If you could learn any other language...

Question

Do you know/desire to learn any languages other than Spanish or English? If so, what are they? I'm curious because I have recently developed an interest in learning Japanese. (I figured the best language for me to learn would be something completely different from either English or Spanish, so that I don't confuse the two.)

Of equal interest as your question is what prompted your own developing interest in Japanese? - - Janice, Aug 18, 2009

Answer 1

I'm curious because I have recently developed an interest in learning Japanese. (I figured the best language for me to learn would be something completely different from either English or Spanish, so that I don't confuse the two.)

Any non Indo-European language will be radically different from English or Spanish, don't worry. Phonetically speaking, Japanese is the closest language to Spanish (it took me less than a lesson to learn how to pronounce it reasonably well), but in terms of grammar and vocabulary, it has nothing to do, of course. The grammar itself is not terribly complicated, but you need to learn how to express yourself in a completely different way, and you'll find that even though learning enough to communicate is not too difficult if you can get your head around their suffixes, using it proficiently is quite a challenge. Phonetically, it is even poorer and more predictable than Spanish, but reading and writing it is even more difficult than in English (well, the Chinese characters, not the kanas).

Chinense, on the other hand, having the same complicated characters, is much easier to read due to its regularity, but phonetically is harder, especially the intonation, which is a totally alien concept to us. It has surely one of the simplest grammars in the world (much much simpler than the English one), but again, you need to learn how to express things in a completely different way to even understand them. No genders (el silón, la casa,...), no plural (you don't even add -s), no tenses, no subjunctive, virtually no random prepositions,...

the top most spoken languages in the world are 1-Mandarin 2-English 3-Hindustani 4-Spanish

Those figures vary a lot depending on the source, because I have seen other lists placing Spanish even before English, estimating over 400 million.

Lazarus, just curious: how did you learn Japanese? Do you know of any websites similar to this one that teach the Japanese language in more depth? - Alicia2919, Aug 19, 2009

Answer 2

hello my friend in my opinion .. you should always search for the popular languages because it will help you in your career and your life etc..... the top most spoken languages in the world are 1-Mandarin 2-English 3-Hindustani 4-Spanish 5-Russian 6-Arabic then bengali , Portuguese , Malay-Indonesian , French so if you are good at english and spanish why dont u start to learn Mandarin language its my opinion .. thank you and I like that flamenco guitar , I've read an article about it bbye

Answer 3

Well, if I could readily and easily learn any other language, (we are wishng here, right?) I would choose Sanskrit, because a long time ago I read in a fascinating book by a professor of linguistics - loosely translated, "A Short Ramble Through the World's Languages" (lame, that translation, but never mind) - that Sanskrit was the language of the gods.

Janice: Well, I have several friends who speak the language, and I admire its ability for poetry. I also consider myself a visual learner, and find the idea of learning and memorizing characters challenging and intriguing. I - Alicia2919, Aug 19, 2009

Answer 4

There are also non-linguistic factors to consider. How extensive/interesting is the literature in a given language? What opportunities do/will you have to practice (especially conversation) where you live? Would the language of your choice be spoken in a place that you can (easily/safely) visit? Are there things about its culture that attract/repel you?