Modern French comes from the ‘Langue d'oil', which evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken in Gaul, but was influenced by different Germanic languages (Norman, Frankish, Flemish). The Celtic element explains why the syllables are so different.
Why is French the hardest language?
Many may find French hard to learn because of the complex grammar and other linguistic nuances that don't exist in English , and especially for those who have never learned another European language (or more precisely, Roman language) such as Spanish or Portuguese.
Why do French sound so unlike?
The biggest reason for unpronounced letters is that, at one time, the letters were pronounced . ... One such change is that the last syllable of French words were pronounced less and less historically, which is why today, you often don't pronounce the last letters in French words.
Why are French and Germans so different?
What both languages have in common is that they originally derived from the same proto language (Indo-European languages), but they split off around 1,000 BC, so German and French have had more than 3,000 years to “drift apart” . Even languages that belong to the same language family can be very different today.
Is French the most divergent Romance language?
The Romance languages (less commonly Latin languages, or Neo-Latin languages) are the modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin between the third and eighth centuries. ... Italian is the closest national language to Latin, followed by Spanish, Romanian, Portuguese, and the most divergent being French .
Is French easier than German?
Nitty-gritty things like these can make getting started a bit of a challenge – but between the two, French will be a little easier, with (slightly) fewer endings to learn. That said, experts largely agree that the more German you learn, the easier it gets , while French gets more complicated the deeper you dive in.
Is French easier than English?
Because as this post is going to explain, French is actually one of the easiest European languages to learn. In many ways, it's even easier than learning English ! And as French is a world language, spoken by over 220 million people, learning French can give you access to a huge chunk of the world.
Why does French sound so beautiful?
Another reason why people find FRench language charming is the intonation. French language has an ardent dedication to “euphony” or the quality of sounding harmonious . There are rules to make sure that French always sounds like a song or an old fashioned drama. It is not just a coincidence.
Does French sound good?
Overall, French sounds smooth and gutteral , mostly because it is... Spanish, by comparison, sounds fast and stacatto... like all words are being shot at you... although, I did hear two gentlemen speaking it last night, and it sounded as matter of fact as English...
Why does French sound Germanic?
The sound seems to have undergone a slow decay as French evolved after the fall of the Roman Empire. However, when the Gallo-Roman met the Frankish tribes (of Germanic origins), they reintroduced the sound. Though on its way out, [y] was all the more accepted that it sounded “native” to Gallo-Romans.
Is German better than French?
If you are mesmerized by the French culture, then you should choose the French language. You would be better able to appreciate the art, architecture, cinema, and food. But if you are a fan of engineering, analytical thinking, and scientific theories then you should choose German .
Is France better than Germany?
Both France and Germany are popular tourist destinations in Western Europe. Both countries are relatively expensive, but in general, France is a bit more costly than Germany . Both countries have their own unique culture and cuisine, and each country has a lot to offer visitors.
Why is France not Germanic?
The name France comes from Latin Francia (“land of the Franks”). ... Modern France is still called Frankreich in German and similar names in some other Germanic languages (such as Frankrijk in Dutch), which means “Frank Reich”, the Realm of the Franks.
What is the hardest language to learn?
- Mandarin. Number of native speakers: 1.2 billion. ...
- Icelandic. Number of native speakers: 330,000. ...
- 3. Japanese. Number of native speakers: 122 million. ...
- Hungarian. Number of native speakers: 13 million. ...
- Korean. ...
- Arabic. ...
- Finnish. ...
- Polish.
What language is closest to English?
However, the closest major language to English, is Dutch . With 23 million native speakers, and an additional 5 million who speak it as a second language, Dutch is the 3rd most-widely spoken Germanic language in the world after English and German.
Which romance language is oldest?
Sicilian is the oldest romance language: badlinguistics.
