Discussion What do you think is the most difficult language to learn?

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Ruyue, Aug 13, 2020.

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Is english your first language

  1. Yes

    23.0%
  2. No

    77.0%
  1. Ruyue

    Ruyue Well-Known Member

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    If you didn't know I've been chilling in Korea for the last month. I am a fluent english speaker with a side of extremely broken korean. My korean friends in their third year of highschool (senior year) has been complaining about English and how difficult it is. I can't really relate with them because I grew up speaking english, but that doesn't mean that I can't understand why english is so difficult. I've been contemplating it recently and the three main reasons I think Koreans may find the language difficult is the funky grammar, the confusing pronunciation, and the number of irregulars to the language rules.
    (I may be wrong, this is jsut my personal thoughts.)
    {While making this thread I did a bit more research, or kind-of:
    https://www.oxford-royale.com/artic...ard/#aId=c79e098d-caa4-4602-a0e8-b226b73a0ef9}

    I'll cut to the chase, based on your personal experience or just random thoughts, what do you think is the most difficult to learn for you personally?
    Also can you please say the language you are the most fluent in.

    {Anyone know if there is a graph that is listing the most difficult languages, not just based from an english speakers perspective?)
     
    Last edited: Aug 13, 2020
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  2. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    Latin maybe. Those scientific words are so dam long.

    Or maybe LOTR Eleven.
     
  3. Emmyy

    Emmyy Kadupul flower* blooms at midnight*dies at dawn

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  4. KizunaAi

    KizunaAi Cookie Lover ~ I love fuwa fuwa dolls ~

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    For me, Chinese is the hardest language to learn, :blobsweat::blobsweat::blobsweat:
    I don't speak any language fluently, even my mother language, I cannot speak properly :blobsweat_2::blobsweat_2::blobsweat_2::blobsweat_2::blobsweat_2:
     
  5. Fluffy Jellyfish

    Fluffy Jellyfish 『Number 1 Lolicon under Heaven』

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    Arabic
     
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  6. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    yIyoS
     
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  7. DocB

    DocB "I see you, little mouse! Run along"

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    Depends on what you consider for language.
    There are languages that only have left a few active speakers and areexpected to go extinct in 1 or 2 generations, so learning those language are complicated by having to find and meet the few remaining speakers.
    On that note a extict language such as ancient egyptian language, that although people know how to translate, no one knows the pronuciation.
    If you just mean most unintuitive rules, i believe finnish or swedish are considered quite complicated.
     
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  8. Olives

    Olives [Former] Professional Basement Dweller

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    I'm super good at English, and god I hate it.
    Do you read it data or data?

    Meanwhile, I've been learning Japanese and the rule of sounds is that "a" is always "ah" and "e" is always "eh".
     
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  9. Zomula

    Zomula Well-Known Member

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    American english. There is so much slang that it isn't even funny. Even other americans can't understand each other half the time because it changes from place to place as well. I always have to remember not to use certain terms when talking to people from other areas so I don't confuse them.

    In reality the hardest language will differ from person to person. Depending on the language tree your native language is on you may find a language easier to learn than one that isn't part of the same tree. This can also be true for languages that are closer together on the tree. An example of this would be a native english speaker learning french or spanish would have an easier time than if they tried learning chinese or one of the native american languages, and at the same time they may find it easier to learn spanish than arabic.
     
    Last edited: Oct 2, 2020
  10. Korose

    Korose Active Member

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    languages with a different written system and thus different sentences structures
    e.g. I am from germany and german/france/english in school is relatively easy compared to e.g. asian languages
    i only say that because there is so much more to learn imo

    edit1:
    oh and languages you don't speak or use regularily as it is easily forgotten, rip spanish and latin from school
     
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  11. Cutter Masterson

    Cutter Masterson Well-Known Super-Soldier

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    I’ve always had a problem rolling my tongue.
     
  12. TXHY

    TXHY Normal Member

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    My mother language.
    Extremely simple in one way if compared to other languages (Asian, European, whatever it is), yet frustratingly difficult in other way. Even we as students often got higher marks in English or other languages we learn at school than our own language :blobsweat_2:
     
  13. Zell

    Zell Member

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    Chinese =.= you cant pronounce the word if you don't know the word.

    Unlike english
     
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  14. Ruyue

    Ruyue Well-Known Member

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    Well, I guess I'm referring to anything above Definitely Endangered from the (https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/apr/15/language-extinct-endangered)
     
  15. Ruyue

    Ruyue Well-Known Member

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    That's why I asked for their mother tongues, so I could figure out which languages where more difficult for a specific language speaker, but since no one really said it, I guess I'll just assume the hardest language is the one which the most people write is the hardest regardless of language trees.
     
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  16. Liola

    Liola Well-Known Member

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    Search up Iu Mein, my mother tongue. A mix of thai and chinese(?). My grandparents loved me but didnt care to teach me it. (Also cuz I was a brat). I can safely say that its going to die in 1 gen or two in the U.S.
     
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  17. Chanri

    Chanri Well-Known Member

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    Chinese and Arabic , they're both complicated
     
  18. justmehere

    justmehere Well-Known Member

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    Imo,

    It depends on what language you started from. According to my experience? Chinese language hands down is the hardest language to learn as your second language. Why? Because Chinese people has to sing (I know it's not exactly singing) in order to get the meaning right. Do you have other language that would make people mistaken you talking about a horse instead of your mom just because you didn't sing the word right?
     
  19. Nightow1

    Nightow1 Well-Known Member

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    There is one guy on another thread I'm talking with that said that Chinese authors are racist because the MTL he was using used the word "Nigger", but if I recall correctly, "nigger" is very specifically American slang, the Chinese simply don't have the word for it. Sure, they're racist but in this case I think it's just a fucked up MT. Still waiting for that guy to get back to me on what the original word was so I'd know if it's a new word I never seen before or just an MTL fuckup.
     
  20. Nightow1

    Nightow1 Well-Known Member

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    I know how to read Arabic! It's easy!
    1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10!

    :ROFLMAO:
     
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