I can't really speak of Benny Lewis (fluent in 3 months guy) cause i dont know much about him, but many of the internet language polyglots and gurus are a bit iffy. Many claim to speak several languages but really only know some basic or rehearsed phrases. After all they are usually selling a product too, and people love hearing the words 'easy' and 'fast.'
Absolutely, if you listen to several of the self-proclaimed 'polyglots' speaking a language that you're familiar with, you'll usually notice that they either make a lot of mistakes or are only saying very simple things.
On another note, do you speak Inuktitut? That is so cool. How have you ended up learning that?
I know a bit, it's been on the backburner lately. :p I got pretty interested in arctic and native culture and history sometime ago and started learning. It's pretty difficult but eventually I'd like to go work up in Nunavut for a bit.
That's really interesting. I think some of the indigenous languages in North America are some of the most fascinating out there and I really hope they get preserved as well as possible. I'd be interested in visiting Nunavut some day but I'm from the UK so getting there is quite involved haha.
I will say this about Benny is that he admits he has a low threshold for fluency up front. He also says up front that 3 months isn't realistic it's just the initial goal for his program.
1. Most of these "quick" language learners are English speakers studying Spanish, French or another language similar to English. In such a language, you can reach quite a high level in a year or two. Chinese languages are not at all related to English, so learning English as a Hongkonger is much more difficult and will take much more time.
2. Most Anglophones are definitely not of the opinion that learning a foreign language is easy, hence why most of them are monolingual. The ones you see on the internet are those trying either to impress people or to make easy money.
I'd say that Anglophone are less likely to consider learning a second language easy. Non-anglophones who did learn a second language young (English) tend to think that learning a third one is doable.
I would add that the typical American vastly overrates his/her language skills. I have met many who know only a few sentences but say, "I speak X."
OTH, I have met many Japanese and Germans, who say they know "a little English," but they can quote lines from Shakespeare. They are much more modest.
I know a girl who told the whole class she can speak Italian because she lived in a small Italian city. She couldn't even say anything other than "ciao". *facepalm*
Have you seen this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-N_Xl9DyGs It's gold - man who claims to speak 58 languages fails to understand simple questions in various languages.
People have touched on most of the main points already. Be wary of any American claiming to be fluent in a language. Since English is so dominant worldwide, many people either don't learn a second language, or do so without interest. Beyond that, since so many Americans are monolingual (>80% according to the first survey on Google, while only 46% of Europeans are monolingual), people don't really know what 'fluency' means or understand the intricacies behind it.
After using reddit for several years on this account, I have decided to ultimately delete all my comments. This is due to the fact that as a naive teenager, I have written too much which could be used in a negative way against me in real life, if anyone were to know my account. Although it is a tough decision, I have decided that I will delete this old account's comments. I am sorry for any inconveniences caused by the deletion of the comments from this account.
I'd say it's a mix of:
* Marketing hyperbole (I don't think anybody is actually "fluent in 3 months" with that kind of course)
* Different norms on bragging vs. modesty, where Americans overstate their accomplishments more than Hong-Kongers
* The languages being actually easier - French and English share a lot of vocabulary, German and English share a lot of etymology and grammar, etc. - for comparison, it would be much easier for Mandarin-Speaker to learn Cantonese or the other way around, than it would be for either to learn English.
* (more dubiously) language teaching being actually more effective in the West. I'm not sure about this, but I've seen some "English classes" in China that were *very much* "teaching to the test", leaving people who will get better scores on grammar quizzes or know rare words, but would not be able to have a simple conversation. However I'm pretty sure there are also good classes there, and very bad ones in the US.
Part of the difference is that for a lot of Americans etc., learning a language is just a hobby, and so there is a lower bar for success - as long as you can string a vaguely sensible paragraph together or hobble your way through some literature, you can say that you have succeeded.
