social group cooperate and interact”
2. Importance of Languages for Culture-Carrier
Spreading Culture via Languages
Ideas require language. Sometimes an idea or concept is hard to translate because the language has no words with which to express it.
Language conserves our culture which it passes to posterity. Language may be called culture-carrier. The culture that exists at a given time and place has come from the past and is the result of the accumulation of things, attitudes, ideas, knowledge, error and prejudice.
We get co-operation of other people by using the language which expresses our feelings, thoughts and passions. Through conversation, we get mental and emotional satisfaction
The animals as we have seen are incapable of speech except for a few sounds and so incapable of having any culture and civilization. It is a man alone who through language has acquired a high degree of culture and civilization.
As pointed out above it raised a man from a savage state to a noble state.
Sociologically, language moulds the individual from infancy.
3. Importance of Languages for Spreading Ideas
Spreading ideas languages
A language gives a capacity for spreading ideas about a great variety of things. People get benefits from the knowledge and experience of one another in the same language. Media of the same language will enhance the knowledge of the people of the society.
In times when there was no language, the ideas were transmitted by signs or cries which were not easy to interpret. Humans felt great difficulty in the clear expression of states of emotion or signs.
But with the invention of language now a number of ideas and states of emotion can be conveyed in an easy and simple way.
A language that could transmit an idea such as “the flood came and destroyed the houses” through delicate variations in sound was an achievement far superior Lo the transmission of ideas by a variety of cries.
Language is thought to have originated when early humans started gradually changing their primate communication systems, acquiring the ability to form a theory of other minds and a shared intentionality.
This development is sometimes thought to have coincided with an increase in brain volume, and many linguists see the structures of language as having evolved to serve specific communicative and social functions.
Humans acquire language through social interaction in early childhood, and children generally speak fluently when they are approximately three years old.
The history of language has been shaped by major thinkers like:
Plato
Rousseau
Kant
Ferdinand de Saussure
Noam Chomsky
Debates about the nature and origin of language go back to the ancient world. Greek philosophers such as Gorgias and Plato debated the relationship between words, concepts and reality.
Gorgias argued that language could represent neither objective experience nor human experience and that communication and truth were therefore impossible.
Plato maintained that communication is possible because language represents ideas and concepts that exist independently of, and prior to, language.
During the Enlightenment and its debates about human origins, it became fashionable to speculate about the origin of language. Thinkers such as Rousseau and Herder argued that language had originated in the instinctive expression of emotions and that it was originally closer to music and poetry than to the logical expression of rational thought.
Rationalist philosophers such as Kant and Descartes held the opposite view. Around the turn of the 20th century, thinkers began to wonder about the role of language in shaping our experiences of the world – asking whether language simply reflects the objective structure of the world, or whether it creates concepts that it, in turn, imposes on our experience of the objective world. This led to the question of whether philosophical problems are really firstly linguistic problems.
The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, who defined the modern discipline of linguistics, first explicitly formulated the distinction using the French word language for language as a concept, langue as a specific instance of a language system, and parole for the concrete usage of speech in a particular language.
The resurgence of the view that language plays a significant role in the creation and circulation of concepts, and that the study of philosophy is essentially the study of language, is associated with what has been called the linguistic turn and philosophers such as Wittgenstein in 20th-century philosophy. These debates about language in relation to meaning and reference, cognition and consciousness remain active today.
Language is not the creation of one person or of one period but it is an institution, on which hundreds of generations and countless individual workers have worked. Language is thought to have originated 10,000 BC.
Languages evolve and diversify over time, and the history of their evolution can be reconstructed by comparing modern languages to determine which traits their ancestral languages must have had in order for the later developmental stages to occur.
The production of language is a continuous process; it varies in rate and kind with the circumstances and habits of the speaking community, but it never ceases; there was never a time when it was more truly going than at present.
Language is one of the most marked, conspicuous, as well as fundamentally characteristic of the faculties of Humankind
It raised humans from a savage state to the plane which he was capable of reaching. Humans could not become Humans except by language. An essential point in which man differs from animals is that man alone is the sole possessor of language.
Language is a constituent element of civilization.
Therefore, the importance of language for society cannot be minimised. The importance of language is essential to every aspect and interaction in our everyday lives and for wider society.
Almost every language course being sold talk about their “guaranteed successful” methods. While we understand the need to hype a product in the prospect’s eyes, you should take such claims with a grain of salt. There are no guarantees when studying anything — we’ve seen people speak impressively in six months and others struggle after years of study, all while using the same language program.
So, You Want To Succeed
If you want to guarantee success, the material you use is only one part of the equation. Your environment will also affect you, as well as the experiences you end up having. The bigger chunk, however, rests upon you: the extent of your natural ability to pick up new languages, the attention you’re able to give to the endeavor and the effort you eventually end up putting in.
Real talk: it’s going to be difficult to guarantee success even if your heart is 100% into it. There are just way too many variables that play into your results. However, there are ways you can stack the odds in your favor, maximizing your chances of seeing positive gains in language learning.
Stacking The Deck
1. Use the best Language materials available
While good language learning material is key to learning, using the consensus best software or enrolling in the most highly-recommended school won’t always guarantee your success. What they do is further increase your odds of successfully learning the foreign language, though, so choosing language resources that suit your requirements is very important.
2. Stick to your Language material
Whether you bought that Language software or enrolled in a course, make a point of sticking to your material. Too many heads can literally spoil the pot in this case, especially when those different resources have different ideas about how you can best learn. Instead of hastening your progress, going that route will likely impede it.
3. Study Language Materials everyday
We can’t stress this enough. You see those guys in the gym with ripped bodies, six pack abs and muscles where you didn’t think people can have muscles in? Those aren’t the guys who go to the gym three times a week for a 45-minute workout like you see mentioned in every other fitness article. In reality, those guys are the gym rats who spend upwards of three hours in the gym six days a week all year round. Seriously.
Language learning is the same way. If you confine your lessons to twice a week classes or thrice a week sitdowns with a language software, you’ll get some results, but they’ll be nowhere near the fluency that you’re hoping for.
We’re not telling you to make language learning the center of your day. However, be prepared to give it a good chunk of your time every single day if you really want to guarantee success.
4. Review Language Materials regularly
Take notes during your lessons and review them. Set aside some time every day for this purpose alone, preferably separate from your daily lessons. Going over your past lessons, even just by reading through them, will help etch concepts in your mind, maximizing your chances of absorbing the information.
This will be especially important once you’ve gone over a big chunk of material. You’ll likely forget a lot of things, so these review sessions can be your only chance of restoring the knowledge bank.
5. Learn passive Language skills first
Before jumping into the pool, try lingering around the poolside a bit. That is, don’t dive directly into language lessons your first time. Instead, devote one or two weeks before that to developing your passive skills.
Listen to the language being used in songs, movies and other readily available content (the internet is your best friend). Pick up a magazine in the target language and flick through the ads, acquainting yourself with the written words. While you may feel like you’re gaining no useful skills in doing these, you’re actually picking up bits and pieces of the language that will come in handy later on.
Doing this makes the transition to learning a foreign language a little less drastic, since you have a bit of exposure to it. You’ll have some idea of how sounds are pronounced, how people pace their sentences and other important elements that will make actual lessons a lot less troublesome.
6. Start from the Language basics
Don’t rush it. The basics create the foundation of your skills in the new language, so take the time to learn them properly. The stronger your foundation, the easier it will be to build upon it further down the line. Do all the early lessons and perform all the suggested exercises. Try to avoid going forward without completing lessons in their entirety — that’s the best way to ensure your basics are tight.
7. Set Language Goals
Goals give you a target to work towards, allowing you to turn your focus towards something that’s tangible and specific. Without goals, it’s like walking without a specific destination — you could end up going around in circles just wasting time.
When you have goals, your activities gain some structure. You immediately have a filter when deciding whether to do something or not. If it will further your goals, then go for it. If it won’t, then why bother?
8. Find ways to keep encouraging yourself
There will be points during the process that you’ll question your own progress. Sometimes, your growth will be rapid. Other times, it take on a tortoise-like pace. That latter one is crucial — find ways to keep encouraging yourself during those down times, so you don’t end up throwing in the towel.
9. Practice the Language Materials a lot
Devote lots of time for practice. If you’re not in a foreign country, use the internet to meet and chat with people who speak the language. Many times, you’ll be able to find people who will practice with you in language learning forums, often as an exchange deal — help them practice their English and they’ll help you practice on your target language. Take advantage of these situations.
