My admiration for Dr. Oliver Sacks is no secret. He was just on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night talking about the effects of music on the brain. I am thrilled that he was discussing this on mainstream TV as more people watch The Daily Show than have read his excellent book, Musicophilia. He discussed that even after a stroke, people will still remember music even if they forget language. I wonder what would happen to someone who had learned another language through music. Would he/she have a better chance of retaining their language skills after a stroke?
Watch this clip from The Daily Show:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=231589&title=oliver-sacks
This man is a wonderful gift to humanity.
___
Susanna Zaraysky was inspired by Dr. Oliver Sacks' book, Musicophilia. She realized that she learned foreign languages like music. She's written a book, Language is Music, with tips on how to learn foreign languages using music and the media. She speak seven with almost perfect accents thanks to music!
June 30, 2009
June 23, 2009
Back in Sarajevo: Music jolts memory and language learning
Music must be one of the most powerful forces of nostalgia!
Yesterday, I had a lot of fun dancing to the gypsy music of Goran Bregović, a Sarajevo-born musician and composer. He has collaborated with Iggy Pop and Cesaria Evora and created the soundtracks for Emir Kusturica’s films (Time of the Gypsies, Arizona Dream, Underground).
While listening to the concert, I felt like I was back in Sarajevo in my small cottage learning the local language (Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian-Bosnian) from my dear Bosnian friend, Damir Imamović. He taught me to sing popular songs from the former Yugoslavia. We would sit by my small table with its plastic red table cloth trying to keep warm in the cold Balkan winter listening to songs on my small cassette player. Often, our “language lessons” turned into English language gossip sessions. I was supposed to teach him English poetry in exchange for Bosnian language lessons through music. Not only did I learn the language through music thanks to Damir, but we developed a profoundly deep friendship. He is the brother I never had.
Now, Damir has his own Bosnian music band, the Damir Imamovic Trio, and can help other people learn the language through his sevdalinke and traditional Bosnian music.
Music activates a part of our brains that not only ignites nostalgia, but also language memory. At the concert, the thoughts in my head were in Bosnian. That’s surprising since Bosnian is the language I speak the least. Because of Bregović’s music, I felt as though I had never left Bosnia and hadn’t forgotten any of the language.
Damir taught me to sing the sad Balkan love song, Ruzica. Unfortunately, Bregović didn’t perform this dear song last night. But I was singing it my head, just like I sang it on many a snowy night sitting on my lone heater by my window watching the snow fall on the well in my courtyard.
Music moves the soul and brings us back to the past.
—-Susanna Zaraysky blogs for about language learning and music. She has just published a book, Language is Music, about how to learn foreign languages using music, TV, film, radio and other low-cost resources.
Yesterday, I had a lot of fun dancing to the gypsy music of Goran Bregović, a Sarajevo-born musician and composer. He has collaborated with Iggy Pop and Cesaria Evora and created the soundtracks for Emir Kusturica’s films (Time of the Gypsies, Arizona Dream, Underground).
While listening to the concert, I felt like I was back in Sarajevo in my small cottage learning the local language (Bosnian, Serbo-Croatian-Bosnian) from my dear Bosnian friend, Damir Imamović. He taught me to sing popular songs from the former Yugoslavia. We would sit by my small table with its plastic red table cloth trying to keep warm in the cold Balkan winter listening to songs on my small cassette player. Often, our “language lessons” turned into English language gossip sessions. I was supposed to teach him English poetry in exchange for Bosnian language lessons through music. Not only did I learn the language through music thanks to Damir, but we developed a profoundly deep friendship. He is the brother I never had.
Now, Damir has his own Bosnian music band, the Damir Imamovic Trio, and can help other people learn the language through his sevdalinke and traditional Bosnian music.
Music activates a part of our brains that not only ignites nostalgia, but also language memory. At the concert, the thoughts in my head were in Bosnian. That’s surprising since Bosnian is the language I speak the least. Because of Bregović’s music, I felt as though I had never left Bosnia and hadn’t forgotten any of the language.
Damir taught me to sing the sad Balkan love song, Ruzica. Unfortunately, Bregović didn’t perform this dear song last night. But I was singing it my head, just like I sang it on many a snowy night sitting on my lone heater by my window watching the snow fall on the well in my courtyard.
Music moves the soul and brings us back to the past.
—-Susanna Zaraysky blogs for about language learning and music. She has just published a book, Language is Music, about how to learn foreign languages using music, TV, film, radio and other low-cost resources.