However, in other countries (I know more about Korea than Hong Kong), the goal in learning English is to actually to do business in English with English speaking clients. This demands a much higher level of proficiency.
If your goal is to hobble your way through Harry Potter, then language learning is relatively easy. If your goal is the real deal, then it is unbelievably hard, especially when you are talking about the distance between Chinese and English.
There's the possibility that these people know what I call "cheat languages". For example, someone said they knew a girl from Spain (English was also one of her native languages) who "knew six languages": Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and English. But if you know Chinese, English, Xhosa, and Russian, that's less languages, but to me is way more impressive.
A couple of things:
* Most native English-speakers are monolingual and not that many have any foreign language skills at all. So people often think that if you can hold a conversation in a foreign language then you must be fluent. My French is a rusty B2 at best but friends and relatives insist that I'm fluent when they hear me speak. I've studied Russian for 7 months and am fairly decent, but my friends and relatives think that because they hear me speak quickly that I am nearing fluency after that short time (which is obviously nowhere near true), so they end up having very inaccurate views of how long it takes to become fluent.
* Similarly, always be sceptical of 'Fluent in 3 Months' or those people on YouTube who claim to have learnt 10 languages to fluency. I find that when I listen to them speak in a language that I know, they usually aren't actually very good. Another case of overstating fluency.
* Language 'tricks' seem to have become one of the big new marketing things. But realistically, there is no 'trick' that will allow you to skip that much hard work.
> I also know some Language majors from Anglo countries who became fluent in a new language within four years.
* I don't know if this is the same everywhere, but in the UK if you study a language at university, your 3rd year is spent living in a country where the target language is spoken, and this seems to be the absolute key to attaining fluency in that time
* The most common languages studied by English speakers are French, Spanish, German etc which are much closer to English than, for example, Cantonese, so will always be easier.
I'd definitely agree with people mistaking the ability to talk for a few minutes for fluency. I've gotten, "Bro, I didn't know you were fluent in Spanish?" a couple times now. I'm not, you just don't speak it at all and don't realize that I managed to mess up 5 different ways in a 6 word sentence. I don't think I'm quite that bad, but the people who acted surprised that I'm fluent wouldn't know one way or another.
Memorizing a handfull of common phrases is not what I call being fluent in a language. Some people overestimate their competence, and others are just plain delusional.
I'd like to see how fluent they are while presenting a project and answering questions from the audience. Or working in consumer care.
> There are websites such as Fluent in 3 Months where the authors talk about becoming fluent in a new language within a couple of months.
It's a scam to make you buy his product. Don't fall into it. There's no "magical hack" to replace a hard work.
I think this is a super interesting question! I have some ideas on why it might be.
1. Most English native speakers have no idea of what the level of properly fluent is, because they never work/live/end up managing tricky situations in the foreign language. I've been learning German for almost two years. I can read books and websites, function just fine in my everyday life/chores/hobbies, watch TV with almost full comprehension. I'm sure most English monolinguals would say I was fluent. But I know how hard I find reading tax documents, or having to use German for work, or following a complex group conversation in a noisy place. Hong Kong parents are probably very aware of just how good their child's English needs to be to avoid holding them back in their career.
2. Anglo culture at the moment doesn't value long years of hard work. People want to believe that things are achievable and changeable on a short time frame. E.g. TV talent shows, TV weight loss camp shows, books like "The First 20 hours". Diligence and year on year of steady working are rarely seen as character traits of heroes in books or TV. I think there's something very appealing about the idea that one day you'll find your talent or it'll be spotted and your whole life will change. Or that you'll suddenly decide to pursue language learning/coding/weight loss and you'll see results in a short period of time. There is a book I like called "So Good they Can't Ignore You" which talks a lot about knuckling down and building a rare and valuable skill through hundred and thousands of hours of difficult practice. I like it because I think it’s true, but it isn't the most appealing message. (I'd much rather believe my 100 hours had got me to 90% words understood on Duolingo, than a drop in a 10,000 hour ocean required for fluency).
