Arabic itself is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. But what are the hardest languages to learn for Arabic speakers?
What will I learn?
If you are curious to learn that. Then continues reading this article.
Hardest Languages To Learn For Arabic Speakers
Arabic is a unique and difficult language. That is because of its vast vocabulary, grammar, and history.
Arabic has its unique writing style, alphabet, and pronunciation. Even then, some languages are in some ways related to Arabic, such as Aramaic and Hebrew.
Most European languages and some Asian languages are completely different from Arabic.
Some languages have alphabets, sentence structure, and writing style differences. That makes them alien to Arabic speakers.
Most languages can be foreign and hard to understand by anyone. But sometimes, two languages can be similar in any aspect.
That makes it easier for people to learn the language. For example, Spanish and Portuguese are quite similar.
Hence it is easier for Spanish and Portuguese speakers. To learn the opposite language.
But what are the hardest languages to learn for Arabic speakers? Since we have established that Arabic is one of the hardest languages to learn.
Few languages can be hard to learn for Arabic speakers. So let’s take a look.
4 Hardest Languages To Learn For Arabic Speakers
Learning any new language can be hard. Especially if the language is completely foreign to you.
Moreover, learning a new language requires various aspects to overcome.
From pronunciation to grammar and vocabulary. It can sometimes be difficult to tackle, especially if you lack motivation.
For Arabic speakers, even though Arabic itself is the hardest language to learn. There are a few languages that can be difficult to learn.
Not that it’s not possible to learn these languages entirely. Just it might take longer than normal time to conquer them.
Here are a few languages that are hard to learn for Arabic speakers.
1. French:
French is one of the romance languages. That is because it owes its existence to the Romans.
French is similar to English since English has many words taken from French.
French can be hard for Arabic speakers to learn. That is because the grammatical structure, alphabets, and pronunciations differ.
Even though Arabic has various sounds used in the language. Still some words and letters in French are hard to grasp for Arabic speakers.
The pronunciation of letters P and B can be hard to differentiate. Likewise, –on or –an can be hard to pronounce.
Especially the letter U can be the most difficult to pronounce for Arabic speakers.
French grammar, specifically, is the most difficult to learn. So, most Arabic speakers might have trouble learning that.
Gender morphology is another difficult thing to grasp.
2. German:
The German language has many pronouns: a very specific vocabulary and harsh pronunciation.
All these qualities are hard to grasp. Not just for Arabic speakers but anyone new to the German language.
Specifically, the grammar of the German language is very complex. Quite similar to Arabic.
So learning a completely new grammar that is complex can be frustrating at times. In addition, it usually takes longer to master the grammar.
The words can be long and hard to pronounce.
If you know English, it might be easier for you to learn German since both languages are similar.
But as an Arabic speaker, it would be difficult for you to learn German.
3. Chinese:
Chinese is by far the hardest language to learn. Even more so than Arabic.
The main difficulty learners face is the character system in Chinese.
Moreover, Chinese is a tonal language. Therefore, it would be hard for Arabic speakers to learn the tones of Chinese.
The most difficult thing about learning the Chinese language is the characters. For example, you need to learn 4000 characters just to read a newspaper.
Arabic itself is a complex language to learn. But for a native speaker of Arabic, learning Chinese can be very hard and time-consuming.
There is also the aspect that Chinese has different dialects. Furthermore, these dialects are completely different from each other.
Chinese is the most difficult language to learn in terms of speaking and writing.
4. English:
English, like French, is the Latin language. But, like any Latin language, it is hard to learn for Arabic speakers.
Even though English is one of the easiest languages to learn. It is also the most spoken second language globally.
Then why Is English Difficult To Learn For Arabic Speakers?
There are various reasons as to. Why English is a difficult language to conquer for Arabic speakers.
These difficulties arise mostly from the differences between the two languages.
As a native Arabic speaker, who is new to English, these differences can be hard to understand.
Here are some reasons why English is hard to learn for Arabic speakers.
1. Difference In Sentence Structure And Pronunciation:
As an Arabic speaker who is being introduced to English for the first time. The first difficulty you will encounter is the difference in pronunciation.
Arabic words are phonetically pronounced. Meaning without any sound-changing or silent letters.
