Why are Asian Languages hard for English speakers?

Much of the reason why it’s difficult is also because of its writing system. With thousands of characters to master, it’s not an easy feat. There are three different writing systems: Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji; Kanji being the hardest. These modes of writing are not like an alphabet.

What is the easiest Asian language to learn for English speakers?

Thai is the easiest Asian language to learn. However, there aren’t any differences between capital and lower case in the Thai alphabet! Moreover, the Foreign Service Institute classifies Thai as a Level IV difficulty language. So, it is in the same category as Vietnamese and Hungarian, for example.

Does Japanese speak English?

Yet despite this growth, studies estimate that less than 30 percent of Japanese speak English at any level at all. Less than 8 percent and possibly as little as 2 percent speak English fluently.

Why are Asians learning English?

Besides economic competitiveness, higher English proficiency is also linked to social development and innovation. Countries with higher proficiency tend to have higher average incomes, a better quality of life and greater investment in research and development, according to EF.

Is Korean easy for English speakers?

The short answer: Korean is not too difficult. On a difficulty scale, I’d say the difficulty of Korean is 4/5 or “Moderately Difficult” — harder to get to fluency for an English speaker than French or German, but easier than Chinese or Arabic.

Is Chinese a hard language to learn for native English speakers?

But, despite all the time, money, and effort, China just can’t seem to produce very many competent ESL speakers. The flip side is no different; Chinese is consistently ranked among the very hardest languages to learn for native English speakers.

What are the biggest problems facing Asian adult students when speaking English?

They are also very easy for native speakers of English to identify but not easy for non-native speakers of English. So, speech sounds which involve a slide from one vowel to another is the biggest problem which face Asian adult students when they speak English. For example, the”ou” sound in the word “out” is a blend of /ah/ and /oo/.

Why is pronunciation important in language learning for adult Asian students?

Therefore, pronunciation is a difficult aspect in language learning for adult Asian students which lead to real barriers to communication and can contribute to motivation with native English speakers.

Do Asian immigrants have a harder time communicating with native English speakers?

I moved to the US from Japan when I was 16, and in the 30 years I’ve lived here, I’ve noticed the ease with which Europeans communicate with native English speakers even when they have heavy accents. In contrast, Asian immigrants seem to have a harder time being understood by the native speakers.