The more practice time you can get, the faster your progress will be. Count on it. People who sit through lessons all day without applying what they learned will have a hard time truly integrating it into their available skills, so consider practice a required course, rather than an elective.
What is the easiest language to learn for chinese speakers? East Asian languages belong to some language families that are usually believed to be genetically unrelated, however, share many functions due to interaction. In the Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area, Chinese ranges and languages of Southeast Asia share many areal features, having the tendency to be analytic languages with comparable syllable and tone structure.
In the first millennium AD, Chinese culture pertained to dominate East Asia. Literary Chinese was embraced by scholars in Vietnam, Korea, and Japan, and there was a massive increase of Chinese vocabulary into these and other neighboring languages.
Japanese and Korean Korean and Japanese are very comparable in some aspects; both have sophisticated politeness systems embedded in their morphology. And some have said that they could be associated, however not knowing more about those languages, I’ll refrain from going to far into that. There will be some similarity in vocabulary, given that both Japanese and Korean obtained greatly from Chinese at different times in the past. Also, most morphemes in Chinese are a single syllable, whereas in Japanese and Korean they can be longer. Chinese also has very little morphology, maybe just permitting compounding, while Japanese and Korean both have a selection of inflectional and derivational suffixes.
What Language Is Easy To Learn For Chinese Speakers?
What language is easy to learn for chinese speakers? Lots of Japanese people believe when traveling to a Chinese-speaking area that even if they do not speak Chinese, they might be able to manage if they interact by writing. If you are aiming to convey something simple, written communication may allow you to obtain by. Nevertheless, it is necessary to bear in mind that 20-30% of the kanji used have various significances in Japanese and Chinese. What would take place if you wrote a succession of kanji, which look the same in Chinese, without knowing that they suggest something different in Chinese?
Which Language Is Easy To Learn For Chinese Speakers?
Which language is easy to learn for chinese speakers? Korea (willingly and involuntarily) count on Japan to be introduced to modern objects and concepts, many of the words in both languages use the same Chinese characters. This remains in contrast with the Chinese character use in between China (paradoxically) on one hand and Korea/Japan on the other. To offer an example of a modern-day gizmo, in both Korean and Japanese, a camera is 寫眞機 (pronounced as-jin-gi in Korean, sha-shin-ki in Japanese), which equates to “truth-copying machine”. However in Chinese, a cam is 照像機 (pronounced zhao-xiang-ji), which means “image-lighting device.”
Is English Easy To Learn For Chinese Speakers?
Is english easy to learn for chinese speakers? English is an easier language to learn. Languages with alphabets can be ‘exercised’ phonetically by learning how the 26 letters sound. The playground video game of ‘C-A-T’ applies to most of the words in the English language. This is not the case in logogram languages like Chinese, where there is no indicator whatsoever of the noise of the logogram by how it looks – you merely need to memorize the image and match it with the right sound. There are something like 3500 characters in Chinese script, and the user will need to learn them all. There is no logic to it, and you cannot work it out – it’s just a laborious memory game.
In conclusion, it depends on upon people’s interest or demand from work or life and education in China pays more attention to reading and writing ability, which would help them much on their major, since there is not a necessity for every single native student to speak Eglish with complete confidence. Actually, lots of native students have own excellent spoken English by watching or mimicking English motion pictures and songs, or something like that.
Learning a new language doesn’t need to be a struggle. Powering through a textbook can prove next to impossible. You really can’t get a feel for the language; how to pronounce it, or even how to read it when compared to English, when relying on the written word alone. Fortunately, there are many other tools out there that are great for you.
That is exactly why you need to check out some of the best free online language tools available to you. These tools are going to give you a kick start before you commit to spending money on a structured language platform.
Best Online and Apps
Duolingo
This is a really fantastic online learning tool you can take advantage of.
Duolingo has a nicely designed website and provides free web apps for language
learning. The languages are limited to around 20 (ranging from German to
Turkish), but as long as you want one of the more common Germanic or Romantic
languages, you should find exactly what you want. You won’t find any Asian based
languages here as there are not as many similar words that cross over from
English to Japanese, Mandarin or Thai, so you’ll need to go elsewhere for a
different language.
It is an easy way to start up with learning though. There is a walkthrough that shows you the fun program for learning new languages. Best of all, there are no ads running through the software, so you don’t need to constantly click out of the ads in order to reach the language tutorials you want or need.
OptiLingo – App OptiLingo is a language learning program designed from strategies its founder, Jonty Yamisha, used to save his native language Circassian from extinction. It uses guided immersion and spaced repetition systems to get you speaking, not typing, your new language fast. In just 20 minutes a day, you’ll uncover useful phrases that help you talk to native speakers confidently. Avoid endless memorization and boring grammar lessons, and start speaking in your next foreign language with OptiLingo.
This is like an open forum type language learning tool. It is nice for
getting started or for completely immersing yourself within a specific language,
as there are all sorts of different courses and media available to you. With
almost 50 different languages to choose from, you do have more selections as
well. The languages are going to range from Bulgarian and Cambodian to Dutch and
Persian.
The Open Culture program provides you with a nice iTunes service that also
gives you podcast so you can download the content and listen to it as you go.
This way, there is always something for you to listen to and to try and help you
become fully engulfed with the language. This way, you can learn without logging
directly onto your computer. It makes it great for playing in the car or while
commuting to work or from school, so you don’t need to let this time go by
without taking advantage of it. You need to travel for work or school, so you
might as well take advantage of this time and basically kill two birds with one
stone.
This service helps educate you and also connects you with other individuals
who are looking to learn the language as well. This has a wide selection of
available languages for you to learn from as well. It is also going to provide
you with different variations on languages, as there are different kinds of
language forms, based on where you are at in the world. For example, you can
learn Brazilian Portuguese and Portugal Portuguese. This way, if you are
planning to visit a particular location in the world, you can practice the exact
kind of dialect that they use.
There are also many Asian based languages on Live Mocha, which is very nice.
So, whether you want to learn Japanese, Hinder even Indonesian, there is the
chance for you to do just this with the help of the online programming which
also provides you with a solid application and programming that you can download
to your mobile device or tablet. After all, you are a busy individual and you
don’t always have time to just sit around and work on a language program.
Instead, you can actually take advantage of any downtime you might have and
listen to programming, podcasts and audio books, all of which are designed to
help you learn a new language.
If you want to learn a new language it doesn’t mean you have to invest money
right off the bat. Instead, start with some of the free online language tools
until you build momentum. Then once you’re ready to commit to a structured
program, check out our reviews to see which one is best for your needs.
Here, I provide honest language software reviews of the top brands in the
industry today. There are many pros and cons to consider when choosing a
platform, and I discuss these details in depth within the individual reviews.
