Second foreign language: Which language to choose and where to study it
Text: Daria Suharchuk
Learning foreign languages is addictive, and if you already know one (most likely English), then you probably soon want to learn the second, and maybe even the third or fourth. At this stage, the most serious question is which language to choose? To correctly answer this question, we decided to turn to professionals. With the help of Ekaterina Matveeva, a linguist, Yasny Aksenova, a Hebrew tutor, Ekaterina Puhova, an expert on the history of the Middle East, and Oksana Nalyvaiko, translators from Japanese, we talk about nine very different languages and share tips and resources for those who would like to learn one of them.
French
↑ Website with video tutorials by Polyglot method
One of the most popular foreign languages, and also very widespread in Africa, Asia and the Middle East - here many still speak it better than English. French adopted, along with English, as an official in the EU, the UN, as well as many international corporations. It is one of the Romance languages, which means it is related to Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. So, knowledge of French will help to navigate not only in France, but also in countries where they speak close languages.
There are plenty of opportunities to learn French, the most obvious one is to enroll in one of the many language schools, as they teach it almost everywhere. On the Web, Duolingo's resources are available, the training section of TV 5 Monde, and many video tutorials — for example, using the Polyglot method (although this system is suitable only for beginners).
Spanish
↑ Website of the Instituto Cervantes
Along with English and Chinese, Spanish is one of the three most common languages in the world. At the same time, the population of Latin America is growing, which means that Spanish will spread further and further. If you ever get together on a trip to South America or to the homeland of a language, you will have to learn at least basic phrases. Most people in Spain and Latin America speak only their mother tongue, but they are always ready to listen carefully to a gesticulating and stumbling foreigner. So do not neglect the lessons - even a couple of dozen Spanish words can make your life much easier.
Of all the Romance languages, Spanish is the easiest to learn, the easiest to start is to speak it. The case is facilitated by a network of Cervantes Institutes open worldwide, and the availability of the language on all major online platforms: Duolingo (there are courses in Russian), Babbel (need to know English) and Amolingua - a new paid resource built around Skype lessons and chat rooms with carriers. The last platform was invented by the Russian linguist and polyglot Ekaterina Matveyeva, who developed her own methodology and wrote a book about it.
Italian
↑ Site of the Italian Cultural Center
Many consider this language one of the most beautiful in Europe. The practical benefits of studying it are not as obvious as in the case of Spanish or French - but if you appreciate classical opera, Italian art, or just love Italy and miss it (this fate does not pass almost anyone who has been there at least once), Learning a language is a good way to get closer to the local culture. In addition, Italian had a strong influence on the Spanish dialects of Latin America (especially Argentina, where many Italians left in the XIX and XX centuries), which means that with knowledge of this language it will be easy for you there.
Italian courses can be found on all large online platforms (Duolingo, Amolingua, Babbel), and also in Italian cultural centers that exist in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In addition, Italy actively participates in international volunteer programs, and local language schools open summer courses every year.
Deutsch
↑ German Cultural Center website
German is the most common language of the German group: knowing it, you will be able to navigate in Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. Despite the fact that in the Nordic countries, and indeed in Germany itself, many fluently speak English, knowing at least a few German words makes communication with those who speak this language much easier: outwardly harsh Nordic interlocutors become friendlier right at you eyes. And if you learn German well, you will be able to appreciate the German and Austrian literature: Mann, Zweig and Hesse are much richer in the original than in translation.
German is known for its complexity: even the Germans themselves complain about the difficult case system. However, it is as popular as the French, and the German government spends a lot of money to promote their native language. There are several German cultural centers in Russia where you can find German courses - often free of charge. In addition, German can be practiced remotely on large Internet platforms: Babel, Amolingua, Duolingo. A training videos and tests can be found on the website of the German channel Deutsche Welle.
Swedish
Ш Website of the Swedish Institute
Swedish is the most accessible of the Scandinavian languages: it is understood both in Norway, and in Denmark, and in Finland, where it is in fact the second state language. This language is the dream of those who love the Scandinavian design and minimalistic lifestyle, Bergman films and the Nordic noir genre. If you want to get acquainted with them in the original or in the future, go to study in Sweden, tempted by free education, you should look at the Swedish closer.
Swedish courses are available on the above online platforms (Babbel, Duolingo and Amolingua), on a special website launched by the Swedish Institute, or in the Scandinavian Cultural Center.
