So many languages; so little time

With approximately 4000-6000 (or maybe even more) languages in the world, how does an enthusiastic language learner choose a language to focus on?  The reasons for choosing a language are highly individual.  Some are practical choices.  Others are emotionally charged.  And still others are pure whimsy.

First are the language choices made by your head.  You need formal credits for a degree requirement in high school or college, for example.

 

Your language decision is based on which language offers you the best opportunity to complete a course of study.  Or you are training for a career for which a second language is required or useful, such as international business, translation, or language instruction.

 

Which language to choose may be decided for you based on future job opportunities. Lists of the most important world languages differ, but the following languages show up consistently: (in alphabetical order)  Arabic, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.   

A second category of language choices involves an emotional attachment.

You want to learn the language of your ancestors  Or you have a friend or significant other who speaks another language. Your decision may be motivated by doing a student abroad program in another country or a brief overseas visit.  You may be planning to travel to Italy and rent a villa, or vacation in the Dominican Republic.  Beloved songs, poetry, and literature can also lead a learner to choose a certain language.

 

You may be a fan of a foreign sports figure, such as a soccer player, mixed martial arts fighter, or a motorcycle racer who inspires you to study their native language.

The last category of language choice is my favorite - whimsy.  Choosing a language on a lark.

Maybe you like the way it sounds   (I definitely get a pleasant feeling when hearing Portuguese on my Duolingo program.)  You have always wanted to learn X language, but you can't really put your finger on why.  You consider studying a language as entertainment rather than a chore. Why study X language?  Because it is there, like Mt. Everest. 

So why have you personally chosen a certain foreign language?  My Italian instructor observed recently, "You have to love a language in order to learn it well." Having a love affair with another language sounds like a great way to increase the endorphins in our brains that make living a wonderful experience. 

      

Learning Multiple Languages—Help or Hindrance?

I have always believed that you can't be too thin, too rich, or know too many languages.  So it was a shock to me recently when my Italian instructor advised me otherwise.  Here is what happened.

It was the first day of Italian class, a mixed level class, so the instructor asked how many of us were Italian language beginners.  I raised my hand and added that I already spoke Spanish and Portuguese, which I thought would move me out of the novice category.  Imagine my surprise when she said, "Forget everything you know about those languages for this class." What??? Not only was my ego bruised, but I think she was dead wrong!

One of the reasons I chose to enroll in Italian class is that Italian is a member of the Romance family of languages, that is, languages derived from Latin.

Italian was the only major Romance language that I haven't studied yet. Surely I had somewhat of a head start with this new language?

The first challenge was to attune my ear to three of the unique sounds of Italian.  One of the main sound differences between Italian and Spanish is the Italian "c" in "ce" and "ci," which is pronounced like the English "ch" sound. In Spanish, the same "c" has an English "s" sound. For example, the word "cena" (supper) means "supper" in both languages, but the beginning sound is slightly different. Try saying it!  Not hard, just hard to remember at times.  Also, Italian "s" between vowels is an English "z" sound, which is different from Spanish, but the same as Portuguese.  Try saying "casa" in Italian.

Another major sound difference in Italian and Spanish is the frequent use of double consonants in Italian, which require a longer sound.  My cat, Bitsy, is a "gata" in Spanish, but in Italian, she is a "gatta."  I think those double consonants give Italian a special rhythm.  But the other Italian consonants and vowels are familiar to me from other Romance languages. (I'm contrasting my struggles to understand and speak Irish Gaelic, which I have been studying for about two years now!)

On to Italian vocabulary. Over 80% of words in Italian and Spanish are similar.  What a blessing.  I should be able to read and at least make a good guess at the majority of Italian words right now.  If you know Spanish, see if you can guess the meaning of these Italian words:  uno, spagnola, amico, macchina, musica, farmacia, contenta, importante, bene, casa.  (Uno, española, amigo, máquina, música, farmacia, contenta, importante, bien, casa.)  Fàcile, no?

My enthusiasm  may diminish when I hit Italian morphology and syntax (in other words, GRAMMAR). Italian has three possible words for "the" before masculine nouns — "il," "lo," and "l'," depending on the following sound.  Spanish has basically one word— "el."  Italian words change from singular to plural by changing the ending vowel sounds, for example, "il libro" (the book), "i libri" (the books).  Spanish makes plurals by adding "s" or "es." Italian verbs follow a typical verb paradigm for conjugation, but of course the endings for each subject must be memorized.

So does studying multiple languages act as a help or hindrance in language acquisition?  I  vote for help.  But I can see that I am going to have to assign a portion of my brain solely to Italian so that I won't mix up the Romance languages.

Maybe I'll just dream about renting a villa in the Italian countryside to enjoy with friends and family, and Italian will find a permanent place in my soul.