But for your quick reference, I present this easy to use chart:
Language Software Reviews: Top 5 Platforms
Provider
Pros & Cons
Cost
1) Rocket Languages
++Best Interface
++Money Back Guarantee
+Excellent Content
+Good Price
Average
2) Transparent Languages
++Lots of Variety
+Good Tech Support
+Fair Price
-A bit boring
Average
3) Primsleur
+Established Company
+Good Interface
-A bit costly
-Mostly Audio
Above Average
4) Rosetta Stone
+Established Company
+Language Exchange
-Expensive
-Outdated Platform
Expensive
5) Babbel
+Plenty of Material
-Awkward Interface
-Poor Customer Support
-Overpriced
Luxembourgish (national) French, German (both administrative)
Languages in Macedonia
Macedonian 67%, Albanian 25% (both official); Turkish 4%, Roma 2%, Serbian 1% (2002)
Languages in Madagascar
Malagasy and French (both official)
Languages in Malaysia
Bahasa Melayu (Malay, official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; several indigenous languages (including Iban, Kadazan) in East Malaysia
Languages in Maldives
Maldivian Dhivehi (official); English spoken by most government officials
Languages in Mali
French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages
Languages in Malta
Maltese and English (both official)
Languages in Mauritius
English less than 1% (official), Creole 81%, Bojpoori 12%, French 3%
Languages in Mexico
Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl
Languages in Moldova
Moldovan (official; virtually the same as Romanian), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)
Languages in Monaco
French (official), English, Italian, Monégasque
Languages in Mongolia
Mongolian, 90%; also Turkic and Russian
Languages in Montenegro
Serbian/Montenegrin (Ijekavian dialect—official)
Languages in Morocco
Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often used for business, government, and diplomacy
Languages in Namibia
English 7% (official), Afrikaans is common language of most of the population and of about 60% of the white population, German 32%; indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama
Languages in Nepal
Nepali 48% (official), Maithali 12%, Bhojpuri 7%, Tharu 6%, Tamang 5%, others. English spoken by many in government and business (2001)
Languages in Netherlands
Dutch, Frisian (both official)
Languages in New Zealand
English, Maori (both official)
Languages in Nicaragua
Spanish 98% (official); English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast (1995)
Languages in Nigeria
English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and more than 200 others
Languages in Norway
Bokmål Norwegian, Nynorsk Norwegian (both official); small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities (Sami is official in six municipalities)
Languages in Oman
Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Languages in Pakistan
Urdu 8%, English (both official); Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, Burushaski, and others 8%
Languages in Palestinian State
Arabic, Hebrew, English
Languages in Panama
Spanish (official), English 14%, many bilingual
Languages in Papua New Guinea
Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin, the lingua franca), Hiri Motu (in Papua region), English 1%–2%; 715 indigenous languages
Languages in Paraguay
Spanish, Guaraní (both official)
Languages in Peru
Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages
Languages in Philippines
Filipino (based on Tagalog), English (both official); eight major dialects: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense
Languages in Poland
Polish 98%
Languages in Portugal
Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official, but locally used)
Languages in Qatar
Arabic (official); English a common second language
Languages in Romania
Romanian (official), Hungarian, German
Languages in Russia
Russian, others
Languages in Rwanda
Kinyarwanda, French, and English (all official); Kiswahili in commercial centres
Languages in Samoa
Samoan, English
Languages in San Marino
Italian
Languages in Saudi Arabia
Arabic
Languages in Senegal
French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Languages in Serbia
Serbian (official); Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian (all official in Vojvodina); Albanian (official in Kosovo)
Languages in Seychelles
Seselwa Creole 92%, English 5%, French (all official) (2002)
Languages in Sierra Leone
English (official), Mende (southern vernacular), Temne (northern vernacular), Krio (lingua franca)
Languages in Singapore
Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9%
Languages in Slovakia
Slovak 84% (official), Hungarian 11%, Roma 2%, Ukrainian 1% (2001)
Languages in Slovenia
Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 5% (2002)
Languages in Solomon Islands
English 1%–2% (official), Melanesian pidgin (lingua franca), 120 indigenous languages
Languages in Somalia
Somali (official), Arabic, English, Italian
Languages in South Africa
IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2%
Languages in South Sudan
English (official), Arabic (includes Juba and Sudanese variants) (official), regional languages include Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Zande, Shilluk
Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Languages in Vatican City
Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Languages in Venezuela
Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects
Languages in Vietnam
Vietnamese (official); English (increasingly favored as a second language); some French, Chinese, Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Languages in Yemen
Arabic
Languages in Zambia
English (official); major vernaculars: Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga; about 70 other indigenous languages
Languages in Zimbabwe
English (official), Shona, Ndebele (Sindebele), numerous minor tribal dialects
Do you want to know what is the easiest language in the world? There are tons of benefits to discovering a 2nd language. For starters, it’s been stated over and over again that learning a second language makes you smarter. All of us desire our minds to stay young and sharp, and this is a fantastic means to offer ourselves a renewing increase in the mind division.
Spanish made it to the leading three in our checklist mainly due to the fact that the opportunities of practicing it in the USA are endless. Moreover, the Latino area is so crucial in America that it has actually come to be rather obligatory to find out the language of the biggest immigrant area in the nation. Ultimately, apart from the hard pronunciation of the moving ‘r’ and the ‘ñ’, enunciation is as uncomplicated as you can visualize: words are pronounced as they are written. Nonetheless, grammatically speaking, Spanish is definitely not the simplest language to find out. First off there are lots of dialects which make use of deep pronunciation distinctions, depending upon the selection of the language you are discovering; from Argentinian Spanish to Spanish from Spain, and also from Mexican Spanish to Chilean Spanish. Merely listen thoroughly and you’ll see what I indicate. Furthermore, concerning verb conjugation, gender, and also grammatical abnormalities, it is an instead difficult language.
Easiest Language To Learn In The World
Below is the list of the easiest language to learn in the world:
Danish, Norwegian & Swedish
Welcome to the world of the North Germanic languages, or else referred to as the Scandinavian languages Combined, there are 21 million native audio speakers of these languages in Northern Europe. There are around 6 million indigenous Danish sound speakers. Most of them can be discovered in Denmark, and also it’s likewise a protected minority language in Germany. There are 5 million indigenous Norwegian speakers worldwide, a lot of them in Norway, though some can be found in Denmark. Swedish comes in at 10 million native audio speakers located mainly in Sweden, yet also in Finland.
Reasons to learn the Scandinavian languages.
You’ll become the ultimate polyglot. Seriously. The resemblances shared among these languages are unbelievable. If language domination isn’t really your objective, sorry. You’ll have a difficult time preventing being a polyglot even if you learn only one of these languages, since the languages are mutually unmistakable.
Each particular language has numerous languages depending on which area of whichever certain nation you’re in. Nonetheless, the differences typically aren’t so excellent that it will impede your capacity to comprehend and talk with the citizens. Norwegian, nevertheless, appears to be the central web link for every one of them. Norwegian audio speaker understand created Swedish and also talked Danish exceptionally well. So to begin, Norwegian is the best wager.
Indigenous English audio speakers will discover that they’re extremely comfy with the grammatical structure of these languages. Take a look at this Norwegian sentence: Jeg spiste egg til frokost (I ate eggs for morning meal). The Norwegian sentence can be translated verbatim in the precise order as though spoken in English. This takes a big concern off of native English audio speakers. In learning these languages you put a lot of your focus right into merely learning vocabulary. As soon as you have actually got that down you could practically merely talk without having to put excessive idea right into exactly what goes where.
If you’re unconvinced regarding just how comparable these languages actually are, take that Norwegian sentence and also pop it into a translator. Produce both the Danish and Swedish translations for it and see what occurs. The North Germanic languages have 29 letters in their alphabets. They have actually obtained the 26 Latin personalities that we acknowledge as English sound speakers, and 3 generated letters which coincide for Danish and Norwegian. The 3 additional Swedish letters are only a little various and, truly, these additional letters won’t send you over the edge. Once you learn them once you’ll never ever have to discover them again.
Ultimately, a lot of indigenous sound speakers of the Scandinavian languages can speak English fairly fluently, specifically the Swedish. So if you’re abroad and also it seems like you’re having a hard time, they may switch to English making your life easier. It’s constantly great to have this fallback, however don’t let them alter the language when possible. Simply clarify you’re aiming to improve your Danish, Norwegian or Swedish and also continue on in whichever language you’re making use of. The Scandinavians get along so they’ll be glad to help, and also probably also extremely flattered that you have actually taken such a dedicated interest in their native tongue.
What Is The Easiest Language To Learn In The World?
What is the easiest language to learn in the world? It is Afrikaans. This West Germanic language could be unidentified to a lot of you, for it’s just spoken in some African nations consisting of South Africa and Namibia. In that sense, you may discover it hard to obtain a native speaker to experiment. However, this is one of the simplest languages to discover for English speakers. In my opinion, the best feature of Afrikaans is the lack of verb conjugation and also noun sex, two of one of the most tough grammar specifications to find out in an international language. Additionally, being a Germanic language, you will certainly discover its vocabulary, particularly those words with Germanic origins, instead similar to English. A great reason to discover Afrikaans? Well, if you ever face Charlize Theron, you could sweep her off her feet by intoning her native tongue.
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that was considered a dialect of Dutch and also which ultimately became its own language. It’s talked by almost 9 million people around the world with its heaviest concentration in South Africa and also Namibia. It has also traveled to other parts of the world and is talked in tiny pockets of the United States, UK, New Zealand, Belgium and also Kuwait.
Afrikaans has actually been regarded as the easiest language to learn for native English sound speakers. For starters, its grammatical structure is a lot easier to pick up than some other languages. It has eliminated several of the intricacies of Dutch. There are no noun sexes or verb conjugations. There are likewise just 3 tenses: Past, existing and future. So no need to bother with imperfect, pluperfect and subjunctive– locations which often have indigenous English sound speakers competing for the hills.
