{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1775483,
        "msgid": "surprisingly-indonesians-claim-worlds-hardest-language-since-childhood-1780287405",
        "date": "2026-05-31 13:00:01",
        "title": "Surprisingly, Indonesians Claim World's Hardest Language Since Childhood",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Anthropology",
        "summary": "A study by Voronoi reveals the varying difficulty of learning languages for English speakers, with Indonesian classified as Category II requiring 36 weeks of study. The classification highlights significant linguistic hurdles, particularly for Category IV languages like Mandarin and Japanese, which demand nearly four times longer than the easiest languages. This data underscores the challenges in language education and global communication strategies.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Learning a foreign language requires\nvarying time allocations depending on the learner\u2019s native language.\nAccording to data released by Voronoi, there is a classification of\ndifficulty levels for various languages for native English speakers.<\/p>\n<p>The ranking was compiled using categories and study time estimates\nfrom Effective Language Learning and Rosetta Stone, which directly\nreference the Foreign Service Institute standards. Difficulty levels are\nstrongly correlated with the linguistic proximity of the target language\nto English.<\/p>\n<p>Key factors determining study duration include vocabulary, grammar\nstructure, pronunciation systems, and writing scripts. The time gaps\nbetween categories are substantial.<\/p>\n<p>Characteristics of Category I and II Languages<\/p>\n<p>Category I languages typically require 24 to 30 weeks of study for\nEnglish speakers to achieve professional working proficiency. This group\nincludes Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish.<\/p>\n<p>This relative ease stems from their use of the Latin alphabet and\nshared vocabulary roots with English via Germanic or Romance language\nfamilies.<\/p>\n<p>This explains why European languages dominate global language\nlearning apps. Category II, which includes German, Indonesian, Malay,\nand Swahili, requires an estimated 36 weeks of study.<\/p>\n<p>Challenges in Category III Languages<\/p>\n<p>Category III consists of languages with greater linguistic distance\nfrom English. Mastering these requires 44 weeks of study \u2013 nearly double\nthe time needed for Category I languages.<\/p>\n<p>Examples include Russian, Greek, Hindi, Turkish, and Vietnamese.\nDifficulty arises from grammar structures unfamiliar to English\nspeakers.<\/p>\n<p>Some also use alternative alphabets or pronunciation patterns\nrequiring longer cognitive adaptation due to their non-intuitive\nnature.<\/p>\n<p>Peak Complexity in Category IV<\/p>\n<p>Category IV represents the highest difficulty level for English\nspeakers, classified as very challenging. Achieving professional\nproficiency requires 88 weeks of intensive study.<\/p>\n<p>This duration is nearly four times longer than the easiest category.\nArabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Korean dominate this list due\nto combined linguistic hurdles.<\/p>\n<p>Mandarin and Cantonese require mastering tonal systems. Japanese\nintegrates multiple writing systems, Korean has highly specific grammar\nstructures, and Arabic uses a script entirely different from the Latin\nalphabet.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/surprisingly-indonesians-claim-worlds-hardest-language-since-childhood-1780287405",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}