Le
Français . . .
pas compliqué
Below, I present a number of links to opinions, facts, impressions and
scales pronouncing or pointing to the comparative difficulty of
different languages in the eyes of individuals or learning groups. Some
of the conclusions in this random collection seem to be more
statistically, logically or scientifically grounded than others. Some
are the interactive product of popular discussion forums. Some are the
kind of statements you might expect from disgruntled learners.
French does not always fare well, but overall it is judged to be among
the easier to learn foreign languages for Anglophones. In reading the
links, remember the question of which language is the most difficult
can have no universal answer, but that accessible and well-stated
opinions or well-presented factual information does have weight:
Defense Language Institute (see under "Language Schools" number of
weeks for course completion)
http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academics_index.html
DLIFLC academic information (ACADEMIC CREDIT)
http://www.dliflc.edu/academics/academic_affairs/dli_catalog/acadcred.htm
Language Training and Skills (Answers.com)
http://www.answers.com/topic/language-training-and-skills
What is the most difficult [language] to learn ?
http://www.micheloud.com/FXM/LA/LE/relfdif.htm
The Hardest Language to Learn Survey (Language-Learning-Advisor.com)
http://www.language-learning-advisor.com/hardest-language-to-learn-survey.html
Which languages are the most difficult in your opinion?
http://help.berberber.com/forum27/8336-languages-most-difficult-your-opinion.html
Which languages are the most difficult to learn? (Omniglot - the blog)
http://www.omniglot.com/blog/2006/04/21/difficult-languages/
6 Responses to “Relative difficulty”
http://www.omniglot.com/blog/2006/05/17/relative-difficulty/
How Difficult Is German Compared With Other Languages?
http://www.aatg.org/content/view/253/44/
What Makes One Language Harder or Easier Than Another?
http://www.aatg.org/content/view/253/44/
Language difficulty scale? "Easy" vs. "Difficult" languages, etc.
http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9609&L=flteach&T=0&P=66914
Language difficulty scale?
http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9609&L=flteach&T=0&P=62347
"The Japanese are Japanese because they speak Japanese"
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002041.html
Student & teacher rankings of language difficulty
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~eagerchm/tutorial/attitudes.html
Language profiles
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/languages/most-difficult-languages.html
Specific Languages : Most difficult languages
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3121
How Difficult Is German Compared With Other Languages?
http://www.aatg.org/content/view/253/44/
Difficulty of languages (MTG Salvation forums)
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=58881
Which is the most difficult language? (UsingEnglish.com)
http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/hardest-language.php
What is the most difficult language to learn? (Johns Hopkins Magazine)
http://www.jhu.edu/~jhumag/0299web/degree.html#language
Why Arabic Is the Most Difficult Language for Localization
(Translation.Directory.com)
http://www.translationdirectory.com/article460.htm
Chinese and French; which one is more difficult?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061210223343AAAHktG
Spanish is Easier than French... Not!
http://french.about.com/cs/teachingresources/a/spanishiseasier.htm
Easiest Language
http://home.unilang.org/main/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7951&start=15&sid=f8407b0b7c0ca04977b4676b2adb97b6
What is the most difficult language to learn? (E. L. Easton)
http://eleaston.com/why.html#diff
Why Chinese Is So Damn Hard (Pinyin.info) - article
http://pinyin.info/readings/texts/moser.html
Why Chinese is so Damn Hard (Chinese Pod Blog) - discussion
http://blogs.chinesepod.com/2006/08/29/why-chinese-is-so-damn-hard/
Language difficulty essay: Mandarin vs. Cantonese
http://www.chinese-lessons.com/cantonese/difficulty.htm
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