Thanks to its West Germanic origins there are many words that resemble words in the English language, that makes for simpler enunciation. While the grammar and word pronunciations might be a resource of comfort, the sounds and intonations of the will certainly take some obtaining utilized to. The speech pattern is rather various than that of the English language. Dual downsides are incredibly common in Afrikaans, which is something that usually makes a native English audio speaker cringe– yet given that you won’t be speaking English it should not be too demanding on your ears. Afrikaans is a huge part of South African media and also home entertainment. So for those aiming to get involved in South African film and media, you’ll be a step in advance once you learn Afrikaans. Even if you don’t plan on relocating to South Africa for your career, it’s an excellent travel location and you’ll have the ability to blend in with the residents.
Do you know what is the easiest foreign language to learn? There are tons of advantages to discovering a second language. For beginners, it’s been claimed over and over again that learning a second language makes you smarter. Most of us desire our minds to remain young and also sharp, and this is a wonderful means to give ourselves a rejuvenating boost in the brain division. Employers love it.
Spanish Lanaguage
Why should I learn it?
With over an estimated 422 million native sound speakers worldwide, Spanish is the fourth most talked language worldwide (behind Chinese, Hindi, and English). It’s an authorities, national, or commonly talked language in 44 countries, consisting of the United States. Think it or not, the United States has recently been mentioned as the 2nd largest Spanish-speaking country in the world … it’s time for Americans to learn some even more Español to consult with their amigos and vecinos …
Just what makes Spanish simpler?
Spanish only varies from English in morphology (word development) and phonology (pronunciation). English sound speakers learning Spanish have the luxury of using the exact same alphabet (in addition to a few letters) and also the simple Spanish pronunciation system: words are obvious precisely as they are created. Grammatically speaking, Spanish in fact has less abnormalities than other Latin-based languages. In addition, English audio speakers have a growing number of chances to be subjected to Spanish daily, even in their native countries (specifically for us Americans).
Do not let the family member similarity in between English and Spanish give you an incorrect complacency, though. There are many Spanish languages which include strong differences in enunciation, vocabulary, and minor syntactic differences, which is something to keep in mind when starting to take on Español.
How much time is required for efficiency?
According to the FSI research study, a native English sound speaker requires an average of 23-24 weeks and also between 575 and 600 class hrs to come to be proficient in Spanish. Take the complimentary trial of Rocket Spanish here and also attempt a few sample lessons from the full Rocket Spanish program..
Portuguese Language
Why should I learn it?
There end 176 million Portuguese audio speakers in the world, and these audio speakers are not simply from Portugal and also it’s massive former colony, Brazil. Portuguese is the official language in 9 countries, including Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor. It’s likewise talked in over 34 nations worldwide. On top of that, Brazil’s economic situation is presently rated Sixth in the world, making it an increasingly beneficial language for professionals.
Just what makes Portuguese simpler?
Similar to Spanish, Portuguese just differs from English in morphology and phonology. One appealing feature of Portuguese is its interrogative form, which does not require restoration and can be shared simply by changing your intonation. “We’re dancing tonite,” for example, could end up being a question just by raising your voice at the end. Despite the fact that the nasal vowel audios of Portuguese are difficult for English sound speakers to pronounce at first, the rhythm of Portuguese is simple for English ears to follow.
Just how much time is needed for effectiveness?
Generally, an indigenous English sound speaker needs between 23 and 24 weeks and 575-600 class hours to accomplish language skills in French, according to the FSI research study searchings for. Try! Take the complimentary test of Rocket Portuguese here and also attempt a few example lessons from the complete Rocket Portuguese program.
French Language
Why should I learn it?
There more than 75 million French speakers on the planet today, from the streets of Paris to Africa and also the Canadian province of Quebec to the Caribbean islands. While German does have a few million more sound speakers, French is more geographically dispersed. It is a main language in 40 nations and also is talked in 54 countries worldwide.
Exactly what makes French easier?
Claim what you will around French’s gendered nouns, verbal forms, pronunciation, and all of those challenging quiet letters, French is still one of the most convenient Latin-derived languages for English audio speakers to learn. We have history to give thanks to for this: for almost a century, the 11th-century Norman intrusion of England and also the new French-speaking federal government had a significant influence on the English language. Au fait, linguists estimate that around one-third of modern English has actually been affected by French, from our potatoes au gratin to our film noir and also entrepreneurs. Thanks to the fact that English has much more in common lexically with French than any other Latin-based language, English audio speakers who handle French as an international language will experience a familiar lexical recognition.
Just how much time is required for effectiveness?
According to the FSI research, an indigenous English audio speaker requires between 23 and 24 weeks and 575-600 class hours on average to attain language proficiency in French.
It’s time to quit concealing behind those insane excuses: I’m also old. I do not have the moment. I’m not talented with language. It costs way too much money. Every one of these translate to one thing: I hesitate. Well, do not be! Getting a 2nd language is much easier than you believe. In this age of modern technology, the capacity to find out a brand-new language is right at your fingertips. FluentU provides a good range of 2nd languages that are very easy to discover for indigenous English sound speakers. and, naturally, you can always pick up a thesaurus or a training book in the language of your option and bring it with you anywhere you go. The possibilities actually are endless.
Corporations, international organizations and government agencies jump at the opportunity to employ multi lingual or multilingual employees. Discover a brand-new language and you can open up a whole new globe of opportunities for yourself. Eventually, you can even come to be a special representative for the CIA. We dream large below. Still not convinced there’s worth in learning a 2nd language? Well, here’s this. Once you grab a second language, you’ll find it much easier to grab a third and 4th and fifth. Likewise, with greater than one language under your belt you’ll discover that you’ll want to start taking a trip a lot more, meeting brand-new individuals and checking out brand-new societies.
What are the easiest languages to learn from English?
While languages with those international parts might appears difficult, there are plenty of languages that are easier because you currently recognize English. They frequently share a typical linguistic history, close geographic borders (in their corresponding lands of origin) and comparable language structures with English. In this post you’re visiting learn more about all the languages which you could learn more quickly and normally thanks to already knowing English.
Norwegian
The language is structurally just like Danish, however with pronunciation more familiar to English speakers. Norwegian, like Swedish, uses a tonal “pitch accent” to distinguish homonyms, stressing either the very first or second syllable of the word. It’s a very easy principle to grasp: believe “respectable” and “decent” in English. Verb forms are a loved one breeze in Norwegian, with no conjugation according to individual or number. The past strained is formed with a straightforward– e suffix; the future is developed with the complementary vil; the conditional perfect with ville ha. The passive strained is developed by generating a straightforward– s. It’s a walk in the park compared with English.
Portuguese is the easiest language to learn for English. Grammatically, Portuguese is similar to various other Love languages. There are fewer prepositions in Portuguese compared to in English (very easy to bear in mind!) However, their usages don’t always have direct parallels in English (easy to blend). One fantastic aspect of the language is that interrogatives are wonderfully simple, revealed by modulation alone (” You enjoy me?”) If you can spoken it in Portuguese, you can ask it. Exactly what’s more, in Brazilian Portuguese, there’s one catch all question tag form: não é. Pronunciation is relatively comfy for English speakers, though the more nasal vowel sounds take some practice.
Easiest Way To Learn English Speaking
Here are some tips about the easiest way to learn English speaking. The geographic dark horse of the love languages, Romanian is frequently thought to be the most tough of the bunch, with its Slavic impacts. Not so fast. They state that Romanian is the closest living language to Latin, and has actually maintained a bunch of Latin’s grammatic framework. Articles are a bit of a puzzle in Romanian, with precise write-ups affixed as a suffix to the end of nouns , while uncertain articles show up prior to nouns. Though the language has taken Slavic influences in its vocabulary, the language is still concerning 80% Latin-based, as well as full of cognates like sub (under) or obiect (things).
What Is The Easiest Language To Learn From English?
Do you know what is the easiest language to learn from English? Here are the list of languages that you can learn.
Spanish
Spanish pronunciation is relatively very easy for English audio speakers, with only 10 vowel sounds (English has 20), and the easy-to-master letter ñ. Like Italian, the orthography is clear and easy; words are created as they’re pronounced, which makes reading easier. Grammatically, Spanish has less irregularities than various other love languages too. A slippery component of the language (and all the Romances) remains in false cognates: word pairings that seem the like an English word, but suggest something various. Particular means “private” in Spanish, and ultimate ways feasible. See exactly how that could obtain complex? Still, there’s no scarcity of people in the world to aid you repair these slips. With 330 million native audio speakers, it’s one of the most popular language on this checklist.
