Each language has its own distinct set of these rules. Another challenge you will come across if you start learning Arabic is a variety of dialects. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); First and foremost, the writing system is extremely difficult for English speakers (and anyone else . Data Privacy and Security. Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian belong to this group. Vietnamese is also difficult for Hindi speakers due to its sentence structure and tones, though its writing system is easier to learn than that of either Japanese or Mandarin because it uses a phonetic alphabet instead of characters. Russian is rated a two of three in difficulty by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which ranks languages based on how long it would take the average native English speaker to learn it, so it's not as difficult as some of the other languages on this list. A 2010 study that looked at immigrants to the Netherlands who were learning Dutch found that people who spoke languages with a lot of Dutch cognates such as Swedish, German, and Danish did better on a Dutch language exam compared to people who spoke languages with few Dutch cognates, such as French and Greek. Where its most commonly spoken: Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Africa. We have also become interested in Ukrainian history, Ukrainian culture before, there was a large gap, he said. She is a polyglot and a digital nomad. When it comes to the similarities between the Slavic languages, their kinship lies in the fact that they all derive from a common ancestor the Proto-Slavic language. Ukrainians who grew up speaking Russian learn a new mother tongue Even then, it's very likely that you will make mistakes in pronunciation and word order. Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic language, with 155 million native Russian speakers. After 2022, the number of those who identify as Russian-speaking has probably decreased. Whats more, its important to notice that Slavic languages use not one but two main alphabets - Latin and Cyrillic. And in the territories Moscow has occupied since 2014, it has swiftly moved to restore the primacy of Russian culture and language. Thai is a tonal language. Languages that dont use a Latin script, though, tend to give Mandarin speakers the most trouble. Spanish, French, and Italian are all descendants of Latin and have many similarities. Most Difficult Language To Learn - LearnAdvice.net Schlittschuhlaufen. If your goals align more with a Level 1 or 2 proficiency, you may be able to learn a language even faster. Here are the features that the Slavic languages have in common: The general and common grammatical features of all Slavic languages are primarily inflectional morphology with multiple morphemes. Credit: Greek Reporter. These languages also have grammar rules that are absent from Mandarin, including noun cases, noun gender, and verb tenses. There are a lot of sounds that simply aren't present in the English language and require a lot of practice to master. For now, it is not clear exactly how many Russian-speaking Ukrainians have switched but Dominique Arel, an associate professor of political science and chair of Ukrainian studies at the University of Ottawa, said the trend greatly accelerated after the war started. For English sayings you didn't realize were offensive, check out 7 Common Phrases That You Didn't Know Have Racist Origins. As in English, Bulgarian has a standard set of pronouns, places the adjectives in front of the nouns, and is consistent in gender and number. And the alphabet's a breeze, assuming you can read Russian. For English terms you need to finally perfect, here are 23 Words You Need to Stop Mispronouncing. Ferlain, who asked Al Jazeera to use her callsign, speaks Ukrainian as her first language. The pronunciation is what will get you. Terms & Conditions | Because Russian culture dominated the days of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, most Ukrainians can speak Russian. Part of what makes it one of the easiest Slavic languages to learn for English speakers is its simple vocabulary, which makes it pretty simple to speak and comprehend. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, not everyone who spoke Russian was ethnically Russian; for some Ukrainians and other minority populations such as the Crimean Tatars, Russian was also the first language. Russian is the most spoken native language in Europe and the 8th most-spoken language in the world. Russian is rated a two of three in difficulty by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which ranks languages based on how long it would take the average native English speaker to learn it, so it's not as difficult as some of the other languages on this list. And because its placed at the very end of the sentence, you cant understand the meaning of whats being said until the sentence is finished. One example is the Chinese writing system hnz. Tackling a language that requires you to learn a ton of new words, rules, sounds, and symbols wont be easy, but it can be a rewarding hobby. In order to become fully proficient in any Slavic language, you need to invest years of study. xhr.send(payload); There is nothing natural about the way a language develops, Arel told Al Jazeera. The verb conjugations can be intimidating, too, with many more variants and combinations to comprehend than other Slavic languages. Now, when she sees or hears Russian propaganda, Tarasiuk baulks. Chinese. Knowing language difficulty will also help you come up with a realistic