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> Language difficulty is not absolute > Writing systems can be absolute in difficulty These things contradict each other.
by cynicalpeace 2y ago
> Language difficulty is not absolute
> Writing systems can be absolute in difficulty
These things contradict each other.
- famouswaffles 2y agoWriting is a relatively recent add-on in human history so I was making a point distinguishing the difficulty of the two. There isn't really anything contradictory there. I did this because some people have the idea that the language itself is easier rather than just the writing system. You are thinking of writing as part of Language difficulty which is fair(I mean it is in a practical sense and I don't disagree) but it doesn't make as much of a dent as you might think compared to difficulty of everything else. According to the FSI who tracks the number of class hours it takes their diplomats to reach sufficient mastery, Korean and Arabic are still Category IV Languages for native English speakers (along with Japanese, Chinese) despite having a much easier writing system than those two.