Swedish
A fellow Germanic language, Swedish has some vocabulary typical with English, as well as a similar syntax too. Enunciation might be a struggle in the beginning, with nine vowels (like ö or å) as well as the sje- audio, which is one-of-a-kind to Swedish. As soon as you understand it, though, the language is surprisingly ariose. Students of the language complaint concerning the complex grammar system, but the phrase structure shouldn’t be unknown to an English speaker.
In Swedish, the Subject-Verb-Object pattern is conventional word order. Additionally, verb formation utilizes many of the very same patterns as English. The future stressful, for instance, is explained with komma att + infinitive (will), or ska + infinitive (going to). As well as verb types are generally constant, even if the person modifications.
What are the easiest languages to learn for arabic speakers?
Arabic is the primary language in numerous countries, including Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Arabic is also the language of the Koran, so Muslims of all nationalities, such as Indonesians, recognize it. There are numerous Arabic dialects. However, there is one variation that is taught in schools and utilized by the media across the Arab world.
Spanish
Spanish and Arabic are 2 of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. The previous language came from on the Iberian peninsula and is still spoken by more than 400 million individuals– mainly in the Western Hemisphere and on the Iberian Peninsula, but also in parts of North and West Africa and the Philippines. Arabic is spoken throughout the Middle East and North Africa and as the official language of Islam can be found throughout the world– from western China to Senegal.
Is English Easy To Learn For Arabic Speakers?
Is english easy to learn for arabic speakers? Arabic is from the Semitic language household, for this reason, its grammar is very various from English. There is a tremendous potential for mistakes of interference when Arab students produce composed or spoken English. Arabic has a three consonant root as its basis. All words (parts of speech) are formed by combining the three root consonants with fixed vowel patterns and, often, an affix. Arab learners may be confused by the lack of patterns in English that would permit them to distinguish nouns from verbs or adjectives, and so on
The elision of noises that is so common in spoken English is problematic for Arab speakers, and they will frequently resist it. This hostility to elision and making use of glottal stops before preliminary vowels are the primary reasons for the average staccato quality of the spoken English of Arab students.
In conclusion, there are few English/Arabic cognates. This considerably increases a.) the troubles they have in understanding what they hear and check out, and b.) the effort they should make to get a strong English word shop.
Do you know what is the easiest languages to learn for Spanish speakers?
Discovering a foreign language is an unbelievably fulfilling experience and a major confidence booster. You’ll get to overcome a few of your worries and doubts, learn more about yourself, satisfy brand-new people, and perhaps take a trip to locations you would’ve never dared to go to before. Plus, the consistently favorable feedback from native speakers and their motivation is constantly an inspiration and ego booster.
Italian
Spanish and Italian share a very similar phonological system. At present, the lexical resemblance with Italian is approximated at 82%. As a result, Spanish and Italian are equally intelligible to numerous degrees. The lexical similarity with Portuguese is greater, 89%. However, the vagaries of Portuguese pronunciation make it less quickly comprehended by Hispanophones than Italian is. Mutual intelligibility in between Spanish and French or Romanian is even lower, lexical resemblance being respectively 75% and 71%, understanding of Spanish by French speakers who have not studied the language is as little as an approximated 45%? The same as English. The typical features of the writing systems of the Romance languages allow for a greater amount of interlingual reading comprehension than oral communication would.
Here are the details about the easy languages for Spanish speakers. Knowing pronunciation was the best and most fun part, and seemed like an online game of decorating every letter in a word with insane style. Both languages have a great deal of great rhythms that are close yet deliciously distinct. I relished in repeating every new word out loud, initially in Spanish and then in Italian. This approach wound up burying the words in my mind in a three-language sorting game.
Is French Easy To Learn For Spanish Speakers
French and Spanish have many resemblances on grammar and vocabulary. I expect that it is because of their same origin as Romance languages. I can list some of the vocabularies in the following list.
About grammar, French use practically the same pronouns to conjugate, other than the impersonal in the third person “on” but that is conjugated as he or she (il/elle/on) and describes “us” (nous). French also conjugates practically in the same adverb of time like in Spanish.
In conclusion, only learn ONE language at a time! An error I feel a lot of individuals are making is attempting to learn both (or more) of their target languages simultaneously. This will make it a lot more most likely that you will mix them up. I might speak several languages, but I have just ever learned one new language at a time. The technique is focusing on that up until you reach fluency, and after that you can start the next language and just need to worry about keeping the previous one, considering that you already speak it.
• Read articles in your target language for your homework/projects.
• Keep a diary.
• Make Language flashcards.
• Make mind maps.
• Use mnemonics.
• Pretend to talk on the phone with someone in your target language.
• Make sentences with what you have around.
• Name everything around you when you’re bored.
• Sticky notes everywhere.
• Fake it till you make it.
• Make mistakes.
• Read comments from youtube.
• Learn poems.
• Translate texts.
• Read dictionaries. (Yes, read, not memorize)
• Play games.
• Think daily at least 10 minutes in your target language.
• Solve grammar exercises online.
• Read grammar explanations.
• Read on Matador articles related to your target language.
• Read vocab lists on tumblr.
• Watch youtube channels with natives.
• Copy-cat what you hear.
• Learn by heart different songs.
• Challenge yourself with more difficult tasks.
• Write a story with your new vocab.
• Translate from your target language to your native and the other way around.
• Make a summary for what you read. (in your target language)
• Find a language partner/pen pal.
• Join a group with learners.
• Talk on Skype.
• Read fanfiction.
• Listen to Forgien Language podcasts.
• Play Closemaster/WordBrewery/BabaDum.
• Teach someone else.
• Try online tests.
How do you start learning a foreign language?
The best way to learn a foreign language is to start young – the younger the better. Indeed, the ultimate goal of learning a foreign language is to be able to speak, not as if you were speaking a second language, but as a native speaker, and this can only really happen if you learn the language from a very young age. Of course, for many people, this is no longer an option.
Aside from the obvious step of taking formal classes, either in person or online, you can try immersing yourself in the foreign language.
There is a huge variety of foreign language MP3/Audio Books available.
Or find foreign language reading material in the language you are trying to learn. Of course, this will be easier if the foreign language is related to a langue you already know. For example, if you speak English you will recognize a lot of the words used in a French newspaper. If you pick up a newspaper written in Arabic, however, you would likely not even know where to begin.
No matter how you are attempting to learn a foreign language, the key is practice, practice and practice. Try to use the foreign language as much as possible, speak it, listen to it, and write it whenever you can. It is especially important to communicate with native speakers. Foreign languages are living, breathing skills that need to be used to thrive, so get out there and start talking maintenance!
Take your TimeTo learn a foreign language in a perfect way, you need to spend much more time in it. Reading, listening and speaking are the three most important factors of learning a language. Therefore, you need to read books, magazines, newspapers in that particular language. Listening to music and speaking will help you to improve your correct pronunciation
If possible, Travel to the Country where the language is spoken nativelyTravelling to that country where the language is spoken natively will give you a good experience. Being there will help you to understand their culture, tradition and their values with the language. In this way you will quickly get used to it, you will speak and pronounce the language as it is, you will behave in their body language, and you will also learn words which you will never learn in books because of regional accents.If you can’t locate any individual that talks your language nearby, aim to get in touch with a person on Skype. People in foreign countries are usually ready to exchange half a hr of speaking in their native tongue for half an hour of speaking in English. A Hello talk account is one more option.
Be a Member of Foreign Language CommunitiesAll languages have their communities and it is a good way to practice and learn your foreign language. It will help you to understand where like-minded people share their thoughts, ideas and opinions.You should connect with a native speaker. Hands down, the best method to discover a new language is to talk it. Too often, individuals spend all their time studying grammar and also memorizing listings of words as opposed to really heading out there and placing just what they’ve learned into technique. Talking with an actual, online individual will assist you to really feel a lot more inspired regarding learning the language compared to staring at a book or computer system screen.Search for a good friend or associate who speaks the language you wish to discover and that ‘d be willing to take a seat with you as well as help you exercise. As an alternative, you could possibly try placing ads in regional on the internet discussion forums or newspapers to locate a person to tutor you or participate in a language exchange.
How Long Will it Take Me to become Fluent a foreign Lanaguage?
It is very important to have the right expectation when you start to learn a language. How long it will take you to become fluent depends on a few factors:
Factor 1: What do you define as fluent?
