What is the most difficult language on earth. The most difficult languages ​​to learn

In the world, according to various estimates, there are from 2000 to 6000 languages.

How to understand which of them is the most difficult? By what criteria is this determined?

Firstly, it is believed that it is very important which language is native for a person. And it will be easier for him to learn close languages. For example, it will be easier for a Pole to master Russian than, for example, Turkish.

Also look at the complexity of the grammar of the language. This is a very important indicator for determining what is the most difficult language.

The most difficult of the most common, according to linguists, are Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Interestingly, the perception of Chinese and Arabic human brain is different from the perception of other languages. For speakers of these languages, both hemispheres of the brain are involved in writing and reading, while for speakers of other languages, in this case, only one hemisphere works. Here we can conclude that the study of these languages ​​will help to greatly develop the brain.

What languages ​​are considered the most difficult to learn?

In Arabic, for example, in addition to writing from right to left, there is a difficult pronunciation, there is no logic in writing plural, many letters have four different meanings.

The Chinese language is difficult, first of all, because you need to memorize a huge number of hieroglyphs. To more or less read, you need to know at least 3,000. And there are more than 50,000 of them in the language. Tonal system of pronunciation. That is, if you pronounce it without the desired intonation, you may get a completely different meaning. Plus, the hieroglyph does not give an understanding of how the word should be pronounced.

Japanese is a completely confusing language. Firstly, the letter in it differs from pronunciation, secondly, there are three writing systems, and thirdly, you need to learn a huge number of hieroglyphs.

The Hungarian language is considered very difficult. It has 35 cases, many vowels, many suffixes. And his pronunciation is quite difficult.

Estonian has 12 cases and many different exceptions to the rules.

The Polish language is also quite difficult. You need to watch your pronunciation, otherwise you may not be understood.

The Icelandic language has many archaic forms that need to be memorized.

There are still a lot of less common languages, which are also very difficult to learn, which should be mentioned.



For example, Eskimo (63 forms of present tense), Chippewa (the language of the North American Chippewa Indians, the language contains about 6000 verb forms), Haida (the language of the Haida people living in the Northwest North America, there are 70 prefixes in the language), Tabasaran (one of the languages ​​of the inhabitants of Dagestan). These languages ​​entered the Guinness Book of Records for their complexity.



There are more such complex languages: Tuyuka (language of the eastern Amazon), Navajo (spoken by a bilingual people, there are no published articles on the grammar of this language), Basque (possibly the oldest language in Europe), Czech, Finnish, Lao, Nepalese, modern Hebrew, Russian , Serbo-Croatian, Sinhalese, Thai, Tamil, Turkish, Vietnamese.

The easiest languages ​​in the world

And the most simple are: Danish, Dutch, French, Haitian, Creole, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish. True, this is the data of American researchers. And they most correctly show the ease of learning a particular language for English-speaking students.

By the way, interesting thing, English is not considered the most easy language in the world. It has a lot of exceptions, a specific pronunciation, etc. There is an opinion that it became international by accident.

Language is a sign system consisting of sounds and words. Each nation has its own unique sign system due to its phonetic, grammatical, morphological and linguistic features. Moreover, simple languages can not be. Each of them has its own difficulties, which are immediately revealed in the process of studying. Below are the most complex languages ​​​​of the planet, the rating of which includes ten sign systems.

# 10 #

Finnish language

Finnish language is considered one of the most difficult sign systems in the world and deservedly so. It has up to 16 cases and several hundred verb forms and conjugations.

Here, graphic signs convey the phonetics of the word completely (everything is pronounced as it is written). This simplifies the language a bit. In Finnish grammar, there are several past forms at once and there are no forms of the future tense at all.

# 9 #

Icelandic

Icelandic It is one of the most difficult languages ​​to pronounce. Its sign system is considered associated with one of the oldest languages ​​in the world. It contains such linguistic units that are used only by native speakers themselves.

Phonetics is a big challenge for learning Icelandic. Only native speakers can accurately convey it.

# 8 #

Hungarian

Hungarian ranks among the top ten hardest languages ​​in the world to learn. It has 35 case forms and a lot of vowels, which are quite difficult to pronounce with their length.

The sign system of the Hungarian language has a complex grammar. It has an innumerable number of suffixes and set expressions that are characteristic only for this language. The vocabulary system of this language is distinguished by the presence of only two tense forms of the verb: past and present.

