Which one is the hardest language to speak/learn?

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sonic__323

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#1 sonic__323
Member since 2007 • 23684 Posts

I gotta say Japanese language.

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Pirate700

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#2 Pirate700
Member since 2008 • 46465 Posts

It has to be Chinese.

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therealcoolin

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#3 therealcoolin
Member since 2007 • 353 Posts

Alot of people from around the world will probably tell you that english is the hardest.

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MrPraline

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#4 MrPraline
Member since 2008 • 21351 Posts
One of the ones with a completely different alphabet (Arabic, Japanese, Chinese). Most of the Germanic languages are fairly easy to learn if you know one.
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ghoklebutter

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#5 ghoklebutter
Member since 2007 • 19327 Posts

Arabic is by far the most complex language I am learning.

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Espada12

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#6 Espada12
Member since 2008 • 23247 Posts

It is english.

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Pirate700

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#7 Pirate700
Member since 2008 • 46465 Posts

Alot of people from around the world will probably tell you that english is the hardest.

therealcoolin

Only because they are learning it as a second language. If they had to learn something else they would say that one is.

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194197844077667059316682358889

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#9 194197844077667059316682358889
Member since 2003 • 49173 Posts
English; it has less consistency than just about any other language. Of course, that is a big part of what makes it so expressive and therefore useful.
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tycoonmike

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#11 tycoonmike
Member since 2005 • 6082 Posts

It depends one what you are used to. If you've learned a Germanic language (English, Dutch, German, etc.) as your first language, then you would be far less disposed to learning an Asiatic language (Mandarin, Japanese, etc.) and vice versa. Contrariwise, if your first language was, for instance, a Romance language (French, Italian, Spanish, etc.) it would be far easier to learn another Romance language since the basic formula of them all is pretty much the same.

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thriteenthmonke

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#12 thriteenthmonke
Member since 2005 • 49823 Posts
I think I've heard that Icelandic is rather difficult.
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ghoklebutter

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#13 ghoklebutter
Member since 2007 • 19327 Posts

I think I've heard that Icelandic is rather difficult. thriteenthmonke

Off topic: Is your user name a parody from the movie 12 Monkeys?

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thriteenthmonke

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#14 thriteenthmonke
Member since 2005 • 49823 Posts

[QUOTE="thriteenthmonke"]I think I've heard that Icelandic is rather difficult. ghoklebutter

Off topic: Is your user name a parody from the movie 12 Monkeys?

No, I actually have never seen it.
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D_Battery

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#15 D_Battery
Member since 2009 • 2478 Posts

I've heard Icelandic is pretty brutal because of its complex grammatical system.

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mindstorm

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#16 mindstorm
Member since 2003 • 15255 Posts
It might not be the hardest language to learn, but I started my Koine Greek class today for grad school.
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ferrari2001

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#17 ferrari2001
Member since 2008 • 17772 Posts
Most people will tell you English, just because of the various spelling and pronunciation techniques we use.
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gameguy6700

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#18 gameguy6700
Member since 2004 • 12197 Posts

I've heard Icelandic is pretty brutal because of its complex grammatical system.

D_Battery

Yep, Icelandic is considered to be one of the most difficult languages in the world.

For English speakers Korean, Chinese, Arabic, and Japanese also rank near the top (at least out of the ones the US depatment of state looked at). However, any language that is completely unrelated to any languages you already speak is going to be difficult to learn since you have to start from scratch. For example, try learning one of the African click languages like !kung (that "!" btw isn't a typo but instead signifies that you're supposed to make a click sound).

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Big_Bad_Sad

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#19 Big_Bad_Sad
Member since 2005 • 18243 Posts
Welsh.
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nitsud_19

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#20 nitsud_19
Member since 2004 • 2519 Posts

English and Chinese

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EMOEVOLUTION

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#21 EMOEVOLUTION
Member since 2008 • 8998 Posts

I gotta say Japanese language.

sonic__323

No, that's really easy, actually. Chinese is correct answer and it's based on the majority opinion from linguists around the world.

English is also incorrect.... I'm not going to explain why.. other people all ready went over this one.

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jimmyjammer69

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#22 jimmyjammer69
Member since 2008 • 12239 Posts

English and Chinese

nitsud_19
English really isn't difficult to learn to speak for most foreigners (at least within Europe). Tenses are a pain, but it's a relatively uninflected language so there's no need to worry about cases etc. The language has also spread very far thanks to American media, so almost everyone's had a fair amount of contact with it. The Finno Ugric languages, on the other hand, are spoken by far fewer people and have inverted a lot of the grammatic structures we're used to, so they present a much greater challenge to many foreigners.
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perphekt

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#23 perphekt
Member since 2009 • 1096 Posts
Probably english, simply cause our language doesn't match up very well, we have certain words that have double meanings, the spelling and pronunciation are completely off most of the time. English by far. It's just off.
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Big_Bad_Sad

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#24 Big_Bad_Sad
Member since 2005 • 18243 Posts

Honestly, it's Welsh.

Try saying this - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwy rndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - it's a place in Wales.

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chAzN93

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#25 chAzN93
Member since 2004 • 34854 Posts

arabic? maybe?