“Fluent” means different things to different people. Do you want to sound indistinguishable from a native speaker? That is a feat that not everyone can achieve, and if you are to achieve it, it probably means you will have to move to the country where the language is spoken and immerse yourself for years.
But if you want to be able to have a well-flowing conversation with a native speaker, that will be possible in a much shorter time. You can learn up to 80% of a language relatively quickly, but the closer to 100% fluency you want to get, the more effort you have to put in.
So how long does it take you to get to 80%? It depends on the other factors below.
Factor 2: Which languages do you already speak, and which language do you want to learn?
If you are Japanese and want to learn Mandarin, you have the advantage that much of the Chinese characters (“Hanzi”) are very similar to the Japanese ones (“Kanji”).
If you already speak French, it is much easier to learn languages related to French, such as Spanish, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese. In the Netherlands, there are special Dutch classes and learning methods for people from Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. A German friend of mine picked up near-native sounding Dutch while playing with Dutch friends on the street.
Conversely, if you are a Westerner wanting to learn Chinese, it will take you much longer because of the totally different structure of the language and the lack of recognizable words. It is possible to learn the language, but it will take you at least double the time of learning a related language.
Factor 3: How much time and effort can you bring to the table?
Being realistic when you start out learning a language helps to avoid later quitting in disappointment. A major factor in learning languages is how much time you are willing and able to put into it. In mathematics, there may be wonderkids who can simply “get” complex equations almost instantly, but learning a language is hard work, even for the most gifted language learners.
Do not just count how much time you can spend sitting in a classroom, also think about how much time you can spend revising between classes. Are you in an environment where you HAVE TO speak the language? Do you have roommates whom you can only converse within the language you are learning? Do you watch movies or try to read books in the language you are learning? All of these things count towards your time spent learning and really help you to speed up the learning process.
Study the language every day.
People often claim to have studied a language “for 5 years” and also still not be fluent. Yet when they claim five years, they most likely suggest that they examined the language for only a number of hours a week over that whole time period. Let’s get one point clear– if you wish to learn a brand-new language promptly– that is, in the space of a few weeks or months– you’re going to need to commit to examining the language for a number of hrs daily.
Language learning is based on repeating– hammering something into your brain over and over once again up until you remember it. If you damage too lengthy in between study sessions, you are much more susceptible to forget just what you found out last time and also you will throw away beneficial study time going back over just what you’ve currently learned.
You could minimize this lost time by researching everyday. There are no amazing shortcuts when it comes to language discovering– you merely have to commit.
Learn the alphabet of the language you are discovering, if necessary. It will make it substantially much easier for you and you will be able to read and also pronounce words, which will aid you memorize them with greater ease. Plus, it is better for you to be sounding the words out rather than looking at the romanization for the words.
Factor 4: Are you passionate about the language? Are you good at learning languages?
In my life, I have taken classes in English, German, French, Spanish, Ancient Greek, Latin and Mandarin, and in each of these classes, I have seen some fellow learners pick up the language faster than others. It is a matter of how our brain works. Some people are simply better at reproducing sounds and seeing patterns in languages. It also helps if you have learnt other languages before, even if they are not related to the language you are learning. The 3rd language you learn will be easier than your 2nd language.
Conclusion
How fast you will become fluent in a certain language depends on a number of factors, such as:
What you define as being fluent;
How related the language is to your native language;
How much time and effort you can put into learning the language, and
Your passion and aptitude for learning languages.
You might have hoped to get a number from me as an answer to this question. To give a very broad estimate, I would say 80% fluency can be achieved in a matter of months if you dedicate yourself to it full-time (a few hours every day). If you only have a few hours every week, it will take you 1-2 years to hit the 80% mark.
Learn Languages Fast – Three Techniques to Learn Languages Faster
In this article, I will be sharing three of the best and easiest techniques I have to learn languages fast. Learning a new language can be a very exciting and fun journey, I’m sure. Some people, however, want to speed up the process and time it takes to learn languages fast.
Here are some tricks and techniques to help understand how to learn languages fast and easy. But these techniques will still require some time and effort on your part.
Technique 1: Focus on improving your memory skills
The strength of your memory skills is the most important factor when trying to learn languages fast. Most people don’t use their memory skills to their full potential that becomes a big obstacle when trying to learn languages fast.
One of the simplest techniques to increase memory ability is word association. Word association is learning new foreign words with similar words that you may already know. Try to divide the new words into syllables and find words in your vocabulary that that share similar sounds or remind you of every single syllable of the new foreign word you’re trying to learn.
Another easy technique is through repetition. Simply saying and writing a word over and over again. Repeat use of a word helps your memory’s ability to retain and remember that word.
Technique 2: Shorten the amount of time you study.
Adults tend to have a short attention span. In fact, studies have shown that a healthy and fit adult would stay interested and attentive to a certain repetitive task for up to a maximum of 20 minutes! Just 20 minutes! And that’s the attention of a healthy adult towards a task he does daily.
A person usually has a maximum of a 20-minute attention span. This means that after 20 minutes, you’ve most likely lost interest in your lesson. When you’re studying a new language, you should keep your learning sessions to about 15 to 30 minutes at a time. Take frequent, short breaks with some snacks. These breaks and short learning sessions will keep you more focused and your brain will be more sharp, relaxed and focused.
Perhaps the easiest of all the techniques to learn a language fast, you need to keep your study period short. Keep your sessions to 15 to 30 minutes and take 5 to 10-minute breaks in between. Also, be sure to munch on some light snacks to keep your energy.
Technique 3: Create a designated area or room to study.
There are many techniques to learn a language fast and it would be a very big help if you study in the same place and at the same time. Creating a familiar setting for your brain will make it easier for you to learn.
This is why it is necessary that you create your own personal space for your speed learning languages lessons. The human brain responds better when used in an area or situation is comfortable with. A simple area that has little to no distractions. Once your brain gets accustomed to the environment around you, it will automatically program and set your mind into “learning mode.”
It is important to note here that your study area does not need to be a whole room or has to be big or something. It could just be a small desk in your room. Just keep it uncluttered and relaxing. The more relaxing or calming a place is, the same will happen to your brain. And a relaxed and calmed brain means that it is most susceptible to learning new things and more importantly retain the information.
That’s it – the three techniques on how to learn languages fast. Don’t forget that it’s all about your approach – if you believe that something is easy, it will be easy. Really, it all depends on you – every language can be easy and you can learn it fast if you are optimistic and persistent.
Live through your new language on a daily basis. Watch movies, listen to music, podcasts, chat with native speakers, exchange e-mails, speaking on Skype, write a journal, play games. Many people don’t use their new language right from the beginning and that’s why they have a hard time learning it. Good luck and have fun while learning!
Three Easy Tricks to Learn Multiple Languages Easily
Many people start with the belief that learning a second language is something that is beyond their reach. This is very untrue, it is quite possible to learn multiple languages easily. Learning multiple languages actually becomes easier the more you learn.
Truth is, the first language people learn in their life will be their hardest to learn. Because your first language is learned out of necessity by trial and error for the several years of your life. To learn multiple languages easily takes mostly motivation to do.
Learning multiple languages easily is not as far-fetched as you might believe. Most people are scared of the amount of time and effort needed in learning a second language. But there are three easy tricks to learn multiple languages easily, whether you’re learning them at the same time or one at a time in succession.
1. Creative lessons into a small daily routine
It’s easier to absorb information and knowledge in smaller and more precise lessons. Trying to cram too much information at once, makes it harder to retain it. Breaking down learning sessions of several hours into daily languages lessons of 30 to 60 minutes lessons. Don’t be afraid to spend extra time and attention on things that are giving you trouble.
2. Learning Languages for something your already passionate about.
This can easily be the most useful language learning tool. Because it ties into something you’re already interested in. For example, if you are into Japanese anime, Hindi Bollywood films, or Korean pop music.
You’ll probably experience some grammatical errors at first but merging language learning with something you’re already passionate about is a natural way to develop your language learning skills.
3. Flashcards with everyday objects you interact with.
Many linguists suggest that using everyday objects with flashcards or small notes placed on the object itself. That image of the object with the word next to it, helps your mind associate the word with that object. Basics of learning a language on common words that relate to eating & drinking, transportation, and work.
Remember that learning a language is a long-term commitment. Probably spend the rest of your life learning new words and never be done completely learning. If you plan to learn multiple languages, you should think ahead and come up with a list of priorities, set some goals before going for it.