It is interesting to know which language is more difficult to learn - Spanish, English or some other. One of the most difficult is Russian, and the most common is English.

Is English difficult?

Why is it so difficult for Russian-speaking people to learn English? This is due to the fact that the Russian language is inflectional, that is, words can be put in a sentence as you like, while in English each word is in its specific place.

Some words are known to us due to the fact that they are used in Russian as borrowed from English. These are words such as elevator, rails, manager, finish, as well as jeans, content, and so on. In addition to such words, there are international words that sound the same in many languages. These are the words satellite, microscope, republic, police, etc.

If we believe the conclusions that British researchers made in their time, English is the most positive and simple language in comparison with other world languages.

Grammar is the backbone of every language. English in terms of grammar is one of the most logical and simple European languages. Due to the fact that there are practically no personal endings in English, it can be classified as an analytical language. Due to the lack of personal endings, it has a wide structure of grammatical tenses.

The main thing when studying is to understand that knowing the times does not mean knowing the language. Many have a fear of the times, which makes it impossible to continue the study.

The real difficulty in learning English is the many prepositions. They have to be taught for a long time and conscientiously, they have noticeable semantic functions, prepositions are used very actively in the language.

However, learning a language of any complexity will require both time and effort. It is impossible to learn any language both well and quickly. By the way, according to the site, the longest word in the world is in English language. More about the most long words in the world can be read.

Difficult Russian

The difficulty during the study of the Russian language by foreigners causes case declension. Another difficulty lies in the very long spelling of some words. It also causes difficulties that in Russian there are a considerable number of rules and more more exceptions from them. This language is difficult not only for foreigners, but also for ordinary students, for whom it is native.

Is Spanish difficult?

If we compare the grammar of Spanish with the grammar of the Russian language, then it is simpler. To master it, with hard work, one month is enough. In the same month, it is quite possible to learn a thousand words. This will be enough for simple communication.

It is believed that learning Spanish is much easier for native speakers of an Indo-European language, such as Russian or Icelandic. When communicating with Spanish speakers, it is difficult to get used to the fact that they pronounce consonants indistinctly. Having mastered elementary grammar and possessing some vocabulary, often recommend starting a conversation with a Spanish speaker, which will greatly speed up the learning of Spanish.

The most difficult foreign language in the world

It is known that, according to conservative estimates, there are no less than forty thousand languages ​​​​and dialects in the world. Eastern groups of languages ​​are considered one of the most difficult. Problems in the study cause both Arabic script and hieroglyphs. However, it is impossible to say unequivocally which language is the most difficult. This is influenced by several factors, including the degree of complexity depends on which language native to man who started studying foreign language.

Neurophysiologists report that the most difficult language to master is the one that is difficult for the native brain to perceive. given language. The most difficult languages ​​they call Chinese and Arabic.

We can confidently say that the Russian language, which is very difficult for the majority, is easier to learn by Czechs and Ukrainians, but for the Japanese it can be too difficult. If we talk about the complexity of the language, evaluating its writing, then the most difficult languages ​​\u200b\u200bare recognized as Chinese, as well as Japanese and Korean.

Many agree that the hardest language is the Basque language, since it is not related and does not look like any other language. known language, this applies not only to languages ​​of the living, but also of the dead. Its carriers are approximately six hundred and sixty thousand people. Basque has an extremely complex verbal structure. Scientists conclude that it arose even before the appearance of the Indo-European language group. The conclusion suggests itself that no matter what language a person is native to, mastering Basque will be extremely difficult for him. Eskimo, Chippewa, Tabasaran and Haida are also recognized as the most difficult.
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October 25, 2013

world languages

There are about 5-6 thousand different languages ​​​​on our planet, approximately 40 from this list are spoken by two-thirds of the total population. the globe. The most popular of them are: English, Chinese, Spanish, etc.

Among all this diversity, there are languages ​​that are spoken by billions of people, and there are those that do not know a large number of of people. Each language has its own letters, rules for writing words and phrases, pronunciation rules, and much more. This is what distinguishes them all from each other. Some of them are very difficult. Let's take a closer look at the complexity rating of languages.