timeline for learning. For instance, the Polish word for happiness is szcezcie, featuring Polish digraphs (sz, cz) and a nasal E sound. Meanwhile, written Danish has three more vowels than the English alphabet: , and . Belonging to the Finno-Ugric family, Estonian is a unique language that can be a challenge to learn. Where its most commonly spoken: Republic of Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo. Includes lists of 100 common names. Standard Chinese - 'Mandarin' - is often cited as the most difficult language for English speakers to learn. Do Not Sell My Information | Farsi also reads from right to left. On the flip side, you may be looking for a language thats as easy to learn as possible, and being able to judge which languages are most similar to your own will help you find one. And for words you should cut out of your vocabulary right this second, check out Stop Using These Phrases to Sound Instantly Smarter. The longest word in Hungarian, megszentsgtelenthetetlensgeskedseitekrt, means for your [plural] continued behavior as if you could not be desecrated in English. Despite having what is considered the most logical system of writing in the world with an alphabet consisting of just 24 symbols, 10 of which are vowels and 14 consonants the language remains a challenge to learn. Though German is in the same family as English, its nuanced pronunciation gives it a higher difficulty level than other Germanic languages. There are 30 letters in the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet. Some friends in Central Asia are also trying to avoid it. They make decisions faster. The language also has a high number of vowel sounds considered difficult for most English speakers to master. Many linguists consider Slavic languages to be the most challenging languages to learn for native English speakers. They are very closely related to English, so many of the same grammar rules and similar vocabulary apply. Estonian is packed with a whopping 14 noun cases. Although not easy at all, Bulgarian and Macedonian are often considered the easiest Slavic languages to learn for English speakers. From Chinese sentence structure to memorizing foreign symbols, this language demands the most out of beginners. The grammar is also loaded with exceptions that require a ton of practice. The Bulgarian writing system uses a Cyrillic alphabet, similar to the Russian alphabet but with some distinct differences. Although the Czech language uses the Latin alphabet and its words are pronounced the way they are written, its one of the most difficult Slavic languages to learn. For instance, the letter is similar to SH (shampoo, shower, shop). Most of the cities that have been reduced to rubble, such as Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Mykolaiv and Bakhmut, were largely Russian-speaking, Arel said. For English speakers, Russian is arguably more difficult than German. To learn Arabic, you have to learn a new alphabet, and get used to reading from right to left. brzcze. If you emphasize the second ("su-KA"), then you have "vinegar." The trickiest part of Mongolian is the pronunciation. It can also set you apart from other people who speak your native language, since fewer people are willing to learn difficult languages, generally. chrzszcz or It has 7 declension cases for nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. It's highly similar to Slovak - Czech and Slovak are mutually intelligible - and slightly similar to Polish. After hearing their stories, I decided to stop speaking Russian too.. Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which can be tough for English speakers to learn. And for the English words you're still getting wrong, check out The 14 Hardest Words to Pronounce in the English Language. Great job defending the Russian language and Russian speakers, Putin! Trying to learn a language that uses different grammar rules could mean retraining your brain to think of words and sentences in brand new ways. Although many like Tarasiuk might shudder when they hear Russian, a sense of understanding often prevails. Finally, the South Slavic languages are Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian (Serbian and Croatian can be considered as two separate languages or as one language with two different dialects). How to Order Food in French (with Example 102 Essential Spanish Phrases for Traveling. First of all, there are many resources available online to learn Russian, and its also taught in many languages schools. The grammar can also be a little tricky, with some unusual conjugations, lots of rules, and gendered nouns. For now, lets take a look at the individual components of each language that affect difficulty levels: In French, the flower translates to la fleur. Unlike most European languages, which belong to the Indo-European language family, Hungarian is a Uralic language. Conversely, languages that are completely unrelated to your language will be more challenging and take longer to master. You can see this illustrated with some simple sentences centered around the Finnish word for house, talo.. Certainly, the most intriguing, yet difficult, aspect of learning Georgian is that it has its own writing system, and many of the letters used look incredibly similar. By Theo Ioannou. However, theres no way of accurately guessing the gender of the noun. Tarasuik disagrees, but says Russia has unintentionally reversed decades of Russification. The Korean language doesnt have an equivalent phoneme. It takes time, discipline, and a well of motivation that youll need to refill. Were