Why English is the hardest language to learn.?

Question

This really isn't a question, but I am looking for examples of why English is such a difficult language to learn. For example: Why do you drive on a parkway, and park on a driveway? Or Why does the alarm clock go off, by going on?

Answer 1

It's pronunciation that is the killer. We have silent letters like in the words: knight, pteric, design etc

Additionally pronunciation isn't consistent. Think of the word "through". Now think of the word "rough". You take off the first 2 letters and it's a totally different sounding word. Why isn't "through" really pronounced "thruff"?

Additionally, we have words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently. Look at "lead" (as in a lead pipe) or "lead" (as in lead me to paradise).

You are just focusing on idiosyncrasies of the language versus the other flaws inherent in the learning.

Answer 2

This is a question. The answer is almost American. :) English is the ultimate melting pot of languages... not only that... it is forever morphing. A person who knows English must know common acronyms now: lol, asap, w/o, etc. A person who learns English must be able to discern why we call a certain fish in Southern California a "Sammon" but we call a nut a "ALLmond" in Northern California it is still a Sammon (spelled Salmon) but the nut is also a Ammon (spelled almond). To really hurt the foreigner's feelings, California is considered the state with no accent! Wait until they hit the dialects of Louisiana, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Texas, and... Hawaii!!!

Answer 3

i am a moment language speaker of english and that i feel english isn't that convenient however now not that tough both. might be it is for the reason that i began studying it considering i used to be a bit child. the brick partitions in english might be are = a million. you do not pronounce a phrase identical to the letter sounds within the english alphabet. good, feel approximately spanish.. two. a few grammar three. vast variety of vocabs each and every language has its possess problems.

Answer 4

This isn't really an answer to your question, more a related anecdote. There was a book published at least 15 years ago called "English as a second f@#king language" (that is roughly how they presented the title). It was a dictionary/how to for swearing for non native English speakers.

Answer 5

I think learning a language with ease depends on your brain and how good you are at symbols and the like. A personw ho has never taken a language class can pick up foreign languages very easily if his/her brain works better that way than most. also a person who has been exposed to different languages at an early age will do better at learning other languages later on in life.
Languages are very complex because they reflect the culture and people who speak them.

Answer 6

Well, there are about 20 different meanings to many words. Every foreigner I have met has said that English is a very easy language though, so go figure!!!

Answer 7

I was forced to learn English at a young age and then sent to an English boarding school as a teenager. My opinion is that Chinese or Russian is harder than English. Or how about in Japanese: you cannot stand by a window you must stand in a place by a window: mado no tokoro ni tatsu, you know? At least that is what I hear.

Answer 8

Well. I don't know. I'm just glad it's my native language!!!

Here is something random --

The English language has the least rhyming words, than any other language in the world.

Answer 9

English is not the hardest language to learn. The hardest language would have to be Japanese.

Answer 10

I think it's because English is known for having problems with semantics, like you mentioned in your question. "I saw the dolphin with binoculars" is an ambiguous sentence. I don't know if any other language has the same issues.