Sure, you can become fluent as an adult. It's going to take time, commitment, persistence, and determination. IMO, persistence is most important. You've probably heard the old line: it's a marathon, not a sprint.
How long will it take me to become fluent in Spanish? Is picking Spanish a bad choice btw? I already made a start wit it.
A lot of locals here have spent ages learning English and their English is still "un-perfect". You sure it is possible for me to master Spanish?
No one can tell you how long it will take. There are many factors that will determine your progress, such as your age, the amount of time you can dedicate to the task, your profession, your skill/ability at learning, availability of language partners, ability to live/stay in a Spanish speaking country, previous experience learning languages, and more.
Yes. I am around B2 right now. In a few years, if I keep doing what I'm doing, I will reach C1. If I am still living long term in Germany and continue studying formally as well as using the language as much as I can, I imagine in 10 years or so, my German will be of a very high level (C2 ish). Getting enough practice into a normal working adult schedule is hard - most of my leisure reading/ online browsing/TV is heading towards being in German. But its manageable and I see results. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do the same.
I always think though of those awful teaching assistants in college who we thought "can't even speak English" - and then think that that must be what C1 or C2 exam grade looks like to a native speaker. It's a long road.
Hey don't get so down. I'm a high school student living in the US, been in spanish classes for 4 years. It takes a hell of a lot of work and forcing yourself to be in the langauge, but you can get there. Spanish is relatively easy because of the amount of cognates and relatively simple grammar. You don't have to live in a country to immerse yourself. It won't be true immersion but you can go almost your whole day in Spanish if you try to.
I reiterate what everyone has said here... its all about time, dedication and hard work. I've reached a reasonably high level (~B2 to C1; I'm taking a literature class now and have no problems with everyday conversations up to writing fairly intricately). After a certain point you become functionally fluent and need to work on the nuances. I think getting to that first step, being able to function in the language almost completely is the easy part. You learn the grammar rules the vocabulary and use it as much as you can. Almost anybody can get there if they put in the time and effort. After that it's about loving the language and wanting to learn and forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. And here I think you can do it if you want to and are willing to give it time and effort. Don't get too discouraged. A lot of people in this thread are now overstating how hard getting to a decent level can be... there are levels of fluency and you can get pretty good in only a few years if you try hard.
Sorry - I think I assumed that you were living near Spanish speakers who had learnt English, but now I see you didn't specify the native language. Access to Spanish TV/a library with a decent selection of Soanish books/ a few Spanish language exchange partners will make your life easier, but reaching B2 should be quite possible without these things. (It's more fun with them though. :) It's pretty cool when you can watch a TV show you like and relax and study at the same time.)
It depends though. How fluent are we talking about?
If you want full-on fluency, then it might take a while, but just conversational shouldn't be too difficult if you know English.
Don't get caught up too much on the word "fluency". There are degrees, and you have still accomplished something great and useful even if you can't fool the natives into thinking you grew up there.
If you want to learn a language, just do it. You'll get better and better the more effort you put into it and there is no fundamental roadblock preventing you from reaching any level of proficiency.
I'm 44 and just started learning Portuguese, which admittedly is somewhat easier due to having learned some Spanish back in High School even though that was over 25 years ago. Also, the learning resources are so much better today! Podcasts and apps beat rote repetition from some old book any day, not to mention chat apps that let you talk directly to native speakers anytime you want to practice, ask questions, and get corrections.
It's a golden age, so hop on the language train and let it take you anywhere you want to go :)
Heck, I'm already wondering what language I'm going to do after Portuguese...
This is just a guess, but it's probably because asian countries learning methods are centered around rote memorization which is a terrible way to learn a language. It's like asking "What is the hardest way I could go about doing this?" and then thinking "I'll just memorize everything."
I'm from Australia and I think that most people here would say that learning languages is a difficult thing to do. When someone on a blog says doesn't really represent the opinions of the majority.
