| Which is the best language to learn? Which is the | | | | books) and this can be an obstacle for reading. It is |
| easiest? | | | | ubiquitous in the Muslim world and opportunities exist to |
| Two different questions, often uttered in the same | | | | practice it at every level of formality. |
| breath. But that's okay, because there will be only one | | | | 7. Portuguese. Category One. One of the most widely |
| answer. Whichever language you wholeheartedly | | | | spoken languages in the world is often overlooked. It |
| choose to study will be both the best and the easiest. | | | | has a familiar Latin grammar and vocabulary, though |
| However, here's some help choosing. | | | | the phonetics may take some getting used to. |
| The choices. | | | | 8. Swahili. Category Two Minus. It includes many |
| Here is the Modern Language Association's 2002 list | | | | borrowings from Arabic, Persian, English and French. It |
| of the most commonly studied languages at university | | | | is a Bantu language of Central Africa, but has lost the |
| level in the United States. I have not included ancient | | | | difficult Bantu "tones". The sound system is familiar, and |
| languages like Latin, Biblical Hebrew, or Sanskrit, special | | | | it is written using the Latin alphabet. One major |
| purposes languages like American Sign Language, or | | | | grammatical consideration is the division of nouns into |
| U.S. heritage languages, like Hawaiian or Navajo since | | | | sixteen classes, each with a different prefix. However, |
| the choice of those languages follows a different | | | | the classes are not arbitrary, and are predictable. |
| dynamic: | | | | 9. Hindi/Urdu. Category Two. The Hindustani language, |
| 1. Spanish | | | | an Indo-European language, includes both Hindi and |
| 2. French | | | | Urdu. It has an enormous number of consonants and |
| 3. German | | | | vowels, making distinctions between phonemes that an |
| 4. Italian | | | | English speaker will have difficulty hearing. Words often |
| 5. Japanese | | | | have clipped endings, further complicating |
| 6. Chinese | | | | comprehension. Hindi uses many Sanskrit loans and |
| 7. Russian | | | | Urdu uses many Persian/Arabic loans, meaning that a |
| 8. Arabic | | | | large vocabulary must be mastered. Hindi uses the |
| 9. Modern Hebrew | | | | phonetically precise Devanagari script, created |
| 10. Portuguese | | | | specifically for the language. Predictably, Urdu's use of |
| 11. Korean | | | | a borrowed Persian/Arabic script leads to some |
| 12. Vietnamese | | | | approximation in the writing system. |
| 13. Hindi/Urdu | | | | 10. Modern Hebrew. Category Two. Revived as a |
| 14. Swahili | | | | living language during the nineteenth century, it has |
| Difficulty, according to Uncle Sam | | | | taken on characteristics of many languages of the |
| First, consider some cold facts. The U.S. State | | | | Jewish diaspora. The resultant language has become |
| Department groups languages for the diplomatic | | | | regularized in grammar and syntax, and the vocabulary |
| service according to learning difficulty: | | | | has absorbed many loan words, especially from |
| Category 1. The "easiest" languages for speakers of | | | | Yiddish, English and Arabic. The alphabet has both print |
| English, requiring 600 hours of classwork for minimal | | | | and script forms, with five vowels, not normally |
| proficiency: the Latin and Germanic languages. | | | | marked. Vowel marking, or pointing, is quite complex |
| However, German itself requires a bit more time, 750 | | | | when it does occur. Sounds can be difficult to |
| hours, because of its complex grammar. | | | | reproduce in their subtleties and a certain amount of |
| Category 2. Medium, requiring 1100 hours of classwork: | | | | liaison makes listening comprehension problematic. It is |
| Slavic languages, Turkic languages, other | | | | not very accessible outside of a religious or Israeli |
| Indo-Europeans such as Persian and Hindi, and some | | | | context. |
| non-Indo-Europeans such as Georgian, Hebrew and | | | | 11. Japanese. Category Three. Difficult to learn, as the |
| many African languages. Swahili is ranked easier than | | | | vocabulary is unfamiliar, and the requirements of the |
| the rest, at 900 hours. | | | | sound system so strict that even the many words that |
| Category 3. Difficult, requiring 2200 hours of study: | | | | have been borrowed from English, French and |
| Arabic, Japanese, Korean and the Chinese languages. | | | | German will seem unrecognizable. With three different |
| Will you get a chance to practice this language? | | | | writing systems, it is forbiddingly difficult to read and |
| Now, consider another important factor: accessibility. | | | | write. Also, social constraints may impede useful |
| To be a successful learner you need the chance to | | | | interaction. |
| hear, read and speak the language in a natural | | | | 12. Chinese. Category Three. Whether your choice is |
| environment. Language learning takes an enormous | | | | Mandarin or Cantonese (the MLA survey does not |
| amount of concentration and repetition, which cannot | | | | make a distinction, oddly enough). It is the most difficult |