Hebrew
↑ Online courses for returnees
This language is worth studying for those who want to try something fundamentally new for themselves, but not very difficult. Hebrew is an ideal compromise between European and Oriental languages, because, despite the pronunciation unusual for the Russian ear and the new writing, its grammar is very similar to Russian. The most difficult will be the first months when you have to not only learn the new alphabet, which has no vowels, but also get used to reading and writing from right to left. In itself, the study of Hebrew makes it possible to look at European history from a completely different angle, for Hebrew has long been associated primarily with mysticism and Kabbalah — hobbies that many European intellectuals went through. After deepening into this language, you will probably be able to understand the novels of Prague writers and Umberto Eco much better.
Hebrew can be learned free of charge at Israeli cultural centers that are open to all comers, as well as online at courses for repatriates (free and also open to all). You can practice Hebrew while watching movies and videos collected in the thematic VKontakte public. In addition, there is a good electronic dictionary of Hebrew and a site with interactive exercises. Choosing courses, pay attention to those where the emphasis is on spoken language: in modern Hebrew there are no hard stylistic differences, and if you learn to speak well, then later learn the book version easily.
Arab
↑ Arabiconline platform for learning Arabic
Under the common name "Arabic" actually hides a whole group of Arabic dialects, often very different from each other. In addition to numerous dialects, there are two versions of classical Arabic: Fuskha, the medieval language in which the Koran is written, and the modern standard Arabic, the language of the major media and business contracts. Before you start studying Arabic, you need to choose your option. If you want to bargain in your favorite market in your own way, you should learn the local dialect. Remember that the Lebanese and Syriac dialects are closest to the standard Arabic, but the Moroccan is the most distant, and no one understands it, except for the speakers themselves. If you want to read modern literature or understand Arabic contracts, stop at the modern standard. If the muezzin calls into your soul or you want to read the Koran in the original, you need fusha.
For those who are frightened by the abundance of Arabic variants, there is good news: all these languages use the same script. Arabic ligature is common in the Muslim East in the same way as the Latin alphabet in Europe - it is used even in languages not related to Arabic, such as Farsi (Iran) and Urdu (Pakistan). In addition to purely practical reasons for learning Arabic, there can be one more thing - the desire to touch a completely different culture and aesthetics, to try to understand the intricacies of calligraphic patterns. There is a convenient Arabiconline platform for studying standard Arabic, there are exercises on the website of the University of Leipzig (although you need to know German), interactive exercises can be found in the Salaam application, and the more advanced ones can explore the Al Jazeera training section.
Chinese
Пекин Peking University Course on Coursera
Perhaps, there are as few legends about which language as about Chinese: one likes to call it the most difficult, then the most ancient. At the same time, almost one and a half billion people speak it, and the attractiveness of China as a destination for business is only growing. Of all the oriental languages, this language is furthest from the logic we are used to. If you are not pushed to study it is a practical necessity, you should take it up at least in order to try to understand it. Chinese hieroglyphic writing - the most difficult part of the language, which you will be engaged throughout the study. Conversational Chinese, on the contrary, is very simple. Having suffered three to five weeks with the tone system, you will quickly learn the most necessary simple phrases and breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that there are no grammatical delights in Chinese, like many times, cases or articles. Another good news is that you probably don’t have to learn dialects. The entire Chinese world, with the exception of Hong Kong residents, remote villages and long-standing immigrants, understands standard Chinese Mandarin (Mandarin) perfectly.
It is difficult to learn Chinese on your own: you need a teacher’s help at least to understand the features of the tone system and set up pronunciation. You can taste the language and learn the basics at Peking University course on Coursera, and learn at one of the many Confucius Institutes in all major cities, or at university courses.
Japanese
↑ Site of the Japanese Cultural Center
Japanese is the only one in our list of languages that is distributed only in one country and does not have a single close relative. It is worth undertaking to study it if you want to try something fundamentally new: Japanese aesthetics are just as distinctive and as strongly different from European as Middle Eastern. You should not equate Japan and China: they are close in many respects, but there are as many differences between them as similarities. Even the hieroglyphs that the Japanese borrowed from their neighbors in the Middle Ages, in Japan, retained the old style, and often the meaning, while in China they managed to change markedly. However, it is not beyond recognition - therefore, the knowledge of the hieroglyphs of one language can, to some extent, facilitate the existence in the country of another.
Japanese is not as common as Chinese, but no less difficult to learn - so just like with Chinese, you will need a teacher. Japanese courses can be found at cultural centers and universities where there are eastern faculties: Moscow State University, Diplomatic Academy and MGIMO in Moscow, FEFU in Vladivostok, and St. Petersburg State University in St. Petersburg. You can practice Japanese grammar using the Japanese 1 and Japanese Grammar applications using the electronic dictionary.
The photo: Olga Kovalenko - stock.adobe.com