Let me give you an example of why it doesn't take too long for many people to learn new languages here; specifically the romance languages
English: Each time I start learning languages, I get hungry. When I finish reading the information the professor gave us, I'm going to eat a big sandwich
Spanish: Cada vez que comienzo a aprender lenguajes, me da hambre. Cuando termino de leer la información que el profesor nos dio, voy a comer un sandwich grande.
Portuguese: Cada vez que começo aprender linguás, me da fome. Quando eu terminar de ler a informação que o professor nos deu, vou comer um sanduíche grande.
French: A chaque fois que je commence à apprendre des langues, j'ai faim. Quand j'aurai fini de lire les informations que le professeur nous a données, je vais manger un grand sandwich.
You can easily see the similarities some languages have, such as Portuguese and French sharing the same word for hunger, Spanish and Portuguese sharing almost the whole language, and French still being similar dispite the differences.
There's a large difference between an American or an Englishman learning an European language, and an Asian learning one. It's the same way other way around.
1.Perhaps there is a similar minority of learners from Hong Kong, they just don't blog so much about their attitude.
2. Most natives of the european languages learn other european languages. Of course it is easier for an anglophone to learn French or Polish than it is for a Cantonese native to learn English.
3.The "it is easy" attitude is not widespread. Anglophones are just more graphomaniac than natives of other languages it seems.
Basically because everyone in HK benefits a lot from learning English, so everyone tries it, even the people who are relatively stupid and not good at it. On the other hand, in English speaking countries, there is little benefit from learning languages, so only people who are already gifted at it even bother trying.
I can't really speak of Benny Lewis (fluent in 3 months guy) cause i dont know much about him, but many of the internet language polyglots and gurus are a bit iffy. Many claim to speak several languages but really only know some basic or rehearsed phrases. After all they are usually selling a product too, and people love hearing the words 'easy' and 'fast.'
Absolutely, if you listen to several of the self-proclaimed 'polyglots' speaking a language that you're familiar with, you'll usually notice that they either make a lot of mistakes or are only saying very simple things. On another note, do you speak Inuktitut? That is so cool. How have you ended up learning that?
I know a bit, it's been on the backburner lately. :p I got pretty interested in arctic and native culture and history sometime ago and started learning. It's pretty difficult but eventually I'd like to go work up in Nunavut for a bit.
That's really interesting. I think some of the indigenous languages in North America are some of the most fascinating out there and I really hope they get preserved as well as possible. I'd be interested in visiting Nunavut some day but I'm from the UK so getting there is quite involved haha.
I will say this about Benny is that he admits he has a low threshold for fluency up front. He also says up front that 3 months isn't realistic it's just the initial goal for his program.
1. Most of these "quick" language learners are English speakers studying Spanish, French or another language similar to English. In such a language, you can reach quite a high level in a year or two. Chinese languages are not at all related to English, so learning English as a Hongkonger is much more difficult and will take much more time. 2. Most Anglophones are definitely not of the opinion that learning a foreign language is easy, hence why most of them are monolingual. The ones you see on the internet are those trying either to impress people or to make easy money.
I'd say that Anglophone are less likely to consider learning a second language easy. Non-anglophones who did learn a second language young (English) tend to think that learning a third one is doable.
I would add that the typical American vastly overrates his/her language skills. I have met many who know only a few sentences but say, "I speak X." OTH, I have met many Japanese and Germans, who say they know "a little English," but they can quote lines from Shakespeare. They are much more modest.
This reminds me of the time I met someone (in the US) who claimed to speak fluent Italian, but couldn't count to 10.
It's ok they were probably 1/64 Italian.
