Quote:
Originally Posted by starshine123102  Not to be picky, but as I learned in my linguistics class, no one language is any more complex or harder to learn than another, even when accounting for the mother language. |
I agree and disagree. If you are talking about learning a first language, then I agree that no one language is easier or harder to learn because language learning is essentially all about exposure and as long as someone is being exposed to the rules and sounds of a language then they will learn it.
However, if we are talking about learning a SECOND language then I definately think some languages are easier to learn than others. Just as an example, Spanish or German would be far easier than Mandarin because Mandarin is tonal. So really you have a whole extra and complex component that you have to deal with. The reason I think English is so difficult is not only because of its constant breaking of its own rules, but also because of its pretty rigid structure. As an example: in English, we pretty much insist on subject-verb-object sentences. There are other languages where it is acceptable to use more than just one order in sentences. You have a bit more flexibility.
Obviously whether English is easier or harder to learn as a second language isn't an issue of 'fact' since there's no way of proving it. It's just my opinion. I take your linguistics professor's view on it as opinion also, and I have found linguists to be a pretty opinionated (and suprisingly diverse) bunch.