The brave German speakers
In my previous post, I wrote about the Tête-à-tête language community. Yesterday, I had a chance to visit one of their meetups.
When you’re 31 and have two small kids, it takes some effort to organise and be able to leave the house. But it was well worth it. Doing something completely different is refreshing.
If you are thinking of looking for a class to learn Swiss German in Singapore, don’t.
You may have done some research and have found out that the Swiss speak several languages, depending on where you go, but that their German is very different from the German language spoken in Germany. That is entirely correct. German is my third language and I feel quite at ease in Germany, but if the Swiss are talking among themselves, I have no clue. The sounds and tones even sound much like my native Dutch, but there isn’t a thing I can distinguish.
But the Swiss do not speak Swiss German in school, in the office or in any other formal situation. In such situations, German-speaking Swiss would speak standard German with a trademark Swiss accent. Swiss German is not a written language. In fact, I once heard that when Swiss kids first go to primary school, they learn their first foreign language at very young age, which is Standard German.
Swiss German is just like Singlish. It’s highly treasured among German-speaking Swiss and the language of choice at home and with close friends. As a foreigner, trying to speak Swiss German is like navigating a minefield, you don’t want to come across as if you’re making fun of your host, or worse, your boss.
Learning Swiss German (or Singlish, for that matter) in class is thus not advisable, and it’s probably for that reason that you’re not going to be able to find a class in Swiss German in Singapore, or elsewhere. But if you are in Switzerland long enough, and understand Standard German, you’ll definitely pick up an understanding of it and may even get comfortable enough to dare speaking a few phrases.
Want to learn standard German? Check out soon starting German classes on our main website!
As we have different mother tongues and are just generally different people, we will all have different opinions on what would be the most difficult language to learn. Here are a few languages that are often cited as difficult to learn:
Mandarin – Besides the fact that you need to know thousands of characters to be able to read and write Chinese, another difficulty of Mandarin is that with just few sounds, Mandarin resorts to tones to distinguish between meaning of words. Learning to distinguish the tones, and producing them alone can take weeks to accomplish.
Japanese – The Japanese writing system may be more complicated than the Chinese, as it combines characters (Kanji) with two other writing systems: Katakana and Hiragana. Besides that, ways of addressing people vary based on the hierarchical relationship and situation.
German – Speaking just a bit of German may be doable, what makes the language hard to learn well is its multitude of rules and structures. Besides verbs, German also inflects nouns and sentence structure is rather rigid.
Arabic – Is said to be difficult for its multitude of sounds. Correct me if I’m wrong here. I haven’t studied Arabic.
English – If you grew up with it, you may not realize it, but English is not easy to learn at all. It’s not difficult for its rules, like German is, but rather for its lack of it. As well as its large vocabulary.
Klingon – A language specifically designed by linguist Marc Okrand for the fictional alien Klingon species in Star Trek. He made sure the language was as different as possible from languages commonly spoken on Earth, in particular different to English. As you could say that his assignment was to create a very difficult language, it’s quite likely Klingon is actually the most difficult language to learn.
What do you think is the most difficult language to learn? Does it challenge you or rather scare you away? Join the discussion on our Facebook page!
1. Schuld
The Dutch word schuld has two meanings, both debt and blame. Would the negative sound of the word for debt deter Dutch speakers from taking on debt?
2. In Mandarin, when there is not just one word for ‘cousin’, there are many, depending on whether your cousin is from your father’s or mother’s side, and whether they are older or younger than you. This reflects and reinforces the importance that is traditionally attached to family ties and to indicating the relative seniority. When someone refers to a family member in Chinese, the language will imply whether the family member is:
Akan languages have a system for giving names that implies both the day of birth (Monday-Sunday) and the birth order. To take the most famous Ghanaian as an example, Mr. Kofi Annan. His name implies that he was born on a Friday and was the fourth born. Do you know on which day you were born? I didn’t, and it was of no significance to me, until I came to Ghana and was asked everywhere. Ghanaians care about it so much that it’s figures in their way of giving names to their children.