grouping Spanish and French (which are the worlds fourth and fifth most widely spoken languages, respectively) because they are both Romance languages, and theyre similar enough that both Spanish and French speakers will find the same languages difficult for largely the same reasons. Russian is the most widely spoken Slavic language, with 155 million native Russian speakers. For instance, while the language is made up of Latin letters, many letters sound entirely different. Linguistic distance is a measure of how related one language is to another language. The first obstacle to learning Japanese is the writing system, which will provide you no clues unless you also speak Chinese. To be able to read and write, you have to learn thousands of characters. Mexican Spanish vs. Spain Spanish: The Must-Know Differences. Phonetically English is quite remote from Russian, and features insane amount of vowels, along with fricatives and aspirated consona. The default vowel sound of those letters is changed by using a secondary symbol. Category II Languages. Maybe its PTSD, but we react negatively to the media in Russian, she said. Syllabaries: These use symbols to represent syllables. How Russians learn English and why they fail at it Get the most out of this nighttime activity. These languages, which include Vietnamese and Mandarin, require correct pronunciation and inflection to create meaning for each word. Once you've got that down, the grammar is not so hard, as long as you know Finnish. To listen to more examples of Polish pronunciation, refer to the audio recordings provided in the following articles: When it comes to grammar, Polish is quite complex. Yeah. As it happens, I disagree. The language requires the memorization of thousands of special characters. Thus, Russian . But he doubts the measure is too divisive because parents in the eastern and southern Ukrainian regions want to send their kids to Ukrainian school anyway. 500 Hours Need to learn complete Swedish. If you want to become proficient in a language, youll eventually need to learn whatever system of writing the language uses. Arabic is a complex language with rich grammar and syntax. Most Ukrainians can speak Russian and many speak what has been labelled Surzhyk a blend of Russian and Ukrainian so measuring who speaks what is challenging. Albanian's 36-letter alphabet should clue you in that attempting to master this language is going to be a wild ride. Modern Greek is maybe the easiest language to learn that uses a different alphabet. How to Say Hello in Spanish: Casual and Ser vs. Estar: The Definitive Guide to Learning How to Order Food in French (with Example Conversations), Say a Heartfelt I Love You in 25 Languages, How to Say Hello in Spanish: Casual and Formal Greetings. A professional translator, she now works as a cultural and language liaison for the Rubizh brigade, a part of the national armed forces engaged in fighting around Bakhmut. Polish pronunciation can be a doozy for learners. In addition, consonants and vowels are made up of three specific lengths: short, long and overly long. The grammar seems like it's very simple, but Japanese also uses particles, which are markers for parts of speech that do not have an English equivalent. This makes them especially hard to learn for English speakers. Despite being the most widely spoken native language in the world, Mandarin Chinese tops the list of the toughest languages to learn. In fact, the further the languages are classified from each other, the fewer similarities they have. As an example of cognates, here are the words for a smile in different Romance languages: Cognates can make a language feel familiar. In terms of learning to read, Korean has a relatively straightforward alphabet that doesn't take too long to learn, unlike the characters used in Chinese and Japanese writing systems, so you can start sounding out words pretty quickly. Even more intimidating is that each of these cases has plural forms to consider! Youll need to learn an entirely new alphabet, and memorize their corresponding letter sounds. For example: However, its universally acknowledged that Slavic languages dont belong to the easiest languages to learn, especially for English speakers. Along with natives and Spanish language learners, there are more than 572 million Spanish speakers worldwide. German and English belong to the same Germanic language family, so their linguistic closeness wins out. For instance, its 15 grammatical cases mean that even the slightest change in the end of a word can alter its meaning. Haitian Creole. In 2022, the entire country witnessed the war and all the crimes the Russians committed. Whats more, Polish words often contain many consonants in a row, which makes them hard to pronounce for English speakers (and non-Slavic speakers in general). Knowing how to read it doesn't even particularly help learn how to write it. Arabic is a language most Mandarin speakers will find challenging. Privacy Policy | Russian also has many words where consonants are grouped together, which makes spelling and pronunciation difficult. In addition, Croatia is a small country with different dialects, making it difficult to grasp just one of them if youre trying to immerse yourself in the language while there. Arabic. For this reason, it is worth learning all Slavic languages - each of them is unique. While Russian is not that hard for some speakers in Eastern Europe, it appears challenging for English speakers. The Hardest Languages in the World to Learn, The 14 Hardest Words to Pronounce in the English Language, Stop Using