What is the hardest language to learn for non English speakers?

What is the hardest language to learn for non English speakers?

Japanese is ranked by the U.S. Foreign Services Institute as the most difficult language for native English speakers to learn. The institute uses the time it takes to learn a language to determine its difficulty 23-24 weeks for the easiest and 88 weeks for the hardest.

How hard is English to learn for non native speakers?

But despite all this, in certain respects, English is, nevertheless, inherently difficult to learn. One reason is that English has a baffling spelling system, even for native speakers, or kids going to school. So it’s hard for non-native speakers to get to grips with the downright baffling spelling system of English.

Why do Japanese have trouble learning English?

The reason Japanese have difficulty with English is because of the limited range of vocalization used in the Japanese language. Unless pronunciations and nuances of foreign languages are learned in childhood, the human ear and brain has difficulty in discerning them. Here is the Japanese Kana (phonetic) syllabary.

Why is English so hard for foreigners?

So what is it that makes English so hard for foreigners to learn? The answer is: the combination of its vocabulary, orthography, and pronunciation. Most languages have a regulatory body which issues spelling reforms as the pronunciation of the language develops (which happens much faster than one might have expected).

Can someone forget their native language?

It’s possible to forget your first language, even as an adult. Most long-term migrants know what it’s like to be a slightly rusty native speaker. The process seems obvious: the longer you are away, the more your language suffers.

Do most native English speakers not know what it’s like to communicate?

Many do not know what it’s like to communicate in a second language. It might be a generalisation but many native speakers of English have never learnt another language, and many of those who have, did so at a Secondary school level and never had to actually communicate in their second language.

Why do native speakers have a hard time understanding foreign accents?

Native speakers who do not have the opportunity to encounter a variety of nationalities often find it hard to understand certain foreign accents. Being the ‘native speaker’, it is easy to blame this difficulty on the speaker’s ‘bad pronunciation’ or ‘bad English’ and not on their own lack of exposure.

Is mother tongue the same as native English speaker?

No, mother tongue would be a synonym for Native speaker. You could be a fluent English speaker for using it so often. For me, native English speakers are only those whose parents speak English natively, no matter where they were born. There is a difference between “native language” and “first language”.

What is the difference between a native speaker and a non-native speaker?

But non-native speakers of English, albeit from different language and cultural backgrounds, have an understanding of what it means to be communicating in a language that is not their mother tongue. And native speakers on the other hand are at a disadvantage when it comes to using English internationally.