If you’re in Singapore and learning a European language other than English, you’re part of a select elite. After all, you’re much more likely to find use for languages such as Japanese or Mandarin in Asia. Here are some of the challenges for major European languages.
For most European languages…
- You’ll have to deal with the fact that each noun has a ‘gender’. Depending on whether the noun is male, female or neutral, it will have to be accompanied by a different article (an article is the word that precedes a noun, such as ‘the’ or ‘a’ in English).
- What article to use also varies based on singular and plural.
- In some languages (notably German) nouns in a different case will also have different articles.
- Like English, most European languages inflect verbs. However, whereas in English this is normally only needed for the 3rd singular form (‘he walks’) most languages have a more elaborate system, in particular the Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian).
While this may scare some of you from trying to learn a European language, you can also see it as a way to challenge yourself to learn something new!
Planning a holiday to Europe and wondering what language would be most useful to speak? Here is an overview of which languages will be most helpful for you to speak.
English
English is most widely spoken in the North Western part of Europe. It is the first language in Ireland and the UK, and the second language to most people living of countries in the North, such as the Scandinavian countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark) as well as the Netherlands and Germany. It also plays an important role on the Mediterranean island of Malta where it acts as a language of administration.
In more Southern countries of Europe, such as France, Spain and Italy, you will find many people who speak English as well, but you cannot assume that everyone you meet will speak English.
French
French is natively spoken in France, and parts of Belgium and Switzerland. You will also find that some people in Southern countries like Spain and Italy are more comfortable with speaking French than with English, because French is a Romance language just like Italian, Spanish and Romanian. Others, especially younger people, will prefer to speak English.
Thinking of learning French? Find the available French courses in Singapore here.
German
If you count by native speakers, German is the most widely spoken language in Europe. Besides Germany, it is also spoken by Austrians and a good portion of the Swiss. Besides, many people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Eastern European countries such as Poland and Czech Republic speak German as a second or third language.
If you are thinking of learning German in Singapore, see here for available German courses.
Spanish and Italian
If you’re planning to visit mostly Spain or Italy, you can consider learning some holiday Spanish or Italian, respectively. While these languages aren’t widely spoken in other European countries, Spanish is the most important language in South America, and Italy in itself is a large country with 60 million inhabitants, many of whom do not speak a second language.
See here for available Italian and Spanish courses respectively.
In conclusion
While you can get around quite well with English in Europe, you’ll get more out of the experience if you speak even a little bit of one other European language, especially if you are planning to visit Southern European countries such as Italy and Spain.
Audi uses German in advertising, even in Singapore
Advertising lesson number 1: speak the language of your customer. Or so you would say. But apparently not for Audi. They use a German tagline here in Singapore, even though few people understand its meaning:
“Vorsprung durch Technik” means “Lead through technology”.
Nor is Audi the only German company that uses their native tongue to promote their cars far away from home.
“Volkswagen. Das Auto” means “Volkswagen, the Car”.
How many people in Singapore will understand these slogans? In the most literal sense, few would. But I believe the purpose of these campaigns is much more to emphasize the German-ness of the car. German products stand for quality, reliability and even status. And I believe that message comes through crystal clear.
Have a look at our main site if you are interested in joining a German class in Singapore.
Being an international hub for business, and more and more for tourism too, learning languages is a popular pursuit with people in Singapore, both Singaporeans and foreigners. Here’s the top-7 of languages most learnt in Singapore by adults.
7. German
Germany is respected in Singapore for its quality products and as a holiday destination. There are a number of high profile German companies in Singapore, including Deutsche Bank and Lufthansa. While German is an important language in Europe, it’s also recognized as one that is hard to learn if you don’t have a European language as mother tongue. (See available German classes)
6. Spanish
Singapore is far from Spain and South America, but Latin culture is very appealing for its cuisine, dances (think Salsa), tradition and history. Many of those who learn Spanish in Singapore do so mainly out of interest, since it’s relatively hard to find a business application for the language, due to Singapore’s location. With the economic rise of South America, that may change in the foreseeable future, though. (See available Spanish classes)
5. French
French holds appeal as the second language on the international stage. Besides, it’s the language of art and literature, and besides in France, it’s an operating language in Belgium, Switzerland, and many African states. Not to mention that French companies make themselves count in Singapore as well. Did you know that the Circle Line is built by the French ALSTOM conglomerate? (See available French classes)
4. Korean
Moving into the top 4, we start seeing languages that are closer to home. Korean has become tremendously popular in Singapore, due to its pop culture, including music groups and tv shows. For many in Singapore, being able to understand dramas and music in native Korean is an important motivation to learn Korean. Not that there are no other good reasons to learn Korean in Singapore: Korea is also a popular travel destination, and there is a large community of Koreans in Singapore, many of whom are still struggling with English. So being able to speak with them in Korean holds real value. (See available Korean classes).
