As a programmer who is working on a language learning startup, I've thought alot about how and why these two disciplines are different. And I believe that lear

As a programmer who is working on a language learning startup, I've thought alot about how and why these two disciplines are different. And I believe that learning a spoken language is actually much harder than learning a programming language for the following reasons: * In order to strengthen your spoken language skills you must engage in what amounts to a performance in front of experts, akin to getting on stage as an raw amateur and performing jazz music to a crowd of experts. Programming can be learned in the quiet and safety of your home. * Speaking a language is a synchronous activity, programming is asynchronous. You need full command over an enormous amount of new material when speaking a new language, whereas with programming you can always pause things in order to look something up. * Learning to speak a language has a slow feedback loop compared to programming. You learn concept or word A, and by the time you first need to deploy that word or concept in the wild, it has been forgotten. * Learning to speak a language has inconsistent feedback, with native speakers giving contradictory or unclear advice. Compilers, not so much. * Speaking a language requires relearning muscoskeletal behavior that has been ingrained since birth. * Speaking a new language badly is an act of courage that often penalizes introverted or perfectionist personality types. These types thrive when learning computer programming. I could go on... :)