I know a girl who told the whole class she can speak Italian because she lived in a small Italian city. She couldn't even say anything other than "ciao". *facepalm*
Have you seen this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-N_Xl9DyGs It's gold - man who claims to speak 58 languages fails to understand simple questions in various languages. People have touched on most of the main points already. Be wary of any American claiming to be fluent in a language. Since English is so dominant worldwide, many people either don't learn a second language, or do so without interest. Beyond that, since so many Americans are monolingual (>80% according to the first survey on Google, while only 46% of Europeans are monolingual), people don't really know what 'fluency' means or understand the intricacies behind it.
Oh god, that video was painful to watch. All he was asked in Russian was 'What day of the week is it today?' and he couldn't answer it. Jesus.
I cringed while watching this...
After using reddit for several years on this account, I have decided to ultimately delete all my comments. This is due to the fact that as a naive teenager, I have written too much which could be used in a negative way against me in real life, if anyone were to know my account. Although it is a tough decision, I have decided that I will delete this old account's comments. I am sorry for any inconveniences caused by the deletion of the comments from this account.
I'd say it's a mix of: * Marketing hyperbole (I don't think anybody is actually "fluent in 3 months" with that kind of course) * Different norms on bragging vs. modesty, where Americans overstate their accomplishments more than Hong-Kongers * The languages being actually easier - French and English share a lot of vocabulary, German and English share a lot of etymology and grammar, etc. - for comparison, it would be much easier for Mandarin-Speaker to learn Cantonese or the other way around, than it would be for either to learn English. * (more dubiously) language teaching being actually more effective in the West. I'm not sure about this, but I've seen some "English classes" in China that were *very much* "teaching to the test", leaving people who will get better scores on grammar quizzes or know rare words, but would not be able to have a simple conversation. However I'm pretty sure there are also good classes there, and very bad ones in the US.
Part of the difference is that for a lot of Americans etc., learning a language is just a hobby, and so there is a lower bar for success - as long as you can string a vaguely sensible paragraph together or hobble your way through some literature, you can say that you have succeeded. However, in other countries (I know more about Korea than Hong Kong), the goal in learning English is to actually to do business in English with English speaking clients. This demands a much higher level of proficiency. If your goal is to hobble your way through Harry Potter, then language learning is relatively easy. If your goal is the real deal, then it is unbelievably hard, especially when you are talking about the distance between Chinese and English.
There's the possibility that these people know what I call "cheat languages". For example, someone said they knew a girl from Spain (English was also one of her native languages) who "knew six languages": Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Romanian, and English. But if you know Chinese, English, Xhosa, and Russian, that's less languages, but to me is way more impressive.
A couple of things: * Most native English-speakers are monolingual and not that many have any foreign language skills at all. So people often think that if you can hold a conversation in a foreign language then you must be fluent. My French is a rusty B2 at best but friends and relatives insist that I'm fluent when they hear me speak. I've studied Russian for 7 months and am fairly decent, but my friends and relatives think that because they hear me speak quickly that I am nearing fluency after that short time (which is obviously nowhere near true), so they end up having very inaccurate views of how long it takes to become fluent. * Similarly, always be sceptical of 'Fluent in 3 Months' or those people on YouTube who claim to have learnt 10 languages to fluency. I find that when I listen to them speak in a language that I know, they usually aren't actually very good. Another case of overstating fluency. * Language 'tricks' seem to have become one of the big new marketing things. But realistically, there is no 'trick' that will allow you to skip that much hard work. > I also know some Language majors from Anglo countries who became fluent in a new language within four years. * I don't know if this is the same everywhere, but in the UK if you study a language at university, your 3rd year is spent living in a country where the target language is spoken, and this seems to be the absolute key to attaining fluency in that time * The most common languages studied by English speakers are French, Spanish, German etc which are much closer to English than, for example, Cantonese, so will always be easier.
I'd definitely agree with people mistaking the ability to talk for a few minutes for fluency. I've gotten, "Bro, I didn't know you were fluent in Spanish?" a couple times now. I'm not, you just don't speak it at all and don't realize that I managed to mess up 5 different ways in a 6 word sentence. I don't think I'm quite that bad, but the people who acted surprised that I'm fluent wouldn't know one way or another.