Three Things Every Language Learner Should Do
Looking for a way to boost your language learning speed and success? Here are a two ideas that I think everyone should embrace.
Stick to short study sessions. Scheduling six 20-minute lessons scattered throughout the week will net you more results than one two-hour session on the weekend. The regular exercise you give your faculties will help things stick, apart from giving everything time to sink.
Invest in good tools. Every student, whatever subject they’re looking to master, can benefit from the use of proper tools to help them succeed. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg either. A good language-learning software, along with a few small reference materials, can prove a terrific set of tools to get by on.
Make time for practice. Whether you get your practice time by going through lessons with fellow learners or diving into a crowd with native speakers, you need to find an outlet to use what you’ve learned. Without that, you’ll like find a difficult time integrating it into your natural skillset.
Those three things sound particularly simple and basic. Yet, you’ll be amazed at the number of language learners who aren’t doing them. In my opinion, they’re the foundation of every successful language training endeavor. Get them done and you give yourself a bigger chance of coming out on top.
When the world talks about science, culture, economy or politics, it speaks English. English speakers don’t really need a second language at all. So, what’s the use of a second language when the first one is enough? English speakers can look for luxury items: cultural and linguistic enrichment.
Which Second Language for English Speakers?
Second Language Criteria
In this article, I will evaluate the world’s major languages for their usefulness, according to three different criteria:
Demographics Opportunity to use the language actively: the number of native and second language speakers, and the chances of communicating with them in this language: use as a lingua franca. It’s not simply a matter of numbers. Mandarin is by far the most spoken language but it is concentrated in one country, China, and that reduces the impact. In the case of Hindi, educated speakers will very likely also speak English, so the opportunity to speak to people in Hindi is greatly reduced.
Personal Impact This subjective criterion looks at the impact on the learner. How does this language study increase the learner’s own sophistication regarding languages, whether English or another, third language? How does this language make the learner a more culturally literate person?
Business factors How will this language open new business and commercial opportunities?
Most Useful Second Languages Demographics
I begin with demographics because this is the criterion that first comes to mind in such a discussion. However, this factor only weighs 40 per cent in the ratings, and certain entries here, such as Italian, Swahili and Turkish, will only become understandable when one sees the tables that follow.
Spanish: Approx. 350 million native speakers, with many second language speakers in the Americas, North Africa and elsewhere. It is the official language of about 20 countries. (6 points). It is an important lingua franca in the Western Hemisphere and the Mediterranean, (3 points). (Total: 9 points). French: Despite a relatively small native language base of 130 million, French has a major presence internationally, with a large second language population all over the world and official language status in over 25 countries. It is the working language of many international organizations (4 points). It is also the most recognized lingua franca, after English. (4 points). (Total: 8 points). Arabic: Arabic speakers are hard to quantify. Modern Standard Arabic is the second dialect for 250 million people worldwide, but it is quite differenced from spoken Arabic in each of the 20 countries where it is official. It is an official language of the United Nations and of many international organizations. It is also the language of Islam. (4.5 points). Arabic is a major lingua franca. (2 points). (Total: 6.5 points). Russian: Estimates are as high as 185 million for the native speaking population, and it is the second language in all the nations of the former Soviet Union (3 points). Russia spent much of the Twentieth Century securing the position of its language as the lingua franca in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and it continues to serve in that capacity, in a greatly diminished way. (2 points). (Total: 5 points). Mandarin: It’s the native language of 875 million people, however, they are concentrated in one country, China. It is a second language for the rest of China, Taiwan, and for the Chinese community worldwide. It has little currency beyond its ethnic boundaries and serves as lingua franca only in this context. (Total: 3 points). German: It has approx. 120 million native speakers and many second language speakers throughout Europe. (2 points). It has had moderate success re-establishing itself as the lingua franca of Central Europe, after the disastrous history of the past century, however, this role has been taken up in the meantime by Russian and English (1 point). (Total: 3 points). Hindustani: It includes Urdu at one end and Hindi at the other, with approx. 185 million native speakers in India, and 50 million in Pakistan. It is a second language for another 180 million people in these countries. It has not had success as a lingua franca outside of this context, as that purpose is served by English. It has also been burdened by the reluctance of the Dravidian speaking people of South India to adopt it. (Total: 2.5 points). Swahili: It is spoken natively by 5 million people and by another 50 million as a second language along the East African coast. It’s the official language of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (1 point). Swahili is the accepted lingua franca in that area, having achieved nearly neutral “tribal” status on a continent where language is politics, but for dealings with the world beyond, it is normally eclipsed by Arabic, English and French (1.5 points). (Total: 2.5 points). Portuguese: Spoken by approx. 190 million people, it is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola and other states. It has not as yet been able to establish itself as a widely used lingua franca. (Total: 2 points). Turkish: It is spoken by 70 million people in Turkey and Cyprus (1 point). It provides an alternative lingua franca throughout the Turkic speaking lands of Central Asia, replacing the more alien Russian (1 point). (Total: 2 points). Japanese: It is spoken by 125 million people in Japan, but has little currency as a second language or a lingua franca. (Total: 1 point). Italian: It is spoken by 60 million people in Italy, it is also the official language of the Vatican. It has little or no significance as a second language or a lingua franca. (1 point).
Most Useful Second Languages – Personal Impact
Love of Language Learning
Criterion II: Personal Impact: This is the major consideration for the English speaker. It weighs 40 percent in my ratings.
How will the learning of this language help one’s understanding of English?
How will knowledge of this language open up a portal to other related languages? For the first question, Latin languages hold a distinct advantage, since the prestige, erudite forms of English are all constructed out of a Latin vocabulary. The second question favors languages which are seen as leading languages in particular linguistic families, wherever they may be located in the world.
French: It holds a particular position among Latin languages, in that it has been the major conduit of Latin vocabulary into English for the past one thousand years. Fully 30 percent of English words come from French, (6 points). In cultural terms, the centrality of France to European civilization cannot be overestimated, adding 6 more points. (Total: 12 points) Spanish: This Latin language has enormous influence on the English of the Americas. It has, in turn, been influenced by Arabic and the indigenous languages of pre-Columbian America, giving insight into those languages. (4 points). Spanish culture continues to move into the forefront of Western civilization, ironically, often because of the patronage of its greatest rival, North American English (4 points). (Total: 8 points). Italian: It is the direct descendant of Latin. Thus, a knowledge of Italian gives the learner an exceptionally clear idea of the classical language. By the same token, it is the central romance language, and the study of a second or third romance language is greatly facilitated when the first one learned is Italian. (4 points). Italian also opens up a store of cultural knowledge dating back two thousand years, and representing, with the Roman Empire, the Catholic tradition and the Italian Renaissance, some of the very highest achievements of European civilization. (4 points). (Total: 8 points). German: The linguistic significance for English speakers is great. German provides a clear presentation of the Germanic roots of English, and of the syntactic and grammatical logic of the basic English language. As the major Germanic language, it can also be considered a portal to other Germanic languages such as Dutch and Yiddish. (4 points). German culture is also greatly appreciated in Western culture, and its philosophers and artists are key figures. (2 points). (Total: 6 points). Arabic: Although the immediate linguistic impact of the study of Arabic may be hard to discern for the English speaker, the benefits of Arabic in the study of other languages is high. Arabic has greatly influenced other languages of the Middle East and the Muslim world in religion, politics, and social life. Also, the study of the Arabic alphabet opens the way for many other languages, such as Persian, Urdu, Kurdish, etc. (3 points). Arabic culture has had a major influence on western civilization but it remains largely unknown in the English speaking world. Knowledge of the language also leads to a greater understanding of Islam. (2 points). (Total: 5 points). Hindustani: In its Hindi form, it is a window on the origins of the larger Indo-European language family with its Sanskrit vocabulary. As Urdu, it gives a significant introduction to many Persian and Arabic terms. Urdu also uses the Persian form of Arabic script, opening the way to wider studies. It is a starting point for the study of other languages of the subcontinent, an area rich in languages. (3 points). India’s rich culture has become more familiar in the English speaking world, in large part due to India’s ability to project its image through English. However, Hindustani language and Hindi culture are also spread through the Bollywood film industry. Pakistan has yet to make its presence felt, but the potential is there. (2 point). (Total: 5 points).
