Thoughts on the World discussion

What language do you think is the hardest to learn?

I think probably Greek or one of those ancient languages. There was this one I know is really hard to learn, but I can't think of it right now...

True, because there isn't really anyone around who speaks them daily, so it would be easy to get out of practice. I was thinking Japanese or Arabic, because you'd have to learn a whole different set of characters to write and read it.

Yes, those lanugages are also hard to learn considering reading and writing. Actually, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean sometimes mix the characters together so they have some of the same characters. However, they have totally different meanings in each language.

I never knew that. *Grins* So don't try to learn them at once.

Yep! If I did, my brain would explode...

Korean, Japanese and languages like that do sound hard to learn. I think latin is the hardest to learn. I don't know why.

Latin? One of my friends is learning it, but she says it's not that hard. Hm...It DOES sound hard, though.

i think greek, latin, or hebrew (im not jewish but my friends say it's hard)

Hebrew isn't hard for me- well, it's my second language- but I can see why it would be hard for people learning it. I think Chinese would be hard!

Hebrew is hard to write! I had to write my name in Hebrew for English since we were learning about the Holocaust.

Yeah, I thought it was hard to write at first too, but once I learned it it's actually pretty easy. The only thing is, the spelling is really hard- there is more than one letter for the same sound!!

oh dear that sounds hard!!!
i bet english is hard for other peeps... it's confusing!

I've often herd that of all the languages, English is the hardest because of how iregular it is. I still find that hard to belive, because I've been speaking it all my life, plus I'm trying to learn another language right now, and it seems hard because of all those frustrating irregular verbs and the different "genders" of them.

Yeah, every verb in Hebrew has a feminine/masculine word, and all the adjectives too and stuff...it gets so confusing, even for me, sometimes.

I've heard that English is hard to learn. It makes a lot of sense. I mean blue looks like it should sound like blu-e.

I think Chinese is really hard, even though it's my second language, it's still hard for me. It isn't like English, which has a set of letters and all the words are made of the letters. There are...a lot of words. Like, over...I don't know. But you get the point.

Yeah, it is. Plus, you can mix and match the characters and if you get one part wrong, it's a totally new word! It confuses me sometimes...

And I went to my friend's bat mitzvah once (did I spell that right?) and she was talking in Hebrew. I think that language would also be really hard to learn.

Yup...

hm. well, i kno how to speak gibberish (yes there is a way) oh yes!!! i am so good.

I can speak in different voices. It's so much fun to do that!

And I went to my friend's bat mitzvah once (did I spell that right?) and she was talking in Hebrew. I think that language would also be really hard to learn.
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Yeah, it's so hard to read Hebrew on the spot!! And when I write, I have such bad spelling, since there's a million different letters for the same sound...it gets confusing sometimes!!

Yep! But it sounds so cool, though!

Uh-huh. I don't know what you're talking about, lol! XDD

seems like it...

I know piglatin!! Well, then again, don't we all.

Oday ouyay nowyay igpaw atinlay? Iay nowyay histay anguagelay!

I have studied both Ancient Greek and Latin, I actually have several books on both topics. Like every new language they can be difficult but out of all the languages I have looked at these would be the easiest. Probably because they are so very close to our own language.

I took one look at chinese and decided that I'm not that smart so Kudos to you who are learning that language! I wish the best! :D

I hear that Arabic and Hebrew are both very hard but the good news is if you learn one the other will come very easily 'cause they are like sister languages. oh, Swahili would also open up as an easier option if one learned either Arabic or Hebrew.

It's exciting to see others as enthused about foreign languages as myself. It's a bit difficult to find people such as yourselves in a country that believes that we all just speak one language, "American." :(

lol. why is that? why do you go?

I'd say English. I know, it's really easy, but I mean ALL the vocabulary, words. Because of our mixed country, every generation's language seems to always change. Chinese have a set language and to describe something is always the same, unlike English where the terms always change... like cold can be frigid, cold, icy, ect... there is no set term where it is just, cold. Like the English back in history, their words are used different than ours... it gets kind of confusing to read the old books because our generation is so distant from thiers... so English would be the hardest to me... in the vast vocabulary and words wise...

Yep! When I was young, I thought colour and color were different words... took me a while to figure out they were the same! Confused me ALOT!

igpay atinlay isay osay uchmay unfay otay itewray inay. (did I do it right?)

Yeah. You wrote Si instead of Is. Thats all!

no, it's AY. Appeeshkay?

Sorry, just learned it. Lot's of fun though.

I can understand Piglatin but I can't speak it.

Idigi knodigo howdigow todigo speakdigeek gibdigiberdigerishdigish. (that was gibberish for i kno how to speak gibberish.))

Wow! I can't do that.

u use a silable and then dig and something that rhymes with the sillable. I-dig-i mean I.

Look at tihs. Ins't it werid? Can you raed tish?

o yea i heard of that! with the letters mixed up but the same! its' cool.

Yeah, that is bizarre. I have seen it before though. But it is hard to write words that way. I tried once, and it didn't work too well.

As for pig latin, Iay ancay eadray itay, itewray itay, eakspay itay, anday underay andstay itay enwhay otheray eoplepay eakspay itay.

I have tried to have conversations in pig latin before, but none of my friends have the language down as well as I do. My brother and sister are fluent though.

And now for the original question:Which language is hardest to learn?
I really think it depends on what language is your first one. For instance, if you are chinese, English would be hard, but if you are american, chinese would be hard. However, for english speakers, I don't think that german and spanish are as hard, because they are germanic languages like english. I'm taking german next year. :) and someday I am going to go to germany, and poland too, and england. Those are the countries where my ancestors are from.

Oh, I've seen that- that thing where if the first and last letters are the same, you can read it. Here's the exception:

igmae

the first and the last letters are the same, but it took awhile for you to tell that it's image, didn't you?

I can sorta speak gibberish. My sister taught me, but I forgot.

I could read it, but it did take a second. Hey, Veronica, I'm still learning to speak pig latin faster, so, as soon as I get it down we can talk. I'm just slow at interpreting.

Ah it did take me a second... but readable.. yet confusing when you first glance over it. What exactly is pig latin? Just adding -ay? If so... wow I've been speaking pig latin when I was bored!

There's a few different ways that I've heard of, but the one I use you take everything before the first vowel and attach it to the end and add ay. So bug would be ug-bay and crow would be ow-cray. Get it?

My mom learned it a different way, though. She says you only take off the first letter. So instead of crow being ow-cray, it would be row-cay. I don't know which is right, but I like the one I use 'cause then you can say my name. Enzie-McKay.

lol makes me think of crayfish...

OW!!! Crayfish!

I get it now! Okay I'm just going to take off the letters off before the first vowel... that way seems more pig-latinish... plus because it seems harder!

Let me try!

ello-hay ere-thay! ow-hay (wait what if the first letter is a vowel?!?!) are-ay ou-yay?

Mhmm... but yet so cool! I love it! I just need to learn the real way... I should ask my English teacher!

I think it is a code so older siblings can talk in front of younger siblings that are too young to get it. Or so they can talk in front of parents, unless the parants know it.

Lol, Veronica. It's so much fun to talk and have no one understand you. It's so fun to watch others reactions.

I agree, Kenzie! To Oakwar's comment...once, my friends and I got in trouble with the JCC's (Jewish Community Center's) head guy. We were following him, and trying to figure out how to get out of it. Since we all go to a Jewish school, and we learn Hebrew, we all knew a bit. One of my friends and I were fluent, but the others just knew a bit...so we were talking back and forth in Hebrew, and the guy got really annoyed with us.