June 12, 2009
999,998... 999,999... 1 Million?
How many words are there in the English language? According to the Global Language Monitor, a website that has developed a mathematical formula for determining the rate of creation of new English words recently featured in an article on CNN.com, the count has just reached 1,000,000 this Wednesday. But are the building blocks of sentence formation really enumerable?
The Oxford English Dictionary contains 600,000 words. Most agree that the English language contains many words that haven't yet made it into the dictionary, particularly those which can be classified as jargon or slang. But how many more words exist beyond the clearly defined and universally accepted 600,000?
To even begin to conceptualize the answer to this question, one would have to clearly define what constitutes a word. The website's only prerequisite is that the word is understood in 60% of the English-speaking world. However, there are many adulterations of the English language that are widely understood while not quite reaching word status. Say "funnest" or "stupidest" anywhere English is spoken and rest assured you'll be understood, regardless of the fact that neither of the aforementioned utterences are considered words. And what if a word has many meanings in different contexts? The word "sketchy" can be used to convey the uncertainty of details or the discomfort of a situation. Would it be counted as one word or two?
While it is certainly an interesting idea, attempting to count the number of words in the English language is like attempting to count to infinity. Language is not a quantatative entity. What is important is not how many words exist, but what you can do with them.
-Nicole Gulotta
The Oxford English Dictionary contains 600,000 words. Most agree that the English language contains many words that haven't yet made it into the dictionary, particularly those which can be classified as jargon or slang. But how many more words exist beyond the clearly defined and universally accepted 600,000?
To even begin to conceptualize the answer to this question, one would have to clearly define what constitutes a word. The website's only prerequisite is that the word is understood in 60% of the English-speaking world. However, there are many adulterations of the English language that are widely understood while not quite reaching word status. Say "funnest" or "stupidest" anywhere English is spoken and rest assured you'll be understood, regardless of the fact that neither of the aforementioned utterences are considered words. And what if a word has many meanings in different contexts? The word "sketchy" can be used to convey the uncertainty of details or the discomfort of a situation. Would it be counted as one word or two?
While it is certainly an interesting idea, attempting to count the number of words in the English language is like attempting to count to infinity. Language is not a quantatative entity. What is important is not how many words exist, but what you can do with them.
-Nicole Gulotta
June 5, 2009
From Merengue to Borscht: learning Russian with Soviet Army music
There’s proof that music leads to learning!
Last week, I was helping my friend David Mathison at his booth at Book Expo America. David was selling his book, Be the Media, a guidebook for authors, musicians, film makers, radio hosts and other creative people to create their own media companies. David’s aim is for people to bypass the major music studios and publishing houses and distribute their own content using the Internet and social media marketing.
A man wearing a T-shirt with the word “BEAR” was admiring the stand. I asked him if he had any questions. Miguel Vargas-Caba, the Latin American man, was marveling at the book because he had self-published his own book, BEAR: Flight to Liberty, and had to learn about social media marketing all on his own. He was happy that David had written a book to help other authors use the Internet and technology to maximize their exposure. He reached into his bag and pulled out some papers describing his book about Soviet airline pilot defectors in the 1970s.
A Latin American man writing about Soviet defectors?
He has got to be Cuban, I thought.
Who else in Latin America could comprehend the mentality of Communist defectors but the cubanos, many of whom will risk their lives in makeshift rafts to escape the land of Castro?
I read in his papers that he began learning Russian by listening to Soviet Army music in the Dominican Republic.
“Do you speak Russian?” I asked him in Russian.
Perfectly formed Russian sentences flowed from Miguel’s mouth. His accent was excellent. I was shocked. (I am a native Russian speaker.)
How did a Dominican learn to speak such good Russian?
Music.
He’s never been anywhere in the former Soviet Union.
In addition to Soviet army music, he taught himself the language by using textbooks written for English speakers to learn Russian when he lived in the Dominican Republic. He lives in New York now.
I was beyond impressed. Russian is a very difficult language to learn and it’s rare to find people who learn to speak so fluently and gracefully without having ever stepped foot in the land of Peter the Great or in any former Soviet republics.
Miguel was more proof that yes, one can really learn to speak with a good accent by listening to music in one’s target language.
He also told me that listening to the army music aided him in understanding the Soviet mentality. Being able to “feel” the spirit of the army, helped Miguel craft the characters for his book about Soviet airplane pilot defectors whose plane crashed on the way to Canada. Music is not only an entry into the sound of a language, but also the soul and culture of the people who speak the tongue.