These Phrases to Sound Instantly Smarter, 40 Latin Phrases So Genius You'll Sound Like a Master Orator, 7 Common Phrases That You Didn't Know Have Racist Origins, Hungarian is a member of the same small language family. The Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers. The invasion Russia launched on February 24 last year, which started the biggest war in Europe since 1945, is seen by many Ukrainians as an attempt to wipe them out and their culture, language and way of life. For more trivia and language facts sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter. But the more each language continued to evolve, the more it differed from its initial state. Top 20 Most Difficult Languages to Learn. The Top 5 Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers Learning Russian is quite an experience because of the intricate case and gender system, different grammatical rules and novel writing system. Greek. It is easy to make errors in pronunciation and spelling when learning this language. Many examples! The four key ways that determine language learning difficulty are: Languages can be grouped into language families based on how they developed and common ancestor languages. It is also the most geographically widespread language. The ability to speak multiple languages puts you steps ahead of singular speakers. This Slavic language consists of two scripts (Cyrillic and Latin), seven tenses and a consonant (R) that is also sometimes a vowel. In this post, well take a look at the easiest and hardest languages to learn, the factors that determine language difficulty, and a complete ranking of the worlds most widely spoken languagesincluding how long it takes to learn each language. First, vowels are not included when writing. Its something they tried to tell me shouldnt exist; they wanted to suppress it but couldnt.. How To Learn Spanish and Chatting with Native Speakers To see languages that are closely related, we recommend diving into the world of language families, or groups of languages that all share the same mother language. Unlike other Slavic languages, Bulgarian has no case system. How to Order Food in French (with Example 102 Essential Spanish Phrases for Traveling. comparison of Czech with Russian and German, The grammar, pronunciation, and general structure of a language, The alphabet (as mentioned in the article, some Slavic languages use the Cyliric alphabet, which means more things to learn). But it's certainly a big challenge. Unusual grammar, difficult pronunciation, and six different tones make Vietnamese a challenge for English speakers. So, verbs are usually given in the first person of the singular form. Russian: 144: 7: Vietnamese: 69: 8: Turkish: 51: 9: Polish: 40: 10: Thai: 21: 11: Serbian: 16: 12: Hebrew: 5: . Beginning language learners may want to start with an easier language, such as Spanish, German or Italian. Towards the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces wrested back the city of Kherson, while most of the rest of the region remained in Russian hands. Privacy Policy | Thats because its the most widely spoken one of all Slavic languages. It's frequently listed as one of the more difficult languages to learn for English speakers. Determining language difficulty requires a birds eye view of how languages relate to each other. Abjads: These generally use letters to represent only consonants, while vowels are absent and must be inferred by the reader. When it comes to everyday communication, Russian remains even amid war one of Ukraines two main languages. If youre up for a challenge, these are the 25 hardest languages to learn. The phrase I speak Spanish would be yo hablo Espaol, while you speak Spanish would be tu hablas Espaol.. 10 Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers - Linguatics Across Ukraine, reports suggest that many of the roughly 20 percent of Ukrainians who identified as Russian speakers in March 2022 are actively choosing to distance themselves from the language of their aggressor. The hardest languages to learn are those that are very different from your native language in terms of vocabulary, grammar features, pronunciation, and spelling.For an English speaker, the hardest languages generally belong to a different language family (i.e., non-Germanic or non-Indo-European).However, there are also languages in the same family as English that are difficult for other . Russia announced similar plans for other regions it controls, though some of the proposals, like introducing the Russian currency rouble in the Kherson region, are in flux. But once you do, you can pronounce almost all Russian words quite accurately. However, most languages only use a few dozen of these sounds. The language is in the Finno-Urgic language family, so it doesn't have any Latin or German influence to help you guess what something means. Nouns have 15 different cases, while in English, they have only three: subjective, objective, possessive. Where its most commonly spoken: Iran, Afghanistan. It takes approximately 88 weeks (2200 hours of practice) to reach professional working proficiency in these languages. Where its most commonly spoken: Bulgaria. Number of native speakers: 221 million. Karolina Assi is an English and Polish teacher on iTalki.com. Even if you manage to overcome all of that, it is also a language with many, many dialects that vary widely. 11 Hardest Languages To Learn - StoryLearning Terms & Conditions | With over 7,000 languages spoken across the globe, its difficult to rank them all.
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