People often ask which is the most difficult language to learn, and it is not easy to answer because there are many factors to take into consideration.
Firstly, in a first language the differences are unimportant as people learn their mother tongue naturally, so the question of how hard a language is to learn is only relevant when learning a second language. A native speaker of Spanish, for example, will find Portuguese much easier to learn than a native speaker of Chinese because Portuguese is very similar to Spanish, while Chinese is very different, so first language can affect learning a second language. The greater the differences between the second language and our first, the harder it will be for most people to learn. Many people answer that Chinese is the hardest language to learn, possibly influenced by the thought of learning the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese does appear to be very difficult for many foreign learners. However, for Japanese speakers, who already use Chinese characters in their own language, learning writing will be less difficult than for speakers of languages using the Roman alphabet.
No language is easy to learn well, though languages which are related to our first language are easier. Learning a completely different writing system is a huge challenge, but that does not necessarily make a language more difficult than another. In the end, it is impossible to say that there is one language that is the most difficult language in the world.
(Extracted from https://www.usingenglish.com/comprehension/5.html)
True or False?
- The question of how hard a language is to learn is relevant to both first and second language acquisition.
_________________
- Portuguese is definitely easier than Chinese. _________________
- Many language learners say that Chinese is the hardest language to learn because of the Chinese writing system, and the pronunciation of Chinese. _________________
- The writer thinks that learning new writing systems is easy. _________________
Questions
- Which of the following is the definition of "take into consideration"?
A. solve the problem B. discuss C. think carefully about C. take action
- Which of the following is the best heading for the passage?
A. Chinese is the most difficult language to learn in the world.
B. Which is the hardest language?
C. Both first and second languages are hard to learn.
D. Roman alphabet and Chinese characters.
