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Arabic or Chinese? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| Ushagi Newbie United States Joined 6415 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes | Message 9 of 43 14 October 2006 at 3:31am | IP Logged |
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Wow, thanks for all the replies! It really made me think about why I really want to learn Arabic or Chinese. Well, I think that my interest in Arabic is genuine, I am really interested in the language and the culture. But I feel that I'm interested in Chinese mostly because I think that it's becoming a dominant language and I don't want to be left behind by not being able to speak or understand it. How about that, huh? Now that I think about it, this has to be quite a popular reason for learning Chinese...
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| lengua Senior Member United States polyglottery.wordpre Joined 6482 days ago 549 posts - 595 votes  Studies: French, Italian, Spanish, German | Message 10 of 43 14 October 2006 at 3:41am | IP Logged |
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Indeed - many believe it to be the language of the future. But since you seem to have a greater desire to go with Arabic, perhaps you could start that first. As fellow members have noted, since both are quite challenging languages for English speakers, you will want to have ample motivation when starting either. Arabic seems the easier of the two to learn to read and write. In any case, keep us posted with your progress!
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| Raincrowlee Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 6500 days ago 621 posts - 808 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin, Korean, French Studies: Indonesian, Japanese | Message 11 of 43 14 October 2006 at 4:34am | IP Logged |
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You also have to remember that choosing a language can affect your interests. When I started learning Chinese, I did it mostly because it was such a different language. I had studied a bit of French, Spanish and German, and I wanted something exotic. It turns out I really enjoyed the language and ended up coming to Taiwan to continue my studies. I definitely have more of a feel for Chinese culture now than when I started. I also feel like I've done something challenging, which few other people have done.
Arabic seems like another interesting language, though, and will probably change you life if you learn it. I was discussing it with a friend of mine who wants to work for the government, and one of us jokingly pointed out that the problem with learning Arabic is the fact that you might be sent to a country where they speak it. That part of the world isn't exactly stable, after all. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Topsiderunner Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6716 days ago 215 posts - 218 votes Speaks: English*, French Studies: Italian, Arabic (Written) | Message 12 of 43 14 October 2006 at 8:32am | IP Logged |
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Well, you could always learn both. If this is strictly a business decision
than you should definitely just focus on one, but if you have the time, you could always start one for a few months or a year and then add the other. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| SamD Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 6457 days ago 823 posts - 987 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Portuguese, Norwegian | Message 13 of 43 14 October 2006 at 10:02am | IP Logged |
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Here's an idea: go to a good-sized library or bookstore and have a look at the language learning materials in both Chinese and Arabic. See if one language appeals to you more.
If you're doing it primarily for the translation business, look around and see which language is in greater demand. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| primosanchez Diglot Newbie United States Joined 6104 days ago 32 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 14 of 43 26 August 2007 at 12:03am | IP Logged |
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How are you coming along?
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| skeeterses Senior Member United States angelfire.com/games5Registered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6416 days ago 302 posts - 356 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Korean, Spanish | Message 15 of 43 26 August 2007 at 12:11am | IP Logged |
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I'd go with Arabic. Right now, there's a War on Terror going on and the US Government is paying top-dollar for people who can speak Arabic fluently.
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| Karakorum Bilingual Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 6367 days ago 201 posts - 232 votes Speaks: English*, Arabic (Written)* Studies: French, German | Message 16 of 43 26 August 2007 at 3:44am | IP Logged |
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I guess you answered your own question. It seems you want to learn a non-European language to open up to what's out there. Apparently the financial aspect isn't a huge factor for you, so whichever you have a genuine interest in should be your choice. Take the following with a grain of salt since my opinion is biased:
- Arabic is probably easier than Chinese. You may have read they are equally challenging, but I can't imagine how with the Chinese writing system. - Arabic grammar is much harder than Mandarin grammar. So initially, you will find Mandarin more intuitive and accessible. -It's easier to achieve literacy in Arabic, so eventually Arabic may be less frustrating. -Both languages have challenging phonology and few European cognates (Arabic may have some but not too many). -Both have interesting cultures and interesting people. But contrary to what most westerners believe, Arabic culture (if for the moment we accept its existence as a monolithic entity) is closer to European culture and therefore less exotic (and less interesting) once you figure out what's going on. -Mandarin is booming, Arabic isn't gonna shrink anytime soon, but it doesn't even look interested in expanding. -Someone asked about the penetration of English into natives of both languages. Arabic loses hands down. I know people in China are becoming more interested in English, but still. If I had to choose between the two based entirely on logic and reason I would pick Mandarin. But interest should outweigh logic IMHO. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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