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Actually, these are valid points. OP, it's easy to collect languages, if you choose ones that are closely related. So learning all the main languages in the Romance or Germanic families isn't that big a deal, even for an American with a bit of linguistic ability. From there, branching out to other European languages isn't difficult, once you have a few under your belt. Botticelli's right that the real test comes in branching out further, to non-Indo-European languages. Even Farsi shouldn't be difficult, because it's related to the Indo-European language family.
IMO, the Native American languages are among the world's most difficult. I hear the languages of Papua-New Guinea are extremely complex, too, due to eons of isolation.
No, those are not valid points. Indo-European family is extremely broad, just because two languages are in the same family doesn't mean it's easy to learn them. It's incredibly ignorant and egotistical to claim so.
To diss language acquisition is easy, and those who do so are usually full of ****.
No, those are not valid points. Indo-European family is extremely broad, just because two languages are in the same family doesn't mean it's easy to learn them. It's incredibly ignorant and egotistical to claim so.
To diss language acquisition is easy, and those who do so are usually full of ****.
Botticelli's point was that it's easy for Romance language speakers to learn other closely-related languages. That's a good point. My point re: Farsi was that learning that would be easier for someone with other Indo-Euro languages in their experience than tackling most Asian languages. One would encounter recognizable word roots, for one thing. Whether the grammar would be very challenging, or not so much, would depend on which European language family one had experience with. The Romance language family isn't helpful, with the exception of Romanian, in understanding and learning noun declensions, whereas German and especially the Slavic languages (which are much more closely related to Farsi) are.
You see... I speak several. Started to learn in kindergarten. I am also from Europe - that explains it... and it's pretty normal here.
It's funny, as an American who lives in Germany and speaks German quite well I always hear "wow you German is really good..." but if you are some other European Dutch, Polish, Czech or whatever no one notices, it's normal. (well except for the English)
Though now after 17 years people now say I have a German accent when I speak English :-D
I imagine you can speak 7 languages to belittle language Learning so easily.
Sorry, but I have to sort of agree with Botticelli and Ruth4Truth on this one.
I did French and Latin in grade school, then Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. And at one point or another, and even at the same time, I used them all professionally and made money, except Latin, but I did use it in graduate studies.
Sure, it takes some natural aptitude, desire and the discipline to study - nothing to belittle -, but it's not really some great achievement.
I also learned ancient Attic and koine Greek, as well as a bit of katharevousa and modern Greek, which I consider much more valuable.
If I could do it all over again, I would ditch Latin and the Romance languages completely and pursue instead Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, maybe Pali, Farsi or Persian, Turkish, Russian, Coptic or some horn of Africa language.
But of course I say that with my mouth.
Good Luck!
To the OP, historically Europe's monarchs are an incestuous bunch; you can take that in more ways than one.
No, those are not valid points. Indo-European family is extremely broad, just because two languages are in the same family doesn't mean it's easy to learn them. It's incredibly ignorant and egotistical to claim so.
To diss language acquisition is easy, and those who do so are usually full of ****.
Cool down boy, nobody is dissing languages acquisition. I was just pointing out learning 8 similar European language for a westerner is as difficult as learning Chinese plus Arabic. So the usual 7 language is still good but hardly as impressive as it sounds.
To make it short while it takes 575-600 hours for an English speaker to be fluent in French Italian Spanish Danish plus a whole bunch of EU language, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Japanese require 2200 hours.
But I know you being you are always desperate to attack whatever I Say so I normally ignore your childish gibberish full of uncontrollable "***".
It depends on what you mean with learning then: reading? Be understandable?
Because it all gets to it: I have heard countless foreigners claiming that they "spoke Italian" and none of them could better than a 12 years old or get the intonation right, for example.
Even some famous polyglots on yt ( I don't remember their names, they were a bald English guy and an American teenager respectively) boasting both over 10 languages were barely acceptable in terms of pronounciation ( and we are talking about Italian, not Arabic); so the point stands: what do you mean with "learning/speaking/knowing" a language? To what extent is it "accomplished"?
I can understand most Spanish writing and even listening but I can hardly speak it and since Anglophones are quite known for flaunting supposed knowledge ( I remember here Brits saying that French "is widely spoken in the UK" lol), my question was that.
It's funny, as an American who lives in Germany and speaks German quite well I always hear "wow you German is really good..." but if you are some other European Dutch, Polish, Czech or whatever no one notices, it's normal. (well except for the English)
Though now after 17 years people now say I have a German accent when I speak English :-D
Probably because people from the UK and the USA speak the world's most prominent language. So there is less incentive to learn another language.
People from those other countries speak languages that are not so widely used. Plus Germany is nearby and the economic engine of Europe.
I studied in Germany for a year and my German became quite good. It has faded since as I cannot simply hop over there like those in the Netherlands, Poland, or Czech. I use it a bit in my work but only to read the occasional document.
I probably sound like Latka in Taxi if that rings a bell.
No, those are not valid points. Indo-European family is extremely broad, just because two languages are in the same family doesn't mean it's easy to learn them. It's incredibly ignorant and egotistical to claim so.
To diss language acquisition is easy, and those who do so are usually full of ****.
I would agree, it is not a valid point, I actually think learning two languages that are similar would be harder than learning two more distinct languages, because you would have to work harder on keeping them apart.
I also agree that speaking & reading are very separate issues, I can read some French but not speak it. I can speak conversational German but would not be so good at writing it.
I would agree, it is not a valid point, I actually think learning two languages that are similar would be harder than learning two more distinct languages, because you would have to work harder on keeping them apart.
I also agree that speaking & reading are very separate issues, I can read some French but not speak it. I can speak conversational German but would not be so good at writing it.
yeah, learning Chinese is more difficult than Spanish after you learn French, LOL.
I read on Wikipedia that Europe's monarchs (at least those on the Continent) can speak multiple languages. Sophia, Spain's former queen, can speak seven. Where did they learn to speak so many?
I am not sure today how it works in modern monarchies, but in the past they married with royal families of others countries and it helps. I remember in Brazil Don Joao married a Spanish, Don Pedro I an Austrian and Don Pedro II an Italian, after the last we became Republican country.
They have a lot of time, personal teachers and travel abroad a lot so having opportunity of training/learning, this combination are only possible with much money.
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