Are some languages more or less difficult to learn than other languages?

We suggested language is a key way of knowing. In our english class we have been discussing language and we came across some interesting questions that were connected with our class discussions about language. We looked at the various difficulties in some languages.

Yes some languages are more difficult to learn than other languages, although it does depend on your background. For example, if you were from the United Kingdom, you would find it harder to learn tonal languages from South East Asia, such as but not limited to: Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean.

Furthermore we have concluded that languages are easier to ‘pick-up’ and learn when you are younger. For instance, a four year old may pick up Spanish faster than an eighteen year old. This is may be due to the fact that four year olds have significantly less knowledge of grammar and other languages to confuse them. While an eighteen year old may find it hard to let go of some concepts/rules from other languages.  On the other hand some people may find it easier to learn languages that are similar. If you are a Spanish person you may find it easier to understand and interpret Portuguese for example.

However, it may also make learning the language harder. In addition, the similarity between the languages can lead to many mixing up of the two languages like switching words and rules around.