I am truly impressed with Miguel’s ability to learn Russian and patience for Russian melancholic music. I doubt I could listen to as much somber Russian music as he does! I teased him that he went from living in the sounds of happy merengue to borscht!
-- Susanna Zaraysky is a guest blogger on Leximo. She will publish her book, Language is Music, in June 2009. The book has over 70 tips on how to learn foreign languages easily using music, TV, radio, film and other free and low cost resources. She speaks seven languages (Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, and English.) Her mission is for people to become confident communicators in foreign languages.
Last week, I was helping my friend David Mathison at his booth at Book Expo America. David was selling his book, Be the Media, a guidebook for authors, musicians, film makers, radio hosts and other creative people to create their own media companies. David’s aim is for people to bypass the major music studios and publishing houses and distribute their own content using the Internet and social media marketing.
A man wearing a T-shirt with the word “BEAR” was admiring the stand. I asked him if he had any questions. Miguel Vargas-Caba, the Latin American man, was marveling at the book because he had self-published his own book, BEAR: Flight to Liberty, and had to learn about social media marketing all on his own. He was happy that David had written a book to help other authors use the Internet and technology to maximize their exposure. He reached into his bag and pulled out some papers describing his book about Soviet airline pilot defectors in the 1970s.
A Latin American man writing about Soviet defectors?
He has got to be Cuban, I thought.
Who else in Latin America could comprehend the mentality of Communist defectors but the cubanos, many of whom will risk their lives in makeshift rafts to escape the land of Castro?
I read in his papers that he began learning Russian by listening to Soviet Army music in the Dominican Republic.
“Do you speak Russian?” I asked him in Russian.
Perfectly formed Russian sentences flowed from Miguel’s mouth. His accent was excellent. I was shocked. (I am a native Russian speaker.)
How did a Dominican learn to speak such good Russian?
Music.
He’s never been anywhere in the former Soviet Union.
In addition to Soviet army music, he taught himself the language by using textbooks written for English speakers to learn Russian when he lived in the Dominican Republic. He lives in New York now.
I was beyond impressed. Russian is a very difficult language to learn and it’s rare to find people who learn to speak so fluently and gracefully without having ever stepped foot in the land of Peter the Great or in any former Soviet republics.
Miguel was more proof that yes, one can really learn to speak with a good accent by listening to music in one’s target language.
He also told me that listening to the army music aided him in understanding the Soviet mentality. Being able to “feel” the spirit of the army, helped Miguel craft the characters for his book about Soviet airplane pilot defectors whose plane crashed on the way to Canada. Music is not only an entry into the sound of a language, but also the soul and culture of the people who speak the tongue.
I am truly impressed with Miguel’s ability to learn Russian and patience for Russian melancholic music. I doubt I could listen to as much somber Russian music as he does! I teased him that he went from living in the sounds of happy merengue to borscht!
-- Susanna Zaraysky is a guest blogger on Leximo. She will publish her book, Language is Music, in June 2009. The book has over 70 tips on how to learn foreign languages easily using music, TV, radio, film and other free and low cost resources. She speaks seven languages (Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, and English.) Her mission is for people to become confident communicators in foreign languages.
June 3, 2009
Writers Wanted (No experience required )
Note: No experience required.
Do you love learning new languages? Whether you do it just to learn a bad word...or because you need it for a job; maybe you're just interested in learning new things. We all learn new languages for our own reasons. I have a question for you?
Are you a self proclaimed world traveler, or do you wish you were? Do you recollect about the different cultures you've immersed yourself in? Can you envision meeting people from all over the world and sharing your unique experiences with other people as passionate as you?
Its time for your experiences to grow out of your head; let those seeds blossom and share those experiences with the rest of the world.
We are pleased to announce that we are looking for passionate writers (no experience necessary) who enjoy learning new languages and sharing their experiences around the world. If you fit the bill and don't mind writing and the exposure that comes with it, then contact info [at] leximo [dot] org with your name and why you would love to write about this topic.
Do you love learning new languages? Whether you do it just to learn a bad word...or because you need it for a job; maybe you're just interested in learning new things. We all learn new languages for our own reasons. I have a question for you?
Are you a self proclaimed world traveler, or do you wish you were? Do you recollect about the different cultures you've immersed yourself in? Can you envision meeting people from all over the world and sharing your unique experiences with other people as passionate as you?
