Learning a new language can be challenging, but it is definitely doable. With a little effort and the right resources, you can learn any language what you wish. Of course, the time required to learn a new language will vary depending on several factors such as motivation, free time and the language itself.
The breakdown of how long it might take to learn another language depends on the situation, but according to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the training academy for American diplomats, it will be times.
The FSI classifies the world’s most popular languages into four groups based on how many weeks it takes to acquire “general knowledge”.
Category I languages require 24 to 30 weeks or 600 to 750 classroom hours to study.
- Danish (24 weeks)
- English (24 weeks)
- Dutch (24 weeks)
- Italian (24 weeks)
- Romanian (24 weeks)
- Norwegian (24 weeks)
- Spanish (24 weeks)
- Portuguese (24 weeks)
- Swedish (24 weeks)
- French (30 weeks)
Category II languages require approximately 36 weeks or 900 classroom hours to study.
Category II languages are somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty. They require more time and effort to learn than Category I languages. Studying a Category II language takes about 36 weeks or 900 hours of study to achieve general proficiency.
Some examples of Category II languages are German (the most widely spoken language in the European Union after English), Haitian Creole, Indonesian, Malay and Swahili.
Category III languages are more difficult and take approximately 44 weeks or 1,100 classroom hours to complete. Some examples of category III languages are Albanian, Burmese, Czech, Farsi, Latvian, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, but it gives a general idea.
Category IV languages are considered “super complex” and are the most difficult to learn.
As you might have guessed, the fourth and final category is for the most difficult languages. These are known as Category IV languages and require the most dedication, for example 88 weeks. For example, they are very difficult for native English speakers in terms of grammar, structure and phonetics.
Category IV languages include Arabic, Chinese-Cantonese, Chinese-Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.
So which language should you choose?
It depends on how much time you are willing to dedicate and what you want out of it. If you’re going on a short holiday and want to learn a few basic phrases, you can choose a Category I language: Italian or Portuguese. These languages are relatively easy to learn and you can make significant progress in a short time.
But if you’re looking for a challenge and don’t have a specific goal, you might consider studying a Category IV language such as Arabic or Chinese.
Ultimately the choice is yours. Whatever language you learn, it can open up new opportunities for travel, work and personal growth.
Source: Digital Trends
I am Garth Carter and I work at Gadget Onus. I have specialized in writing for the Hot News section, focusing on topics that are trending and highly relevant to readers. My passion is to present news stories accurately, in an engaging manner that captures the attention of my audience.