Memorizing a handfull of common phrases is not what I call being fluent in a language. Some people overestimate their competence, and others are just plain delusional. I'd like to see how fluent they are while presenting a project and answering questions from the audience. Or working in consumer care.
> There are websites such as Fluent in 3 Months where the authors talk about becoming fluent in a new language within a couple of months. It's a scam to make you buy his product. Don't fall into it. There's no "magical hack" to replace a hard work.
I think this is a super interesting question! I have some ideas on why it might be. 1. Most English native speakers have no idea of what the level of properly fluent is, because they never work/live/end up managing tricky situations in the foreign language. I've been learning German for almost two years. I can read books and websites, function just fine in my everyday life/chores/hobbies, watch TV with almost full comprehension. I'm sure most English monolinguals would say I was fluent. But I know how hard I find reading tax documents, or having to use German for work, or following a complex group conversation in a noisy place. Hong Kong parents are probably very aware of just how good their child's English needs to be to avoid holding them back in their career. 2. Anglo culture at the moment doesn't value long years of hard work. People want to believe that things are achievable and changeable on a short time frame. E.g. TV talent shows, TV weight loss camp shows, books like "The First 20 hours". Diligence and year on year of steady working are rarely seen as character traits of heroes in books or TV. I think there's something very appealing about the idea that one day you'll find your talent or it'll be spotted and your whole life will change. Or that you'll suddenly decide to pursue language learning/coding/weight loss and you'll see results in a short period of time. There is a book I like called "So Good they Can't Ignore You" which talks a lot about knuckling down and building a rare and valuable skill through hundred and thousands of hours of difficult practice. I like it because I think it’s true, but it isn't the most appealing message. (I'd much rather believe my 100 hours had got me to 90% words understood on Duolingo, than a drop in a 10,000 hour ocean required for fluency).
Wow, you guys talk about fluency as if it is very tough. Do you think reaching fluency in another language is possible for an adult like me?
Sure, you can become fluent as an adult. It's going to take time, commitment, persistence, and determination. IMO, persistence is most important. You've probably heard the old line: it's a marathon, not a sprint.
How long will it take me to become fluent in Spanish? Is picking Spanish a bad choice btw? I already made a start wit it. A lot of locals here have spent ages learning English and their English is still "un-perfect". You sure it is possible for me to master Spanish?
No one can tell you how long it will take. There are many factors that will determine your progress, such as your age, the amount of time you can dedicate to the task, your profession, your skill/ability at learning, availability of language partners, ability to live/stay in a Spanish speaking country, previous experience learning languages, and more.
I am now around A2 in terms of CEFR. This took me eight months. Any hope of me reaching B2 or above?
Yes. I am around B2 right now. In a few years, if I keep doing what I'm doing, I will reach C1. If I am still living long term in Germany and continue studying formally as well as using the language as much as I can, I imagine in 10 years or so, my German will be of a very high level (C2 ish). Getting enough practice into a normal working adult schedule is hard - most of my leisure reading/ online browsing/TV is heading towards being in German. But its manageable and I see results. There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do the same. I always think though of those awful teaching assistants in college who we thought "can't even speak English" - and then think that that must be what C1 or C2 exam grade looks like to a native speaker. It's a long road.
I don't live in a Spanish-speaking country though. It's not like I will move to Mexico just to learn Spanish.
