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How long does it take to learn a new langauge?

18 November 2009

assembly-vincentgallegosAsking how long it takes to learn a language is akin to asking how long a piece of sting is. The answer is the same, that is to say; it depends.

Even if you lay out some base assumptions to make an educated guess, such as acquiring a basic conversational vocabulary, there are no easy or good ways of answering the question. Picture, if you will, asking how long a piece of sting is and then saying that it is enough sting to tie around a tree. It still very much depends.

Learning a second language generally takes longer than learning a third language, and learning yet a fourth takes less time than learning the third. That is assuming of course that the knowledge gained in learning the second and third languages is beneficial to the third.

Also, learning a language that has a very different structure and grammar from the base language, or the first language a person speaks, takes longer than a language with a similar structure and grammar. Having the same, or very similar, alphabet will also help cut down the time it takes to learn a language, because the knowledge of letters can be reused.

To answer the question of how long it takes to learn a language, the question needs to be put forward in a very specific way and include information about the individuals knowledge, background and goals. For example, how long would it take an American high school student with no knowledge of languages to learn enough Spanish to manage a conversation about Italian food? That is a question that can be answered rather confidently by language professional.

So, if you are planning to start studying a second language and are interested in how long it might take you, then make sure to have your level and goals clear. You will then be able to ask a language teacher how much practice you will need to reach the level you want.

However, the simple answer is that you will never complete your language studies. Languages evolve and because of this learning languages is a continuous enterprise.

image credit: vincentgallegos, flickr

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