3. Japanese
With all the talk about China’s economy surpassing Japan’s, we shouldn’t forget that Japan is still out there and playing an important role as an economic and technological center. Since English isn’t widely spoken in Japan, businesses in Singapore understand that they need to service their Japanese customers in their own language. Besides that, Japanese products hold a lot of appeal (clothing, fashion, gadgets … even cars) and Japan has a long history. So there are both economic and cultural reasons to learn Japanese. (See available Japanese classes).
2. Mandarin
As we move to the most popular languages to learn in Singapore, though, we see languages that are actually spoken natively in Singapore. So why are adults learning Mandarin in Singapore, wouldn’t they have learnt it in school? One group of learners are older Chinese Singaporeans who were previously English educated. Others are foreign professionals working in Singapore: Indonesians, Filipino’s, Vietnamese – often with an ethnic Chinese background. As well as Westerners who have come to Singapore to work here and would like to take advantage of the opportunity to learn Chinese. (See available Chinese classes).
1. English
What other language than English could be at number 1? While you won’t get lost in Singapore when you can speak Mandarin, English is essential if you want to achieve anything in Singaporean society. The economy and education system operate in English, and you need to speak English to communicate with Indian, Malay Singaporeans, and even some Chinese Singaporeans. When people come to Singapore to work, English is not optional as Mandarin, it is a must. Maids are required to learn English to be allowed to stay in Singapore.
Besides, with Singapore becoming an important hub for higher education, those who come to Singapore for study from elsewhere in the region, often opt to improve their English before starting their course. (See available English classes).
Disclaimer
While these observations are based on our experience in the language area in Singapore, experience is always a bit subjective and we don’t claim to have absolute knowledge. People might approach others instead of yago for certain languages. If you feel we over- or underestimate certain languages, please let us know in the comments!
A factor that is often mentioned as a reason for choosing to learn one language over the other, is how easy it is to learn it.
If you’re considering reasons to learn a language, ease of learning ranks among the worst of them. Here’s three reasons why.
1. If ease of learning is your only reason to learn a particular language, you probably lack the right motivation
Quite simply, you need to have a more compelling reason to learn a language than simply because it is not hard and doesn’t take you too much effort. Many people learn a language out of pure interest, or because it is a necessity to survive. These are two compelling reasons to keep the learning process going. Even if you feel the grammar of the language you are learning is relatively straightforward, you are still going to have to learn an entirely new vocabulary.
If you learn a particular language just because it is the one that takes the least effort, you show an unwillingness to put in even the little effort that is needed even to learn a relatively easy language. I’m not saying that the ease of learning cannot be a consideration, but you do need a more compelling motivation to keep going until you reach a meaningful level in any language.
2. No language is easy to learn
Despite what you may see in advertisements for many language learning methods and classes, there is no silver bullet to learn any language without effort. Sure, there are effective teaching methods that can help you to progress faster, but no one can really master a language without investing time and conscious effort.
Even among languages that are closely related, such as German and Dutch for example, you will still need to put in considerable effort. Sometimes ways of saying things appear to be the same across two similar languages, while in actual fact they are just slightly different.
A friend of mine is German and speaks Dutch with near-native fluency. Yet despite his great ability in learning languages, long exposure to the Dutch language and the closeness of both languages, I sometimes catch him using expressions that, while understandable for Dutch speakers, are not quite correct. He encourages me to tell him when this happens, so he can improve on his idioms. Even after many years of learning Dutch, a language supposedly “easy” for him, he is still learning.
