Kindly from JacobOjacob

Dear Word Spy

If English-speaking people knew how to speak every language in the world, which do you think they would choose to speak the most and why?  Is there a certain language that is easiest to learn?

Which language do you like best?

While we are talking about languages, how many languages do you speak and what are they?

P.S. my birthday is on the 29^th of April. Very soon!!!!!!!

マーケット親切ヤコブヤコブ

(yours kindly JacobOjacob)

Dear JacobOjacob,

What mysterious writing you have included in your message! I will have to think very hard about how I might work out what it means. Is this a language you are learning at the moment?

Now, I think the very first part of your question is impossible to answer, because people love to learn different languages for so many different reasons! But English-speakers would probably find it easiest to learn a language that is more like English. English is related to German, and also to languages based on Latin, such as French and Spanish, so those are usually the languages English-speakers feel are easier. But then some people say Indonesian can be easier to learn, even though it is nothing like English!

As for the easiest language to learn, actually in many ways English is fairly easy. It has lots of things that don't make sense, but compared to lots of other languages it doesn't actually have that many rules.

I think I would have to say I like English the best, but that's because I can speak and read and write in it the best, because I grew up with it.  I don't speak other languages very well, but I can speak some French, Spanish and Hebrew. At university I also learnt Latin and ancient Greek, and something called Old Icelandic. But I only learnt to read these languages, not to speak them out loud. I love learning other languages - it makes you understand and love your own language even more, too.

I'm still wondering what that language is at the end of your message...

Hey and happy birthday for the 29th!!

yours, multilingually,

L'espion de mot ....