While in English, vowels change sounds in the middle or at the end of the words. As a result, some letters get pronounced differently.
For an Arabic speaker, that can be difficult to grasp at first.
Structure vise, the Arabic language has no capital letters or use of periods. So, that concept is pretty new to Arabic speakers.
In English, at times, the sound and spelling of words appear completely illogical.
2. Completely New Writing Style:
English and Arabic in writing both starts from opposite directions. English from left to write and Arabic from right to left.
Alphabetically, English has 26 alphabets, while Arabic has 28. Each alphabet in Arabic sound the same.
Arabic alphabets change shape according to their position in the word. In contrast, English letters remain the same.
Both Arabic and English have different linguistic traditions.
English is a Germanic language originated by North Sea inhabitants. That is in present-day known as Norway.
Arabic is a Semitic language. That is a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language that originated in the Middle East.
3. Difference In Writing Style And Values:
Arabic is a pretty redundant language. Especially in writing. A writer’s pro-efficiency is easily detected through his use of excessive synonyms.
While in English, being redundant is a poor writing skill.
Structure vise, Arabic is pretty linear. So, it uses stylistic prose to elaborate and explore a topic.
English, on the other hand, has a pretty round structure. What’s discussed in the opening repeats in the ending as a conclusion.
4. Number Of Vowels:
The English language has more vowels compared to Arabic. Three times more so.
The English language has 22 vowel sounds, while Arabic has 8. That makes Arabic a bit monotonous compared to English.
This difference in vowels can be difficult for Arabic speakers to grasp.
For example, the difference between the words ship/sheep. It can be confusing for Arabic speakers.
Why Is It Hard For Arabic Speakers To Learn A New Language?
Aside from learning a new language. That can be the main reason for the difficulty of learning.
Some other reasons can affect the learning of a new language for Arabic speakers.
Let us look at those factors or reasons to help understand. Why could a language be hard to learn for Arabic speakers?
1. Phonology:
Phonologically, there are various struggles faced by Arabic speakers. While learning a new language.
Such as, in Arabic, there aren’t many vowel sounds, as there are in different other languages. So Arabic speakers specifically struggle with that.
For example, an Arabic speaker pronounces the English word “soap” as “soop” by an Arabic speaker.
Another difficulty is understanding the concept of silent letters. Such as, in the word “sign,” the letter “g” isn’t pronounced.
This concept is new to Arabic speakers, and it takes time for them to get used to it.
Other sounds, such as “p” and “v,” do not exist in Arabic.
Hence, Arabic speakers often substitute them with more familiar sounds in their language.
2. Grammar:
Grammar is the most difficult part of learning a new language. Especially if the language is completely different from yours.
Every language has its own set of rules, tenses, and parts of speech.
The tenses are the most difficult for Arabic speakers to learn in a new language.
Compared to English, Arabic has only single present tense. In contrast, English has a continuous and simple form.
The Arabic language does not have relative articles or the verb “to be.”
These differences make it hard for Arabic speakers to learn a new language.
3. Writing:
Opposite to most European languages. Arabic goes from right to left. Instead of from left to right.
That is the first difficulty an Arabic speaker faces while learning a new language.
Moreover, Arabic does not have the capital or small letter. The letters in Arabic change their form when written at the beginning and center of a word.
These things differ from other languages. And while learning a new language, it can be hard to grasp the new concepts.
4. Age:
The age might not seem like a matter regarding learning a new language. But it is.
For the most part, you can learn any language at any age if you get dedicated enough.
But linguists believe that a child below ten is capable of more languages than any other age.
Suppose a child gets exposed to two or three languages at a younger age. Then, they can have native-level pro-efficiency in them.
As you grow and surpass 25, it starts getting harder for you to learn a new language.
Of course, it’s not something entirely impossible. But it does require more effort and time to learn a new language for a grown-up than a youngster.
Final Thoughts:
Arabic is one of the hardest languages to learn in the world. Yet there are some hardest languages to learn for Arabic speakers.
The difference in grammar, pronunciation, and writing style, among other differences. Makes any language hard for native speakers to learn.
Most Latin languages are hard to learn and understand for Arabic speakers.
But, of course, you can learn and be efficient in any language with enough dedication and time.
So, learning a new language for Arabic speakers might be difficult but not impossible.
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