Re: Is there an optimal sequence for language acquisition?


ck wrote:
> Is there an optimal order in which to learn languages? Consider a
> student

conditions vary very very much: motivation, age, inclination,
intellect, memory, cultural environment

> who wants to learn latin, attic greek, german, and russian.
> (Assume the student's native language is english, and assume an average
> proficiency in grammar.) Is there a specific sequence that is most
> efficient?

most people could learn how to *read* a foreign language (passive
mastery).

to be able to speak a foreign language you have to acquire reflexes,
which may depend on your age and very much on your inclination and
ability and a little but not much on your IQ.

some linguistic abilities are of psycho-somatic origin, some few are
more of the rational kind.

there are many thousand theories on this subject and they are all like
my own a messy mix of philosophy and psychology and practical
experience and spin.

>
> Moreover, is there a general rule of thumb? That is, I suspect that
> similar languages can be grouped, and those groups can be sequenced
> according to difficulty or "foreign-ness". What does that sequence look
> like?

.

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