3. You won’t know how “easy” the language is before you try
How do you know whether a language is easy to learn, before you start learning it? The only thing you can do is ask other peoples’ opinions. But if you ask 5 different people, you’ll get 5 different perspectives. Some people will feel any language is “easy” to learn simply because they have an aptitude for learning languages in general. Others may tell you a language is difficult, but it could be because they have a different mother tongue from yours, or they might be dyslexic.
I can understand it when someone tries to learn a language but quits learning because it is too difficult. But don’t try to learn a language just because it’s easy. It just doesn’t make sense. We don’t learn to drive a car because it’s easy. We learn to drive because of wanting to be able to get to places by using a car. Some people learn to drive more easily than others, but in the end most of us can learn to be reasonable drivers. The same applies to learning languages.
So, what’s a better way to decide?
Start with yourself and put your personal interests or career impact center stage. Better even, find a language that serves both at the same time!
Since my previous post was a rant against cheapskates who are just looking for the cheapest language course, the title of this post may surprise you.
Since 2006, I have probably spent over S$ 6000 all in all on learning Mandarin. In my eyes, if you want to achieve something, it does make sense to invest in it. If you are not willing to commit a single dollar to your language learning, you are probably not really committed to make it a success. And you’re probably better off by not even starting.
But there are a lot of ways in which you can reduce your expense without compromising your learning experience. Based on my own experience, here are a number of Do’s and Don’ts for learning a language on a budget.
1. DO learn from other people’s experience.
Everyone has a different learning style, but if you are setting out to learn a language, it can help to ask people around you before you start. Did they feel the language was difficult? What did they need to spend most effort on? Which materials / lessons / online subscriptions were most helpful for them? How did they use those materials? Take their experiences in account before signing up or buying anything. A lot of books may look really fun, but may end up simply taking up space on your bookshelf without being of much help.
You can reach out to personal friends who have gone before you, or post questions on forums dedicated to the language you want to learn. We want our main site to become a place where you can find other people’s opinions on courses they took. It’s still in an early stage, but hopefully we’ll soon become a gathering place for feedback on courses.
2. DO select and buy good materials
一分钱，一分货: you get what you pay for. So even if you’re on a tight budget, do not pinch every penny when it comes to learning materials. The most expensive stuff isn’t necessarily the best, but don’t buy a book simply because it’s only S$ 20.00 while the book that came highly recommended is S$ 44.95. If the S$ 44.95 book is the best book, you should buy it. You’re going to spend lots of time using your learning materials, and you don’t want those hours to be wasted just to save an extra S$ 24.95.
3. DO – Find a language exchange partner
If you’re on a budget, finding a language exchange partner is a wonderful way to cut cost. You essentially can get a private tutor this way, and pay for it by being a private tutor in your native language in return. Language exchange is a good way to exercise and get speaking time, but I recommend you do get yourself formal materials, and depending on your learning style, join a class as well.
Native speakers can tell you where you make mistakes and teach you new expressions, but unless they are trained teachers, they may not be particularly good at explaining the language. So make sure you have your own “source of grammar”, whether it’s a book, an online course or classroom based lessons.
1. DO NOT Engage a private language tutor
Private language lessons can be great value for people with a high enough budget and a lack of time. If you’re on a budget, that probably doesn’t apply to you. To save your budget, you can engage in language exchange and get your one-on-one attention that way, and join a class or use an online method to get your dose of grammar.
2. DO NOT Look for the cheapest language course at all cost
Price is not the same thing as value. Just because something is cheap, it does not mean it is great value. If you join a very cheap language course and it turns out that the teacher is not qualified, you have just wasted your money on a course that is not going to help you to achieve your goal and become fluent in the language. You have to look beyond the dollar amount to determine the value you are getting.
Beside price, do take these factors into account as well:
You don’t necessarily need to sign up for the most expensive course either. But maybe you find a course that is really suitable, with very good referrals, at a slightly higher price than the very cheapest course. After you finish that course, you will speak the language better than if you had joined the very cheapest course.
And isn’t that what learning a language is all about in the end?
