I'm thinking about studying a second language. Spanish is obviously the most useful, but it did not go well when I tried to learn in back in High School. I am wondering if French my be easier, since it developed right across the channel from England.

I thought French was easier for me. Spanish, I could never roll my R's.

English is a Germanic language

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages

French and Spanish share the same Latin roots and are known as Romance Languages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_languages

So, if you are looking for a language that is similar because of how they developed, German could be a good choice.

When I learned German, the similarities both helped and hindered learning. The similarities made hard to think German.

From what I recall:

One of the big stumbling blocks was the German "the". "The" can be "das" "die" or "der". Der is masculine, das is Neuter and die, pronounced "dee" feminine.

so, you deal with stuff like:

das Boot, the boat
der bus, the bus

Why is boat neuter but a bus feminine you ask? There are some rules, but for the most part, you just need to know. So, they teach you not to learn just the noun "boot" or "bus", but to learn "das boot" and "der bus".

Then when there is more than one, plural, they become "die busse" and "die boots".

Or something like that. As I said, it is from recollection and I never did get the whole das, die or der right.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 01:37PM by MJ.

I have taken some courses in German and Dutch. Dutch is closer to English in some respects, although its difficult to say whcih is easier to pick up, as I knew a little German before ever looking at Dutch.

Of course, the other important factor is what you're going to use it for. you have to consider the potential pool of conversation buddies

I believe that learning a new language is quite personal. One person may find it easier to learn German, another may find French easier to learn.

As I stated in my post, the similarities made it more difficult in some ways to learn German.

German is a tough language to learn at first because of the der/die/das and because it has four cases, which means that prepositions change depending on gender (der/die/das) and on case. So you walk around with a chart in your head until you get it.

However, what I'm finding is it's easier than French in that it's relatively easy to pronounce.

I'm challenged in the pronounciation area and in discerning different vowel sounds. When I studied French, I did alright with the grammar (it has two genders, by the way, one less than German), but no one could understand what I said.

German rules of grammar and its structure [edited to clarify] are also similar to English. Knowing English, I had no problem picking up relative clauses while everyone else in my classes struggles with them. (I'm the only native English speaker in the class. The others are from China, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Chechnya.) So the similarities make the grammar easier than it would be otherwise.

German is very straight forward in the way Words are spelled and pronounced. It's simpler than English and French in that regard. I'm enjoying learning it.



Edited 6 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 03:38PM by Lorraine aka síóg.

A lot of languages have genders for their nouns, which can also mean different articles and different endings for their plurals and the adjectives describing them.

Since we don't have that in English, it will always be an extra challenge for a native English speaker to pick up on it in a new language.

French is a great idea! It was so easy for me to learn because it seems like half the French words are the same as many English words with a different pronunciation (English is a melange of borrowed words from other languages). Once you understand the rules of pronunciation, I believe it's quite easy. Same with Spanish, but I really do feel French is easier. And more beautiful. Also, German is really easy for English speakers to pronounce.

Pig latin?

From the bit of Spanish I learned in high school all I can say is don't do it - it will just piss you off that we are stuck speaking this stupid-ass language with all it's exceptions and problems. (Kind of like using standard measurements once you get used to the metric system. Or using the QWERTY keyboard knowing that it was specifically designed to slow down typing.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 01:49PM by bc.

In my HS, I tried to learn Spanish, but the teacher, though fluent in Spanish and had a teaching credentials was hired as a PE teacher and had no experience teaching a second language.

I've heard Spanish is easier at the beginning. However, French gets very easy at advanced levels.

Spanish uses the subjunctive more than French, which makes things complicated. On my mission in Paris, many missionaries never bothered to learn the subjunctive, but the French are very impressed if you can use it properly.

English is a mashup of German and French. Basic English is Anglo-Saxon. Hello, pig, day, sun, etc. are all Germanic. Norman French makes up our advanced language, so you get a lot of cognates like "indépendance", "fraternité", and "souvenir".

I think French is a beautiful language. Perhaps it's not as useful in the US, but it is quite useful for travel in Europe, Canada and Africa.

Good post axeldc, I agree. Also, French and English are both the official languages of the skies, worldwide. When air travelling, you will hear either English or French communication with Air Traffic Control. Chances are, if you're travelling, and you know French and English, more times than not, you'll have an easier time communicating. They're universal languages.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 01:51PM by FormerLatterClimber.