Russian: It has not had a major influence in the west, given its geographical isolation. It is, however, the major Slavic language, and as such, opens the way to many other Eastern European languages. The Cyrillic alphabet, moreover, is a tremendous asset for reading many of those languages. (2 points). Russian high culture thrived under both tsarism and communism, and it has a significant place in European civilization. (2 points). (Total: 4 points). Portuguese: As a Latin language, Portuguese has a built-in significance for English speakers, even without a direct relationship with English. (3 points). The cultural significance of Brazil, one of the largest nations of the Americas, is continually growing. (1 point). (Total: 4 points). Mandarin: The official Chinese language has had very little influence on English. It has influenced other national languages of the areas, such as Korean and Japanese, and the other “dialects” of China. The Chinese written characters are the same for all of these dialects, and many of these characters are used in Japanese as well. (2 points). Chinese culture, with over two thousand years of history, is quite significant, if not directly applicable to English speaking civilization. (1.5 point). (Total: 3.5 points). Swahili: As the only sub-Saharan language in the group, it serves to introduce the learner to one of the richest linguistic areas of the Earth. It is from the Bantu family of languages, but it incorporates many words from Arabic, Persian, English and French. (1.5 points). It is the language of trade along the East African coast, and as such, is richly descriptive of the culture there. The West African diaspora into the Americas is one of the great mass migrations of the past 500 years, but because of its tragic social dynamics, it has left many millions of people cut off from African culture. Swahili, although it is East African and not West African, can help to fill that gap. (1.5 points). (Total: 3 points). Turkish: Though it has little direct relationship to English, it is the major language of a family of languages that extend eastward to the Chinese interior. It has been influenced by Persian, Kurdish and Arabic, and thus gives some introduction to those languages. (1.5 points). It also represents the culture of the Ottoman traditions, and of modern Turkey and Central Asian Turkistan. (1 point). (Total: 2.5 points). Japanese: This language has had little impact on English and it provides little insight into other languages. It does, however, include many words from Chinese, and uses numerous Chinese characters. (0.5 points). This island nation has been one of the most successful exporters of culture of the Far East during the past century. (1.5 points). (Total: 2 points).
Most Useful Second Languages – Economic Impact
Learning Languages will help you in the Economy
Economic Impact. Is this language used in the world of commerce and business?
Certainly English is by far the most useful language for business, but a knowledge of other key languages can be a distinct advantage.
Twenty percent in the ratings:
French: has a long history as a language of commerce and trade. It is extremely important in the developing world, especially Africa. France itself is the world’s sixth largest economy. (4 points). Spanish: the language of commerce and trade in Latin America. Spain is the world’s ninth largest economy and Mexico is its fourteenth largest. (4 points). German: often used for business in Central Europe. Germany is the world’s third largest economy. (3 points). Japanese: can be extremely helpful in dealing with Japanese business. Japan is the world’s second largest economy. (3 points). Mandarin: China has recently become the world’s fourth largest economy, and it continues to grow. (3 points). Russian: Used in a part of the world where English is not well-known. Russia is the eleventh largest economy and is moving up in the rankings. (2 points). Portuguese: Brazil is the tenth largest economy, and continues to grow. (2 points). Arabic: the language of commerce and trade for the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. (2 points). Hindustani: is used in the world’s twelfth largest economy, however, English is often the language of business in this area. (2 points). Italian: is the language of commerce in Italy, the world’s seventh largest economy. (1.5 points). Swahili: is the language of business along the east coast of Africa. (1 point). Turkish: is used in the world’s seventeenth largest economy, and to some extent in Central Asia. (1 point). By these criteria we can come up with a ranking of the 12 most useful languages for an English speaker to learn:
French: 24 points Spanish: 21 points Arabic: 13.5 points German: 12 points Russian: 11 points Italian: 10.5 points Hindustani 9.5 points Mandarin: 9.5 points Portuguese: 8 points Swahili: 6.5 points Japanese: 5.5 points Turkish: 5.5 points Some readers may be familiar with George Weber’s well-known piece entitled, Top Languages, which first appeared in the journal Languages Today in 1997. His study rated languages according to their influence in world affairs and world culture. It is interesting, at this point to compare them. Here are Weber’s results:
English: 37 points French: 23 Spanish: 20 Russian: 16 Arabic: 14 Chinese: 13 German: 12 Japanese: 10 Portuguese: 10 Hindi/Urdu: 9 pts. The rankings are similar, with some major differences. My criteria are based on tangible and intangible benefits for the English speaker which are not heavily weighed in Weber’s paradigm. Thus, this subjective focus skewers my results in favour of European languages due to the cultural affinity of English for the languages of Western civilization.
Heritage Languages: The most striking example of a difference is my ranking of Italian as number 6, whereas it does not figure in Weber’s top ten. My justification for Italian is the phenomenon of the “heritage language”, i.e., a language that has usefulness in our understanding and appreciation of the past, rather than in the future. Italian is the vehicle for our understanding of ancient history, the development of Latin languages, Renaissance Art and classical music. It is also the ancestral language of over 100 million people strategically placed in both North and South America. For these reasons, it is the heritage language par excellence. Other languages that benefit from this heritage factor in my listings are German and Swahili.
Point values for English? French, with 24 points, is number one in my listing. Where does English stand in relation? If rating it for usefulness for speakers of other languages, I would give it 10 points in each category, for a total of 50 points. I think that the extraordinary position of English in today’s world is indisputable, and considering it to be twice as useful as its closest competition, French, is not a great stretch of the imagination.
The only English point assignment that may require explanation is ten points for linguistic value. The value of English in this area for world speakers is quite a wide-reaching and significant. English is the vehicle for the spread of the classical Latin vocabulary for abstract concepts, for the Greco-Roman terms for a government, science, philosophy, etc.
It absorbs world vocabulary without major spelling changes, effectively spreading new terminology from a variety of sources. As the official language of international organizations, it serves as a showplace for each nation and organization to present itself to the world.
Like the other “empire” languages of Western Europe, French and Spanish, English is propagated by native speakers worldwide with no ethnic, social or political relationship to its motherland. But English goes one step further, English is capable of evolving and developing completely independently of its native speakers. Second language users of English drive the introduction of new words like “informatics” and “ufology” which gain currency first among these speakers.
Foreign governments keep close control of their English language nomenclature, and make changes through the United Nations and non-government organizations. These changes are therefore immediate in English, with no consultation with native speakers necessary.
While some European languages are still calling the capital of China “Peking”, English made the switch to “Beijing” during the late 1980s (for proof, look at contemporary reports regarding the Tian an Men Square events of June, 1989). Recently, the switch from Bombay to Mumbai has happened before most English speakers have even noticed.
Most Popular Languages spoken today
Top 10 languages Most widely spoken native languages globally:
Chinese 1.21 billion
Spanish 329 million
English 328 million
Arabic – 221 million
Hindi – 182 million
Portuguese 178 million
Russian 144 million
Japanese 122 Million
German 90 million
Source: McClatchy Washington
Common language families
History Of Languages Tree
A group of languages that descend from a common ancestor is known as a language family.
The Indo-European family is the most widely spoken:
English
Russian
Hindi
The Sino- Tibetan family
Mandarin
Other Chinese languages
Tibetan
The Afro- Asiatic family:
Arabic
Somali
Hebrew
Bantu languages:
Swahili
Zulu
Other African languages
Malayo-Polynesian languages:
Indonesian
Malay
Tagalog
Other Pacific Languages
Dravidian family
Tamil
Telugu.
Conclusion – The status of English in world affairs puts its native speakers in a unique position. We have the opportunity of living in a provincial English-only environment in which the world comes to us, or we can take advantage of this favoured position to become acquainted with other cultures right within our own language. So, is any second language really useful for English speakers? No study can ever really measure the personal importance of second language learning. That is something we have to discover for ourselves. The fact is that every language is well worth the effort to learn, as every language is a complete way of describing the universe of human achievement, and thus it’s significance is as wide and as deep as we personally make it.
Note on Statistics: The statistics that I have used (population, economic ranking, etc.) come from diverse sources: world almanacs, encyclopedias, US government studies. I make no claims about their accuracy, as they are general estimates. Their importance is in relationship to each other.
Dominic Ambrose has taught languages for over twenty years, from Middle School to Community College, from adult ed to ESL to TOEFL training. He has also travelled as a teacher educator to many Eastern European countries as well as South America, including three years with the Romanian Ministry of Education. Presently, he lives in Paris writing full time, mostly about films and fiction, but he is still fascinated by languages.