| be done entirely in the classroom. Will you have | | | | language on this list. It includes all of the most difficult |
| access to the language where you live, work and | | | | aspects: unfamiliar phonemes, a large number of tones, |
| travel? | | | | an extremely complex writing system, and an equally |
| The 14 most popular courses according to a | | | | unfamiliar vocabulary. Personal motivation is absolutely |
| combination of linguistic ease and accessibility. | | | | essential to keep the student on track. On the positive |
| 1. Spanish. Category One. The straightforward | | | | side, it is easy to find, since Chinese communities exist |
| grammar is familiar and regular. It is also ubiquitous in | | | | throughout the world, and Chinese language media, |
| the Americas, the only foreign language with a major | | | | such as newspapers, films and TV, are present in all |
| presence in the insular linguistic environment of the U.S. | | | | these communities. |
| Chances to speak and hear it abound. It is the | | | | 13. Vietnamese. Category Three. This language |
| overwhelming favorite, accounting for more than fifty | | | | belongs to an unfamiliar family of languages, but it does |
| percent of language study enrollment in the MLA | | | | borrow much vocabulary from Chinese (helpful if you |
| study. | | | | already speak Chinese!). It has six tones, and a |
| 2. French. Category One. Grammatically complex but | | | | grammar with an unfamiliar logic. It's not all bleak, |
| not difficult to learn because so many of it's words | | | | however, Vietnamese uses a Latin derived alphabet. |
| have entered English. For this vocabulary affinity, it is | | | | The chances of speaking this language are not high, |
| easy to attain an advanced level, especially in reading. | | | | though there are 3 million speakers in the USA. |
| It is a world language, and a motivated learner will find | | | | 14. Korean. Category Three. Korean uses an alphabet |
| this language on the internet, in films and music. | | | | of 24 symbols, which accurately represent 14 |
| 3. German. Category One Plus. The syntax and | | | | consonants and 10 vowels. However, the language |
| grammar rules are complex with noun declensions a | | | | also includes 2000 commonly used Chinese characters |
| major problem. It is the easiest language to begin | | | | for literary writing and formal documents. Speech |
| speaking, with a basic vocabulary akin to English. | | | | levels and honorifics complicate the learning of |
| Abstract, advanced language differs markedly, though, | | | | vocabulary, and there is liaison between words, making |
| where English opts for Latin terms. It values clear | | | | them hard to distinguish. The grammar is not overly |
| enunciation, so listening comprehension is not difficult. | | | | complicated and there are no tones. It borrows many |
| 4. Italian. Category One. It has the same simple | | | | Chinese words, but the language is unrelated to other |
| grammar rules as Spanish, a familiar vocabulary and | | | | languages of Asia. |
| the clearest enunciation among Latin languages (along | | | | The most important factor of all: personal motivation |
| with Romanian). Italian skills are easily transferable to | | | | The third, most important factor is up to you. The |
| French or Spanish. You might need to go to Italy to | | | | easiest language to learn is the one that you are most |
| practice it, but there are worse things that could | | | | motivated to learn, the one you enjoy speaking, the |
| happen to you. It is also encountered in the world of | | | | one with the culture that inspires you and the history |
| opera and classical music. | | | | that touches you spiritually. It is useless to try to learn a |
| 5. Russian. Category Two. This highly inflected | | | | language if you are not interested in the people who |
| language, with declensions, is fairly difficult to learn. The | | | | speak it, since learning a language involves participating |
| Cyrillic alphabet is not particularly difficult, however, and | | | | in its behaviors and identifying with its people. |
| once you can read the language, the numerous | | | | So, consider all three factors: motivation, accessibility |
| borrowings from French and other western languages | | | | and linguistic ease, in that order, and come up with the |
| are a pleasant surprise. It is increasingly accessible. | | | | final list yourself. The bad news is that no language is |
| 6. Arabic. Category Three. Arabic is spoken in dozens | | | | really easy to learn, but the good news is that we |
| of countries, but the many national dialects can be | | | | humans are hard wired for a great amount of linguistic |
| mutually incomprehensible. It has only three vowels, but | | | | flexibility, as long as we know how to turn on the |
| includes some consonants that don't exist in English. | | | | learning process. If the rewards and benefits of the |
| The alphabet is a formidable obstacle, and good | | | | language are clear to you, you will be able to get those |
| calligraphy is highly valued and difficult to perfect. | | | | rusty language synapses sparking in your head and |
| Vowels are not normally written (except in children's | | | | start the words rolling. Bonne chance! |