Is English a hard language to learn?
I'm full blooded American and I have heard many times that the English language is the hardest language to learn. I thought about that and found that many of our words may be or may be not spelled the same and they might have different meanings too. . But, they sound the same. For instance, WATCH..... Something you wear on your wrist to tell time and something you look at. Like WATCH a ball game. DEER and DEAR are 2 different words spelled differently with 2 different meanings, but..... They sound the same. I can see why many people not knowing the language has a hard time learning it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it..... ; )
What is the best way to learn English at an advanced level? For example, being able to express complex ideas in an unambiguous manner?
I'd say try immersing yourself in all things English. Moving to an English speaking country for at least some time could work, if you had the opportunity, but if not, there are easier ways.English is my second language which I started learning at school when I was around 7–8, but even then I would spend my free time watching cartoons in English, rather than in my native language. Since then, I've been getting more and more into video games (which I also played in English), TV shows, movies, and books. I also started talking to people who had English as their native language online, which helped me a lot.In conclusion, don't sit to heavy on grammar books - try learning it naturally. Try reading books, watching shows, and if possible, if you come across a word you're not familiar with, try understanding it from context - it's what helped me reach C1-C2.
Why did English become the global language?
It is true that English is the most widely spoken language in the world. I would say it is for geopolitical reasons and advancement of technology. Planes take you across the globe in half a day, telephone allows you to talk to people on the other side of the planet. Internet was invented in an English-speaking country. And an English-speaking country set the rules for many of the industries including warfare. Much of modern scientific treatises are written in English because much of scientific discoveries were achieved by an English-speaking country etc etc. It is not that the particular language of English has anything special in itself, but it happened to be the language that spread the way it did.
Learning a second language fluently?
To learn a second language fluently, especially Swedish, it would be better to live and study that language abroad. It's not that difficult to teach yourself a second language by yourself, classes do help of cause but you must be very passionate. It is easier to learn if you have a passion for the culture as well as the language its self. In most cases, people never achieve the same level of fluency and comprehension in their second languages as in their first language. If however, you were to be under the age of 7, you have a better chance to achieve native-like proficiency. Your mother tongue is an important deciding factor when it comes to difficulty. For example, native speakers of Italian seem to learn Spanish and Portuguese rather easily despite the complex grammatical structures of the Spanish language. Chinese speakers will probably pick up Japanese faster than people whose first language uses the Roman alphabet. Individual aptitude is another factor. Some people have a natural talent for learning new languages, while others struggle through the basics. Factors such as environment, materials used, motivation, and even environment also play an important role in how difficult a language is to learn. I started learning Greek, Turkish, French all after the age of 14. I now live in France. Out of all these languages, I learnt Greek the fastest as I heard it spoken at home daily, came to me naturally. It took me less than 3 days to recite and remember the alphabet, once you learn the alphabet, you learn pronounciation fast. I know Turkish better, in fact, probably the best out of the 3. I am very passionate about the language and culture, took me only one day of hearing Turkish and never hearing the language before, I could sing along to all my CDs with perfect pronounciation and learnt it off by heart, by one week, I already was getting past the basics, as my head was stuck in books etc. 8 years later, i'm often mistaken for a Turkish native or Turkish background. I speak English and Turkish with my daughter, I learnt with not having to live there. French was the hardest for me to learn, because I am not passionate about the language or culture, but it came to me naturally.I live in France now. I could never be like a native.So my lesson learnt, the more passionate you are, the better and faster you are at learning it with or without classes.
Why should people in America speak English?
I love this question and have read many fine answers. While "Balloon" comes across too angry, he/she does make good points. However, I think they missed the main point. If I visit France, I would expect to have to learn a little French. Even if it is only "I'm sorry, I do not speak French" or "Do you speak English"? The same with any other country! Learn enough to get by. If you have not attempted to learn some of the language, people (in general) will avoid you. If you make an attempt at it, they will try to help. The USA was formed primarily by the English, this was the language which took. In time, English has morphed into a modge-podge of many languages. It will continue to change! Business owners know that they have to make money to stay in business. To do that, they must cater to the people who live in their community. Thus, they hire people who can speak other languages. Their signs sport 2 or more languages because they know that not everyone speaks English. There are a number of people in my community who are willing to teach others the language, often at no cost. A great many are willing to learn English this way. And, perhaps, at the same time, have the opportunity to learn something of another language. Get used to it folks! English will probably continue to be the "Official Language" in the USA, but in order to get along, we are both going to have to give a little. That is until the USA becomes North Mexico. ;-) Great question!
How do people learn to speak 7 languages fluently?
what you heard is wrong. You can be fluent in a foreign language at ANY age but 6-7 is where language learning is learned like walking or eating. And after 6-7 we start to learn languages like science or history