Latin

[at_anchor]

It is unrelated to modern day European languages and very difficult to learn for people who grew up in Europe, America, Africa, and elsewhere, but I want to ask, how hard is it to learn Chinese? The language is a cold thing. There is nothing passionate about it. So the goal with learning a language is to speak to others, live in another place, find a job there, or just to improve your English as the case is when learning Latin. But really, how hard can it be to learn Chinese? I don't want to live in the west anymore. Hoping to get away from all my problems by moving to China or Thailand or something over there. Can learning Chinese be done? Honestly I think all your wisdom and ideas which is like seeds, gets thrown on rocks or on the side of the road or in thorny areas when told to me. But keep responding because someone else might benefit.

Edit: I actually don't mind living in the west, but the poverty and life circumstances are pushing me to suicide or to go far away.

Edited November 19, 2022 by at_anchor

[JuliusCaesar]

5 hours ago, at_anchor said:

It is unrelated to modern day European languages and very difficult to learn for people who grew up in Europe, America, Africa, and elsewhere, but I want to ask, how hard is it to learn Chinese? The language is a cold thing. There is nothing passionate about it. So the goal with learning a language is to speak to others, live in another place, find a job there, or just to improve your English as the case is when learning Latin. But really, how hard can it be to learn Chinese? I don't want to live in the west anymore. Hoping to get away from all my problems by moving to China or Thailand or something over there. Can learning Chinese be done? Honestly I think all your wisdom and ideas which is like seeds, gets thrown on rocks or on the side of the road or in thorny areas when told to me. But keep responding because someone else might benefit.

Edit: I actually don't mind living in the west, but the poverty and life circumstances are pushing me to suicide or to go far away.

Get yourself a monthly subscription with Pimsleur and do their Chinese.

[at_anchor]

What about learning Greek? On a scale from 1 to 10, how useful is it compared to Latin? There are somewhere around 150, 000, but I am not sure how useful Greek is for better understanding and use of English...

[JuliusCaesar]

5 hours ago, at_anchor said:

What about learning Greek? On a scale from 1 to 10, how useful is it compared to Latin? There are somewhere around 150, 000, but I am not sure how useful Greek is for better understanding and use of English...

The influence of Classical Greek on English is mostly indirect. The Ancient Romans used many Greek words and they became incorporated into Latin, and English gained some of these terms directly through Latin and some indirectly through French influence. 

 

There are many English words derived in some capacity from a Greek term. One estimate puts it over 150,000 English words being derived from a Greek word. Essentially any English word with a ph being pronounced like an f is from Greek. Like, Philosophy, Photography etc. Some other instances include any English word using Micro or Macro, as these are from the Greek words Micros and Macros meaning small and large respectively. 

 

With that being said, Modern Greek is not the same as Classical or in other words Ancient Greek. However, they are many similarities. And certainly learning the modern language would make it much easier to learn the ancient language.