Its time for your experiences to grow out of your head; let those seeds blossom and share those experiences with the rest of the world.
We are pleased to announce that we are looking for passionate writers (no experience necessary) who enjoy learning new languages and sharing their experiences around the world. If you fit the bill and don't mind writing and the exposure that comes with it, then contact info [at] leximo [dot] org with your name and why you would love to write about this topic.
May 27, 2009
Update: Videos Now on Leximo
We have added a cool new feature to Leximo. You can now add videos along with each word submission.All you have to do is paste the YouTube link for the video and it will be embedded along with the submission. Here's an example of what it looks like, One Drop Rule.
So go ahead and try it out, add a new word to Leximo.
However, we have removed all image upload capabilities on Leximo for now, while we take care of some technical issues. As soon as we have these issues fixed, image uploads will return.
May 20, 2009
Multiple personalities in a foreign language
When we learn a foreign language, we may have an accent bearing light traces or strong semblances of our native tongue or we may be able to pick up on out instructor’s accent or that of a native speaker.
What happens when we have studied with instructors with various national accents or have “lived” a particular language in various countries where it is spoken? What kind of multiple personality disorder can we have when we open our mouths?
In January 2000, I returned from Argentina on crutches and with a cast on my left leg, with no desire to retain my recently acquired Argentine accent. After spending a year in the country, I wanted no traces of the Argentine “sh” sound for the double “ll” and “y” letters in Spanish. (Most Spanish speakers have a light “yuh” sounds for these letters.) Since most Spanish speaking countries did not use or recognize the “vos” second person singular pronoun typically used in Argentina, Uruguay, and some other Latin American countries, I wanted it to disappear from my Spanish as well. (Most countries use the word “tu” in the second person singular. The “vos” is conjugated differently than “tu” and sounds strange to those who are not used to it.) I didn’t make a concerted effort to have the accent go away, but the more I spoke in Spanish with Mexicans and Spaniards, the less my argentinismos came out. My Spanish language vacillated between Mexican and European Spanish, with occasional Caribbean rhythms giving guest appearances. I think the latter came from my love of salsa music!
I don’t know why my Argentine accent has come back to me now. It’s not a complete Argentine accent, but it’s noticeable. I’ve also been craving some Argentine foods and even recreating the smells of Argentine barbecue in my mind. I am traveling in my mind and my vocal chords are following my journeys. But I have no desire to revisit the country now.
For those of you who have lived in different countries that speak the same language, I wonder if you too have heard your accent change unexpectedly to that of a country where you haven’t lived in years.
-- Susanna Zaraysky is a guest blogger on Leximo. She will publish her book, Language is Music, in June 2009. The book has over 70 tips on how to learn foreign languages easily using music, TV, radio, film and other free and low cost resources. She speaks seven languages (Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, and English.) Her mission is for people to become confident communicators in foreign languages.
What happens when we have studied with instructors with various national accents or have “lived” a particular language in various countries where it is spoken? What kind of multiple personality disorder can we have when we open our mouths?
In January 2000, I returned from Argentina on crutches and with a cast on my left leg, with no desire to retain my recently acquired Argentine accent. After spending a year in the country, I wanted no traces of the Argentine “sh” sound for the double “ll” and “y” letters in Spanish. (Most Spanish speakers have a light “yuh” sounds for these letters.) Since most Spanish speaking countries did not use or recognize the “vos” second person singular pronoun typically used in Argentina, Uruguay, and some other Latin American countries, I wanted it to disappear from my Spanish as well. (Most countries use the word “tu” in the second person singular. The “vos” is conjugated differently than “tu” and sounds strange to those who are not used to it.) I didn’t make a concerted effort to have the accent go away, but the more I spoke in Spanish with Mexicans and Spaniards, the less my argentinismos came out. My Spanish language vacillated between Mexican and European Spanish, with occasional Caribbean rhythms giving guest appearances. I think the latter came from my love of salsa music!
I don’t know why my Argentine accent has come back to me now. It’s not a complete Argentine accent, but it’s noticeable. I’ve also been craving some Argentine foods and even recreating the smells of Argentine barbecue in my mind. I am traveling in my mind and my vocal chords are following my journeys. But I have no desire to revisit the country now.
For those of you who have lived in different countries that speak the same language, I wonder if you too have heard your accent change unexpectedly to that of a country where you haven’t lived in years.
