Which language do you learn best?

Which language do you learn best?

We ask which language can best be learned, based on fact -based criteria, to help you choose the right language

In the past two years I have spent some time to learn Spanish. The progress was slow but steady.

I visited a 10-week evening course at the Center for Languages ​​of the UCL, completed the levels 1-3 by Rosetta Stone and ended the Duolingo tree, which means that I can lead a kind of conversation, but always peppered with errors and breaks.

If I can get used to mistakes, I will hopefully improve on our trip through South America in the next six months.

Peter absolutely wants to learn a second language, but is not yet sure which is the best. It is a dilemma with which many potential learners are confronted, and it often blocks their efforts as a whole.

What if I choose the wrong one?

In the following we take a look at the best language for learning based on different criteria, offer suggestions for each category and check whether every criterion is actually a good way to decide which language you should learn.

1. The most widespread language

Mandarin: 955 million speaker Spanish: 405 million English: 360 million Hindi: 310 million Arabic: 295 million (source: national cyclopedin)

"" the most widespread "is a general decision -making factor, but it is also a bit misleading. It indicates that the language is spoken in large parts of the world, although some of the top 10 are actually limited to a close area and only qualify in their nation states because of the large population.

Take the picture below. More people live within this circle than outside. If you learned Chinese, you could speak to 37 % of the world's population, but according to the CIA World Factbook, only three countries count mandarin as a national language.

In contrast, French is a national language in about 29 countries around the world. Is Mandarin really spoken "further"? If you do not plan to spend a lot of time in China and its rural areas, this reason can be a distraction maneuver.

alt = ““ Span Class = "Media-Credit"> Fair use

There is also the argument that Mandarin will tear English as a lingua franca in the world. These fears are largely unfounded, says Dr. John McWhorter, author and linguist at Columbia University.

In his book "The Language Hoax", he explains that Mandarin is extremely difficult to learn beyond childhood and that the true mastery of the writing system requires in practice to be born for it.

The accessibility of the English, he says, has secured his position as a world language, and when China rules, it will rule in English, just as the Mongols and Manchu China once ruled without spreading their own language.

If you only want to learn a language from showing, then choose Mandarin. Otherwise read on.

2. Best language to learn the business language

English (USA: 17,968 GDP and UK: 3,039 GDP) Mandarin (China: 11.385) Japanese (Japan: 4.116) German (Germany: 3.325) French (France: 2.418) (Source: World Economic League Table 2016)

Another popular criterion for the choice of a language is the potential career advantages that it could offer. The reason is that if you can talk in the language of the strongest economies in the world, you are better positioned for employment and ascent.

Under this criterion, Mandarin is again the best language that you can learn as an English speaker. However, it should be pointed out again that mandarin will probably not become a standard language for companies due to his complexity. In fact, it is difficult enough for natives.

Take this anecdote of Sinologist David Moser: In his essay why is Chinese so Damn Hard, he writes that he once asked three doctoral students from the Beijing University how to write the equivalent of "Niesen". None of them could correctly represent the characters.

Moser explains that the Beijing University is considered 'Harvard Chinas' and asks: "Can you imagine that three doctoral students in English in Harvard forgot how to write the English word 'sneeze'?"

If you want to improve your employment prospects by really mastering a language (instead of simply adding it in your resume as a “basic level”), consider one of the languages ​​below in the top 5.

French, for example, is not only good for business, it is even spoken around the world (i.e. in more than one handful of countries).

3. Sightness of learning

sorted by most speakers to very few speakers: Spanish -Portuguese French franco -mitänischrandänische -derbian -Swedish -Swedish -Swedish -Swedish -based pathic (source: Foreign Service Institute, US Department of State)

If you want to learn a language only for academic reasons (i.e. to train your learning muscles or just as a hobby), then the difficulty level is a completely acceptable choice.

According to the Foreign Service Institute of the US State Department, English-speaking people can learn eight European languages ​​and Afrikaans relatively easily (with 600 lessons per language). The following graphic also shows other common languages ​​in increasing level of difficulty.

The simple choice of language can quickly build self -confidence and give them the motivation to continue to speak fluently.

alt = "best-language-to-learning

Read more about those most difficult to learn.

4. Beauty

French Spanishi -Italian Portuguity -Romanian

Unfortunately, there is no way to subjectively measure the beauty of languages. However, if they are determined to become a modern Don Juan, only a few would argue against the above Romanesque languages.

As a figure from The Matrix puts it, even the cursing in French is "how to wipe the ass with silk". You can't contradict that.

5. Culture

Finally we come to the probably best criterion for choosing the best language for learning.

In which country or in which countries do you see yourself as a time mediator? How much do you like the locals? Which literature would you like to read in the original language? Which films would you like to understand?

If you have a real interest and a passion for a language and culture behind it, you will rather persevere when you hit a wall.

I love Spain and the Spaniards and always wanted to go to South America. I would like to read Gabriel García Márquez in his original language and see Almodóvar in his.

For these reasons I can hold out if I have the feeling that I did not make much progress last year, or if the difference between the participle and gerund is seriously nerves.

If I learned mandarin to indicate or have employment prospects, I am not sure whether I would stay with it.

Note from the editor: Our guide, as you can see more of the world, contains an entire chapter on language learning, including expert advice from six polyglottes (of which one of which speaks nine languages!).

best language for learning: judgment

If I took a completely objective point of view, I would suggest that French is the language you should learn.

it fulfills all criteria. It may not be the most widespread language, but its reach goes much further than Mandarin and his economy is only behind China, Japan and Germany with regard to non -English -speaking countries.

In addition, French is relatively simple, sounds beautiful and also has a rich and colorful culture.

So although I learn Spanish as my third language, I would recommend French as the best language to learn.

alt = “>

Mission statement: Dreamstime

 .