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Learning English is something that you really have to do if you want to make it big in today's world. Between the type of English common in the United States and the type of English common in the United Kingdom, most of the world's population is represented in terms of people that know how to speak English. All of the major business is transacted in that language and everyone that happens to be rich, successful or otherwise powerful in the world today learned English at some point in their life.
Now that it has been established that learning English is essential, it is time to think about the different times in a person's life that learning English can be ideal. While there is no one particular ideal age at which to learn English, there are times when it can be better to do so and those times are discussed at length below.
From Birth
The absolutely most ideal age at which learning English can happen is at birth. When a baby speaks their first words, if those words are in English, then English will be the first language that they learn. This also makes it the easiest language for them to learn as many babies never end up learning another language after they have learned their initial one. Some people just have a mental block when it comes to learning languages, which is why English as their first language is absolutely the best way to go.
During Primary Schooling
If a child has not learned English as their first language, then the next best time to get them to learn it would be during the time in their life when they are thinking about doing primary schooling. Primary schooling is extremely important and allows children to expand their knowledge and grow on multiple fronts during the second group of formative years in their life (the first being their pre-school years). Because of the rapid rate at which children tend to learn at this age, English language training is definitely a good idea.
During Secondary Schooling
If a child has gone through the initial and primary school years of their life without learning English, then you will want to make sure that you start them on an English language learning course right away. While secondary school students are still learning a lot, the information that high school gives them is largely specialized information. This is quite different from the formative study they undertake in primary school which in turn means that teaching them something as basic as a new way of speaking is a lot harder to do.
During Post-Secondary Schooling
While a large argument is currently raging across academic circles at which time is better to learn English between secondary and post-secondary schooling, most people tend to believe that post-secondary schooling provides an environment that makes learning a new language a lot easier to do. People are exposed to new ideas and concepts that might completely change the way they look at and think about life in post-secondary school and that makes taking on big new challenges like learning English easier to do than it would be in secondary school.
As an Adult
It is possible for an out of school adult to learn English, but it is at the same time a lot harder to do. The thing that makes it easier for adults to learn English sometimes is the fact that adults that are out of school tend to have a far more disciplined approach to things like this and for that reason have the ability to grasp information pertinent to their life at a relatively quick pace.
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.