-- Susanna Zaraysky is a guest blogger on Leximo. She will publish her book, Language is Music, in June 2009. The book has over 70 tips on how to learn foreign languages easily using music, TV, radio, film and other free and low cost resources. She speaks seven languages (Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, and English.) Her mission is for people to become confident communicators in foreign languages.
May 10, 2009
The Matrix of Languages
Are you trying to learn a new language? Are you aware of the Matrix. Being a Matrix fan, I loved the analogy that this blog presented when it comes to learning new languages, and entering The Matrix.
Learning a language is a little bit like being in love. You can not learn it from a book or just by hearing other people talk about methods. You have to experience it for yourself.For the full article, check out "Learning Programs and the The Matrix".
April 26, 2009
Chinese Fascination
The past week has been a strange Chinese filled adventure. I've been given a full sponsorship to go study on a Summer School program in Beijing and I've participated in the Chinese Bridge competition for foreign language students.
I study Mandarin at Stellenbosch University in South Africa just to inform you peeps how/why I do all this. Eastern culture really fascinates me: you can read a detailed account here. When a few us Stellenbosch students went to the University of Western Cape to take part in the Chinese Bridge competition, (Bridge is used figuratively here. As in build a bridge across cultures) I experienced something strange.
One of the judges of the competition was on the bus with us, but I've never seen her in the department before. So she must have been from somewhere else. As we were driving past the Cape Flats and Khayelitsha (a big slum suburb in Cape Town filled with tightly packed shacks), the Chinese women took out her camera and in stereotypical Asian fashion started taking pictures of the shacks.
Perhaps it might just Asian curiosity, or the fact that it might be so strange to them, but I couldn't help but feel ashamed and surprised. Here a Chinese woman was taking pictures of the worst part of Cape Town, happily documenting it to perhaps show her friends or reminisce when she leaves the country.
We often drive past these shacks and find ourselves indifferent towards this blotch on the landscape, but it's usually the first thing foreigners notice when they ride out of Cape Town airport. The Chinese woman made me confused. I kept wondering why she would do it. Whatever the reason, it gave me a new perspective. It reminded me of a poem we did in highs chool, Decomposition by Zulfikar Ghase. It explained the trouble a photographer went through when he was taking photos of a weak homeless man. I quote two stanzas:
Behind him, there is a crowd passingly
bemused by a pavement trickster and quite
indifferent to this very common sight
of an old man asleep on the pavement
and,
His head in the posture of someone weeping
into a pillow chides me now for my
presumption at attempting to compose
art out of his hunger and solitude.
The Chinese woman might not realize it, but she in fact took pictures at a cost. However, just like the photographer in the poem it also made me realize how much we take things for granted. "Ag, bloody hell, not more shacks, what's on the radio? Play some 5fm," might be our usual response when driving past Khayelitsha, but to the Chinese woman it was sight to take back and capture. A different perspective from another totally different culture made me realize South Africa's own poverty stricken culture again. I was blind as I'm not one those affected by AIDS, poverty, health and crime. If South Africa needs to fix itself, it needs more outsiders to show us our flaws, as many South Africa have become indifferent and couldn't care less.
April 12, 2009
World's Easiest Languages To Learn
To follow up on one of our most popular posts, World's Hardest Languages to Learn, I decided to do a quick survey or what people think is the easiest language in world to learn.
Their responses where quite surprising, there was a clear consensus that Spanish is the easiest language to learn. Although this was a small sample size, I'm still surprised with the answers.
If there's another language you think is easy to learn, feel free to respond in the comments.
With out further ado, here are the survey responses.
-Beth Butler
Founder of The Boca Beth Program
Raise A Bilingual Child the Fun & Easy Way!
www.BocaBeth.com
-Dan Gersten & Associates LLC
site: www.tinyurl.com/DanGersten
blog: www.tinyurl.com/GerstenBlog
http://www.esperanto-usa.org
-David Wolff
-Mel. Edwards
Creative Truth Teller
Founder Votre Vray, Your Truth is Your Way. Always.
Votre Vray Blog
Follow me on Twitter.com/Mel_Edwards
-Kama Linden
www.kamalinden.com
www.bodyfriendlyoga.com
-Hector
-JK
Well there you have it, let us know what other languages are easy to learn in the comments below.
Their responses where quite surprising, there was a clear consensus that Spanish is the easiest language to learn. Although this was a small sample size, I'm still surprised with the answers.
If there's another language you think is easy to learn, feel free to respond in the comments.
With out further ado, here are the survey responses.