Language for encryption

So, the well-known Icelandic language opens the top ten. It is characterized by its complex grammar and pronunciation. Some sounds have no analogues in other languages, even in English, so it will be very difficult for a beginner trying to learn it. In addition, Icelandic has many very old declensions and conjugations.

In ninth position is Polish language. Despite the fact that not many countries speak it, the language has as many as 7 cases. It should also be noted that it does not lend itself well to any grammatical rules and words - there are a lot of exceptions in it. All of them have to be memorized, otherwise there is no other way. Great importance has the same pronunciation. Only true Poles can speak without an accent, while foreigners cannot fully learn the pronunciation of words. All this makes the Polish language difficult to learn.

In eighth place is the Basque language. It has 24 cases and is very, very old. Its distinctive feature is the fact that the connection between words lies in the designation case endings. There are also some well-known moods here, for example, potential. In general, this indicates a difficult grammar and word formation.

On the seventh line is the Estonian language. It also has a lot of cases - 12. In addition to all this, words can have several meanings at once. There are also a large number of exceptions in the Estonian language, which makes it difficult to remember.

Sixth place rightfully belongs to the Navajo language. During the Second World War, this language was used by radio operators to encrypt messages. A very interesting fact is that there have never been any official textbooks or manuals for studying it. The grammar is also difficult. For example, when compared with many Slavic languages, then in it the faces differ not by the suffix, but by the prefix. There are many such examples.

Top five

The top five is opened by Japanese. It is very interesting in that children have to master writing and pronunciation separately, since the pronunciation and spelling of words are different. In addition to all this, you need to learn 10 - 15 thousand hieroglyphs, a bunch of borrowed words and all the grammar. There are practically no rules in it.

The fourth position is occupied by Hungarian. It has 35 cases, which already says a lot. There are many vowels in the alphabet, which makes it difficult to learn.

Another little-known language, Tuyuka, was in the top three. It has a lot of classes of nouns, and one word can mean a whole phrase. This is the language of the Amazon. Another feature is that here it is necessary to use special verb endings, which make it clear how the speaker learned about this fact.

Arabic and Chinese

The second place is occupied by the Arabic language.

Here many letters can be written in different ways, in four various options. There are more numbers here, another dual number is added. The present tense has 13 forms. Pronunciation is also important here. Therefore, in some countries, a conversation in the same Arabic may look different.

The first place undoubtedly goes to the Chinese language. There are no such languages ​​in terms of complexity. It contains many very ancient and complex hieroglyphs that cannot be read, but you can only remember their meanings. There are also 4 tones here. All this makes the Chinese language unique. Despite its features, there are many people in the world who are trying to comprehend it, but not everyone succeeds.

As for the Russian language, it is not among the ten most difficult, but stands a little behind. But nevertheless, due to its complex grammar, Russian is not easy.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the most difficult language for many years has been Chinese. It is followed by Arabic, which is spoken by many Muslims.

Learning a foreign language can be a very exciting experience. Knowing at least one more language opens up the possibility for you to interact with completely unfamiliar cultures. Some languages ​​are easier to learn than others. Thus, if you are not a masochist, we recommend that you avoid these 25 most difficult languages ​​to learn in the world. But if you managed to learn any of these languages, we shake your hand!

25. Tagalog.

An Austronesian language, Tagalog is quite popular in the Philippines, spoken by almost a quarter of the population.

24. Navajo.

The Navajo language is an ancient Athabaskan language spoken by an estimated 120,000 to 170,000 people in the southwestern United States.

23. Norwegian language.

This language, originally from northern Germany, has become the national language of Norway. Norwegian, along with Swedish and Danish, is similar to other Scandinavian languages ​​and has many similarities with Icelandic and Faroese.

22. Persian language.

Persian belongs to the Iranian group of Indo-European languages ​​and is mainly spoken in Afghanistan and Iran, as well as in Tajikistan and in other countries influenced by the Persians. Approximately 110 million people worldwide speak it.

21. Indonesian language.

For centuries, Indonesian has been the lingua franca of the entire Indonesian archipelago. It is considered one of the most widely spoken languages ​​in the world because Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world.

20. Dutch.

This language was born in western Germany. It is mainly spoken in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname. It currently holds the status of an official language in Aruba, St. Maarten and Curaçao and in parts of Europe and the United States. Dutch is closely related to English and German and does not use the Germanic umlaut as a grammatical marker.

