Are some languages easier to learn? (A twist

John wrote :

B.Philip.Jonsson wrote:
>
> > Does anyone think that there are absolute criteria on what kind of L2
> > linguistic structures are easier to learn for adults (irrespective of their
> > L1, that is)?
>
> I would refer again to the Tolomako/Sakao case.  Holophrastic
> tendencies can't possibly make any language easier as an L2, even
> if your L1 has them too, since the details won't match.
>
Interesting. I believe quite the contrary having learned Khmer whose grammar has got so
simple that it's become difficult to tell a verb phrase from a noun phrase
which holophrastic is all about, I do think. The only prerequisit for this is a
structure allowing to tell a compound-word from a compound of main and
sub-words (you get it ?). Then just make sentence a string of simple phrases.
Easy :-)

Mathias



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