With such a large Hispanic population, there are many first, second or third generation Spanish speaking Latinos in the United States. In addition to that, there are thousands of visitors to the U.S., whether they are tourists, business people or students from Latin America or Spain. With such a large group of Spanish speaking people here, many wonder whether it is easier to learn English or Spanish. You may wonder this because you have friends or family that speaks Spanish and you are considering learning yourself. If you are from Hispanic descent or just simply know how to speak Spanish as well as English, you may be planning on raising your child or children bilingual. If this is the case, you might be wondering if it is more beneficial to start teaching one language prior to teaching the other or vice versa. No matter the reason, if you’re wondering if it’s easier to learn English or Spanish, we will examine some factors that may help you answer this question.
What Makes One Harder and One Easier?
Unfortunately there is not cut and dry answer to which one is easier to learn or even to what makes one language harder to learn than another language. A lot of what makes a language easy or difficult to learn depends on the individual involved. Some of the factors in this regard include:
The Individual’s Native Language
If the person learning a new language is an adult, young person or child who already has some sort of language skills, that individual’s native language will probably be the single most influential factor in whether Spanish or English is easier to learn. Languages that are similar to one’s native tongue will be easier, and ones that have little to no relation will be more difficult. For example, people who speak French and Italian will probably have an easier time learning Spanish, while those who speak Germanic languages such as Dutch and German will find English easier to learn.
Related Languages
Most people will have an easier time learning the language that is related in origins to a language they already speak. Related languages share many characteristics and this will often make them easier to learn. These similar characteristics can make for fewer new concepts to deal with, whether they have to do with style, grammar or usage.
Popular Opinion: English vs. Spanish
Popular opinion, as dictated by a few recent Yahoo Answers polls, seems to indicate that English is a bit more difficult to learn than Spanish. The chief reason given for this conclusion is that the English language is more complicated is the fact that it is full of nuances that are particular to any given case. Examples were given where people whose native language is English still have a hard time mastering the language because o f this reason. Other factors cited for why English may be a more difficult language to learn than Spanish include sentence structure, pronunciation and punctuation. Meanwhile, the top reason cited as Spanish being difficult to learn was conjugation of verbs.
Conclusion
The conclusion is that there is no definitive answer. Whether Spanish or English is easier to learn is truly in the eye of the beholder. It really does depend a lot on the person actually taking on the new language. So if you find yourself as in the case of the example given at the beginning of this article, debating whether to teach your child English or Spanish first, why not try both? Or, start out with either first. But if you have the option, teach them a second language soon...while they’re still young.
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