Born in Tampa, Florida speaking English and started studying Spanish back in the days when middle school was still called Junior High!!!!
Spanish is the easiest language to learn because each letter sounds the same at all times in all various contexts.
It took me five years of formal study in a school language lab and three weeks of living in Chile until I was conversationally fluent and bi-literate (can read, write and speak it).
Tips:
- Start young and start your children even younger - experts agree that native or near-native pronunciation is the product of early language learning.
- With Spanish, once you master the sounds of the consonants, the consonant blends and the vowels, the rest is simply putting it together because, unlike English, what you see is what you get with Spanish!
- Practice rolling your Rs so you sound like a native with that one simple trick. It's a trilling of the tongue up on the roof of your mouth. Do an internet search for other clever ways to practice that rolling of the Rs!
Happy Educating! ¡Sea feliz educando!
-Beth Butler
Founder of The Boca Beth Program
Raise A Bilingual Child the Fun & Easy Way!
www.BocaBeth.com
Not meaning to be flip, the easiest language for me to learn was "animal", especially canine.
I didn't get my first dog until I was in my 30's and found that I was able to communicate with him right away -- without any books, tapes, videos, Rosetta Stone, etc. Among other things, he told me when he needed to go out, wanted to be fed, to fill his water bowl and play with him. And when I responded to him correctly, he rewarded me with love and licks. What a great way to learn a new language! And, amazingly, he understood English! Asking him "do you want to go out?", he always responded with a canine "yes."
Further, I came to understand that dogs were able to understand many human languages. Quick illustration -- a friend found a dog in a park having a collar with a tags and brought it home, seeking to find its human from there. She remarked that although the dog had tags that it appeared not to be trained because every time she asked/commanded it to sit, it wouldn't. Observing the situation, I asked what made her think that the dog's human spoke English? And, so with a lit light bulb above her head, she commanded the dog to sit in Spanish, which the dog promptly did!
With regards -- and a woof to you!
-Dan Gersten & Associates LLC
site: www.tinyurl.com/DanGersten
blog: www.tinyurl.com/GerstenBlog
Esperanto. I learned it fluently -- I can hold conversations of
indefinite length without translating. The grammatical regularity and
the affixes that let you create words on the fly really make it easier
to start reading, and to start *producing* it.
http://www.esperanto-usa.org
-David Wolff
Without being too facetious I'd have say that the THIRD language you learn is the easiest as long as they're all similar, such as romance languages.
I'm a native English speaker who began my foreign language studies learning French because of my French-Canadian ancestry and my geographic proximity (at the time) to Montreal. Now bits of Spanish is easy for me to pick up because so many French and English words are similar in sound or spelling to Spanish. Am I fluent in French or Spanish? No, but if I wanted to be, I have no doubt I could with a little effort.
-Mel. Edwards
Creative Truth Teller
Founder Votre Vray, Your Truth is Your Way. Always.
Votre Vray Blog
Follow me on Twitter.com/Mel_Edwards
Spanish for sure: it all makes sense, it rolls off the tounge, there are no TRICKS like in ENGLISH.
The noun is described by the adjective.
-Kama Linden
www.kamalinden.com
www.bodyfriendlyoga.com
As a native Spanish speaker, I can told you that I have never meet an Englishman that speaks proper Spanish. Well, only once, a teacher of the British Council who was married to a Spaniard an had lived here for ten years, but he had a horrible pronunciation. I've learned English and sometimes my writing can be bad (I don't write very often) but after a pair of years working at Scotland I have developed a decent Scottish accent. Mastering Spanish grammar is not a very big challenge, but speaking it in a way that doesn't make you sound like "Muzzy" it's very hard, maybe because our bad custom of using lot of slang (which change from one town to another, making it crazier).
I also speak Basque, and... Well if you haven't learn it as a child (as I did) it can be a kind of labyrinth.
-Hector
My first tongue was Polish, I learnt UK English in 6 weeks from the TV at age 5, then had French and Latin hammered into me at school for the next 10 years, then university Polish. I went to Spain on a holiday and was reading Spanish newspapers after two weeks drinking San Miguel. I visited Brazil a couple of years later and was discussing plumbing systems after a week. Spanish is one of the easiest languages in the world as far as as vocab and grammar is concerned. Where pronunciation does not affect meaning (say Chinese or African languages), proper pronunciation is not key to comprehension.
-JK
Well there you have it, let us know what other languages are easy to learn in the comments below.
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