Which European language is easiest to learn for native English speakers? Some of you might ask is the question even relevant? After all, isn’t English the common language of the Internet, entertainment, education, and business? I suppose an argument could be made that English currently dominates many areas of business and cultural life to a greater degree than any other language.
However, to lesser degrees the same case could’ve been made for other languages in the past. Before the rise of English, French enjoyed primacy as the language of the ruling and educated classes. Latin and perhaps even more so Greek before it can also lay claim to at least temporary dominance for large percentages of the human population. Perhaps it’s only the limits and penetration of their technology that prevented one of those ancient languages from becoming a true world language. If the Romans or ancient Chinese invented the internet would English exist?
Bringing things back to the present, English isn’t even the most spoken first language today. In a pure numbers game, Hindi, Mandarin, and Spanish are the first languages of more people than English. That said, English is understood by more people than any other language. To borrow from the Renaissance era, English is a modern Lingua Franca or for you fantasy fans, a common tongue.
As an interesting (at least to me) aside, the term Lingua Franca is an amalgamation of several languages. Lingua, meaning language, has Portuguese and Italian roots, while Franca, meaning Frankish, is related to Greek and Arabic words for Western Europeans. The combination describes the common trading language between the Arabs, Byzantines, and primarily Italian traders in the eastern Mediterranean.
Back on topic, some may argue that technology is making language a non-issue. While we still don’t have a Star Trek-like universal translator, smartphone apps are pretty close. There may be some truth to that argument. However, I would argue there’s more to language than literal translation. Beyond words language helps create culture. Humans created language to communicate ideas. Many ideas are universal, but culture gives those ideas added meaning. If you want to understand another culture, you must understand jokes in their language.
Weeks to learn a new European language (courtesy of the Foreign Service Institute)
From personal experience, I haven’t found any of them particularly easy, but perhaps that’s just one of my many blind spots. Do you think you could learn French in 24 weeks?
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
Note to Pay the Bills: While Celtic languages are omitted from this map, Welsh is prominently featured in the award winning Misaligned Series. Underpinned by Welsh mythology and the basic elements of String Theory, the three book series explores the intersection of science and myth. Check out a summary of the series here or find links to purchase books here.
Giving credit where credit is due, my English would not be as good as it is today if it were not for taking Latin. In grade school I struggled with English. In high school, where I took 4 years of classical Latin, my perception and understanding of English vocabulary improved immensely. So much English, after all, has it’s roots in classical Latin.
I think every American should experience the challenge of at least one second language. I not while in school, then as an adult. Today my recommendation would be a currently in use language (Spanish, French, maybe even Japanese or Chinese). Doing so helps us to appreciate other cultures and gives us at least a tiny framework for communicating with others outside of the US. Your Map Monday could be a nice little nudge for someone to try. Nice work.
I too benefited from a little (2 years in my case) high school Latin. English was always one of my weaker school subjects – so of course when it came to looking for a creative outlet I chose writing. Perhaps, my logic or critical thinking skills aren’t as strong as I think. In any event, I appreciate your comment. It’s not often that someone finds my blogs useful in nudging a positive dialogue. I guess I’m slipping. Thanks, Rick.