19. Slovenian language.

Slovene is part of the South Slavic language group and is spoken by over 2.5 million people worldwide, mainly in Slovenia. This language is one of the 24 official working languages ​​of the European Union.

18. Afrikaans.

A West Germanic language spoken by natives of Namibia and South Africa as well as Zimbabwe and Botswana. It is considered to be an offshoot of various Dutch dialects and thus considered a relative of the Dutch language.

17. Danish.

Spoken by more than six million people worldwide, Danish is a North Germanic language that currently has the status of a national minority language. In Greenland approximately 15-20% total strength population speaks this language. It is similar to Swedish and Norwegian and is a descendant of Old Norse.

16. Basque language.

Basque is the inherited language of the Basque Country, which stretched from northeastern Spain to southwestern France. Almost 27% of the total population of the Basque territories speak this language.

15. Welsh.

Welsh is part of the Brythonic group of Celtic languages ​​spoken in Wales. This language used to have a lot different names, it was even called "British".

14. Urdu.

Better known as Modern Standard Urdu, this language is commonly associated with the Muslims who live in Hindustan. Urdu is also the official national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. One of 22 state languages in the constitution of India, it is similar to Hindi and identical to Hindi in terms of grammatical construction and basic structure.

13. Hebrew.

Hebrew is a West Semitic language that belongs to the Afroasian language family and was first used by ancient Jews in the 10th century BC. From the year 200 he ceased to be spoken language, but reappeared in the Middle Ages as the official language of the Jewish rabbis, and also began to be used in liturgical literature.

12. Korean.

Korean is official language in the North and South Korea It is spoken by more than 80 million people worldwide.

11. Sanskrit.

The main liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, Sanskrit is an old Indo-Aryan dialect that originated from Proto-Indo-Iranian and Proto-Indo-European. It is also one of the 22 official languages ​​of India and has a rich history of dramatic, poetic, as well as philosophical and technical texts.

10. Croatian language.

Croatian is one of the varieties of Serbo-Croatian and one of the official languages ​​of the European Union. It is based on the East Herzegovinian dialect, which is the basis for many other languages, including Montenegrin, Serbian and Bosnian.

9. Hungarian language.

Official in Hungary, this language is also the official language of the European Union and is spoken not only by communities in Hungary, but also by Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. It belongs to the Uralic language family and has similar dialects.

8. Gaelic.

Also known as Scottish, Gaelic is a Celtic language spoken by the natives of Scotland. It is a member of the Gaelic language family that was developed from Middle Irish, just like Manx and modern Irish.

7. Japanese language.

This East Asian language is the national language of Japan and is spoken by over 125 million people worldwide. A member of the Japanese language family, it is one of the most difficult languages ​​in the world due to its close relationship with Chinese and its complex system of honorifics.

6. Albanian language.

Indo-European, spoken by people in Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Macedonia, is an age-old language first spoken by the older communities of Montenegro, Italy, and Greece. It is closely intertwined with other languages ​​such as Germanic, Greek and Balto-Slavic, but its vocabulary is quite different from other languages.

5. Icelandic.

This North Germanic language is an Indo-European language that was influenced by Danish and Swedish after the colonization of the Americas.

4. Thai language.

Usually better known as Siamese or Central Thai, this language is the official national language of Thailand. It is a member of the Taya-Kadai language family and nearly half of its words are from Pali, old Khmer or Sanskrit. Thai is tonal and analytic and is known for its complex orthography and markers.

3. Vietnamese.

Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam, as well as the first or second language for many of its ethnic minorities. The Vietnamese dictionary has borrowings from Chinese, however the Vietnamese alphabet used today is essentially Latin alphabet with additional diacritics for tones and certain letters.

2. Arabic language.

Today's Arabic is a descendant of Classical Arabic, which was spoken in the 6th century. This language is spoken in huge number territories from the Middle East to the Horn of Africa. Most of its colloquial variants are illegible and are said to constitute a sociolinguistic language.

1. Chinese.

The Chinese language has many forms that are mutually incomprehensible. This language is spoken by approximately one-fifth of the world's population and is considered one of the most difficult languages ​​to learn. Chinese is spoken in Chinese People's Republic, Taiwan and Singapore.

Are you looking for this? Perhaps this is what you could not find for so long?