difficult languages make our life difficult?

Question

Do you think people who 'speak' language with difficult grammar - lots of inflections, cases, numbers, tenses, genders, etc. - in their everyday life are wiser than people who speak a language with easier grammar?

I have been thinking why most languages with difficult grammar like Latin, Pali, and Old English are no longer spoken today.
Would that mean people all over the world are trying to make their life easier every day by make their language more easier to speak?

Answer 1

People's languages aren't difficult for native speakers. If it's the only thing you've ever known, it's second nature.

Trust me. I lived in Russia and met some of the world's drunkest men. They didn't strike me as particularly wise (or even particularly sane) but they all knew which case to use.

Answer 2

well, i think that this is a good question.
In my linguistic classes at the university, the teachers always told us that the languages are "alive". That means that are changing permanently. That's the case with the english from England and the english from USA, or with the spanish from Spain, and the spanish from Southamerica.
According with the zones, or with the jobs of many pple , some new words appear, and another ones are forgotten.
It is not something that any pple do it thinking about it. No one wake up in the morning thinking "i'll make my language easier to speak today" Things dont work like that. Many years are needed to incorporate new ways from a same word, as many time is needed also to lose some words.
Languages are changing everydays, and we dont realize, but surelly who realize about the changes are the ones that speak it in a purer way.
Example..english word night.....has been changed for nite in USA
Verb TO HAVE, in an easy way, in correct english never needed an auxiliary verb, but nowadays, in USA, is common to hear and even to read. " I do have..." instead of " I have"
So, i dont think the grammatical changes are for making a language easier, on the contrary, in that case, the correct form was easier that the new one.
Nowadays, the language changes according with the pple and the zone where they live in

Answer 3

those who say that English is the most puzzling haven't got idea about different lenguages. Even i do not communicate english okay, I truly have studied some chinese and eastern, and chinese is a approaches the most puzzling, no longer in straight forward words the writing... the sounds are very particular and also you want to coach your ears all of your existence! because all words sound similar hehe. that is genuine that english has many words, words for each thing, yet you are able to communicate comprehensible english with some words (like me, i'm hoping you are able to understand me :s) and english audio equipment do not use all those words. English is plenty better effective than chinese, no longer for being puzzling is better ideal.