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From: elna@netcom.com (Esperanto League N America)
Subject: Re: What makes a 2nd language hard to learn?  (Was: languages & happiness!!)
Message-ID: <elnaE66q4w.3nG@netcom.com>
Organization: Esperanto League for North America, Inc.
References: <853605030.2652@dejanews.com> <3311E933.6A2C@scruznet.com> <5etmkg$9jp@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> <7f67zhbihk.fsf_-_@phoenix.cs.hku.hk>
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 00:46:07 GMT
Lines: 21
Sender: elna@netcom2.netcom.com

sdlee@cs.hku.hk (Lee Sau Dan ~{@nJX6X~}) writes in a recent posting (reference <7f67zhbihk.fsf_-_@phoenix.cs.hku.hk>):
>
>For me, irregularities  can be overcome in a  relatively short time by
>memorization.  However, differences in  structure between the grammars
>and lexicons take me much longer time to adapt to.
>
Yes, this is key! You will support an IAL in proportion to its similarity
to your native tongue...
FWIW you overstate the similarity of Esperanto's grammar to that of other
European grammars: English (as you know) makes little use of the direct
object, so that learning the -n ending is difficult for English-speakers;
English does not decline adjectives; we have fixed word-order; &c &c.
I know that one of your favorite complaints is that Esperanto's grammar
is easier for Europeans, but the only agglutinitive languages in Europe
are Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian and Turkish!

-- 
Miko SLOPER              elna@netcom.com              USA  (510) 653 0998
Direktoro de la          ftp.netcom.com:/pub/el/elna   fax (510) 653 1468 
Centra Oficejo de la     Learn Esperanto! Free lessons: e-mail/snail-mail
Esperanto-Ligo de N.A.   Write to above address or call:  1-800-ESPERANTO
