It may not be the most difficult in the world to learn, but according to various studies, Greek is among the hardest languages for an English-speaking person to master. After all, the expression “it’s all Greek to me” isn’t there by accident.
Compiled using information from multiple sources, including the Foreign Service Institute of the US Department of State, the following info-graphic breaks down the amount of time it generally takes English speakers to pick up foreign languages.
According to the figures, most western European languages are classified as easy to learn – with English speakers estimated to achieve proficiency in around 600 class hours (or 24 weeks).
Russian, Hindi, Thai, Polish and Greek, on the other hand, require around 44 weeks to learn, while the hardest languages, which include Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Arabic, can take more than a year and a half to reach the proficiency level.
Greek especially, is really hard to learn, not only for English-speaking people, but all Latin-oriented language speakers. It has different letters, various intonations and a quite difficult grammar to learn.
But even though it can be hard work, science has indicated that learning a second language at any age slows down mental decline, and scientists have also worked out exactly how it changes your brain.
So even if it takes you one whole year of intensive studying, it is worth the trouble to be able to speak one of the oldest, richest and most diverse languages in the planet.
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Source: greekreporter.com
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