Also important - speaking French is much more likely to get you laid. ForbiddenCoker - this should probably be your primary consideration...

Don't think for a moment that hasn't already crossed my mind. Some who know me have even accused my motivation for wanting to learn about foreign culture, to primary be driven by my penis.

If you like blond haired, light skin, blue eyes, learn a Scandinavian language.

Darker hair, more pigment in the skin, learn a Mediterranean language....

One of the reasons I learned German was because I like the look of German men and the masculine sound of men speaking German.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 02:41PM by MJ.

With French the effect is arguably the most useful on those who don't also speak French...

Note on Pig Latin: I'm thinking Pig Latin has never gotten anyone laid, ever, so that may not be your first choice after all.

Then again there was a girl I liked in high school and the kid you did constant Pee Wee Herman impressions beat me out - so I guess you just never know.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 03:48PM by bc.

Adamic.

Although I love listening to French, it was impossible for me to speak it!

Spanish, as far as being conversant and getting around. With Spanish (more often than not) it's WYSIWYG. In the others there are too many anomalies and variations and exceptions.

It is also more likely to expand your ideas as to what constitutes language.

Go to a school that has a "pre-interpretative" program. These schools do a better job of teaching real ASL than schools that offer a class or two. Schools that offer a class or two often only teach the basic hand movements that relate to English words and not the facial grammar or ASL classifiers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 02:27PM by MJ.

I would opt for Latin. It must be easy to learn; after all every prostitute and bum in ancient Rome was able to speak it, at least according to Father Reginald Foster of the Vatican's Letter Office.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0904160.htm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 02:13PM by wowbagger.

Reformed Egyptian.

After all, you get to get it up yourself as you go along.

French: ~29%
Latin (including words used only in scientific / medical / legal contexts): ~29%
Germanic: ~26%
Others: ~17%

Focusing on words is, IMHO, the wrong way to learn a language.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 02:31PM by MJ.

deleted



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 02:31PM by MJ.

I have studied and learned (to various degrees of competence) almost a dozen ancient and modern languages, in high school, college and graduate school. Linguistics was my field. I have taught English, German, Latin and Spanish.

The easiest language to learn is the one that is closest in vocabulary and structure to your native language. That makes any Germanic language (English is basically a Germanic language) a good candidate. Dutch or a Scandinavian language rank high, but they have relatively few speakers. German has the gender and case problem, as mentioned by other posters, but those are no more insuperable than similar problems in every language.

Spanish or French are often suggested as easy to learn, but their verb systems are very complex. Spanish would be more useful in the U.S. Learning French and then using it to converse with a Frenchman would run into the cultural problem that the French do not kindly tolerate foreigners who do not speak their language well.

The Germans, on the other hand, are delighted when foreigners attempt to speak German, since in their arrogrance they assume that one cannot expect anyone but a native German to speak it well at all.

Considering everything, my professional opinion is: German.

One more suggestion: each new language you learn makes it easier to learn an additional one: two or three years for the first, a year for the second, six months for the third. Eventually you can learn a new language in a month.

An aside:
At the college where I taught, I gave an annual college-wide lecture with the title "Secrets of a Successful Polyglot," aimed at beginning foreign-language students, with suggestions on how to learn their new language. One year a student came up to me after the lecture and said that he was very disappointed. He knew that I had attended Brigham Young University, and he thought that a polyglot was someone who had a lot of wives.

Interesting, Richard. I guess it's been too long for me to make learning another language easier.

And your closing anecdote is very funny.

German, then French. Add a little Latin, Greek, and you've got the English language, basically.

A way of improving one's understanding of how language works is to study another.

Languages have always fascinated me, I guess the reason I used to find all those names in the BoM funny is because they were made up gibberish.

Ironically (or not), I'm only fluent in English.

German than Italian, German because of the shared vocabulary, Italian because of the ease of pronunciation.

English is quite difficult for a non English speaker to learn because, as stated above, its vocabulary is derived from Latin, French and German. Not to mention Anglo Saxon, Viking, Celtic etc. Add to this the fact that grammar and pronunciation is a mixture of the rules of various derivative languages.

I agree German is probably the closest and I found it easier than French. Having also studied Latin I personally would consider Italian as a new language to learn.

It sounds familiar to me (because of Latin), it is easier to pronounce for me than French or Spanish. Also, it sounds romantic and Italian girls are often beautiful and chic.