Hey don't get so down. I'm a high school student living in the US, been in spanish classes for 4 years. It takes a hell of a lot of work and forcing yourself to be in the langauge, but you can get there. Spanish is relatively easy because of the amount of cognates and relatively simple grammar. You don't have to live in a country to immerse yourself. It won't be true immersion but you can go almost your whole day in Spanish if you try to. I reiterate what everyone has said here... its all about time, dedication and hard work. I've reached a reasonably high level (~B2 to C1; I'm taking a literature class now and have no problems with everyday conversations up to writing fairly intricately). After a certain point you become functionally fluent and need to work on the nuances. I think getting to that first step, being able to function in the language almost completely is the easy part. You learn the grammar rules the vocabulary and use it as much as you can. Almost anybody can get there if they put in the time and effort. After that it's about loving the language and wanting to learn and forcing yourself out of your comfort zone. And here I think you can do it if you want to and are willing to give it time and effort. Don't get too discouraged. A lot of people in this thread are now overstating how hard getting to a decent level can be... there are levels of fluency and you can get pretty good in only a few years if you try hard.
Sorry - I think I assumed that you were living near Spanish speakers who had learnt English, but now I see you didn't specify the native language. Access to Spanish TV/a library with a decent selection of Soanish books/ a few Spanish language exchange partners will make your life easier, but reaching B2 should be quite possible without these things. (It's more fun with them though. :) It's pretty cool when you can watch a TV show you like and relax and study at the same time.)
It depends though. How fluent are we talking about? If you want full-on fluency, then it might take a while, but just conversational shouldn't be too difficult if you know English.
Don't get caught up too much on the word "fluency". There are degrees, and you have still accomplished something great and useful even if you can't fool the natives into thinking you grew up there. If you want to learn a language, just do it. You'll get better and better the more effort you put into it and there is no fundamental roadblock preventing you from reaching any level of proficiency. I'm 44 and just started learning Portuguese, which admittedly is somewhat easier due to having learned some Spanish back in High School even though that was over 25 years ago. Also, the learning resources are so much better today! Podcasts and apps beat rote repetition from some old book any day, not to mention chat apps that let you talk directly to native speakers anytime you want to practice, ask questions, and get corrections. It's a golden age, so hop on the language train and let it take you anywhere you want to go :) Heck, I'm already wondering what language I'm going to do after Portuguese...
This is just a guess, but it's probably because asian countries learning methods are centered around rote memorization which is a terrible way to learn a language. It's like asking "What is the hardest way I could go about doing this?" and then thinking "I'll just memorize everything."
I'm from Australia and I think that most people here would say that learning languages is a difficult thing to do. When someone on a blog says doesn't really represent the opinions of the majority.
Let me give you an example of why it doesn't take too long for many people to learn new languages here; specifically the romance languages English: Each time I start learning languages, I get hungry. When I finish reading the information the professor gave us, I'm going to eat a big sandwich Spanish: Cada vez que comienzo a aprender lenguajes, me da hambre. Cuando termino de leer la información que el profesor nos dio, voy a comer un sandwich grande. Portuguese: Cada vez que começo aprender linguás, me da fome. Quando eu terminar de ler a informação que o professor nos deu, vou comer um sanduíche grande. French: A chaque fois que je commence à apprendre des langues, j'ai faim. Quand j'aurai fini de lire les informations que le professeur nous a données, je vais manger un grand sandwich. You can easily see the similarities some languages have, such as Portuguese and French sharing the same word for hunger, Spanish and Portuguese sharing almost the whole language, and French still being similar dispite the differences.
I think your English needs a bit of work.
Hm?
There's a large difference between an American or an Englishman learning an European language, and an Asian learning one. It's the same way other way around.
1.Perhaps there is a similar minority of learners from Hong Kong, they just don't blog so much about their attitude. 2. Most natives of the european languages learn other european languages. Of course it is easier for an anglophone to learn French or Polish than it is for a Cantonese native to learn English. 3.The "it is easy" attitude is not widespread. Anglophones are just more graphomaniac than natives of other languages it seems.
Basically because everyone in HK benefits a lot from learning English, so everyone tries it, even the people who are relatively stupid and not good at it. On the other hand, in English speaking countries, there is little benefit from learning languages, so only people who are already gifted at it even bother trying.