5 Best Languages To Learn in 2024

Summary

This video script introduces five languages to learn in 2024, highlighting Japanese for its cultural allure and technological advancements, Swedish for its quality of life and simplicity, Hindi for its business potential and rich cultural heritage, Korean for its tech boom and media influence, and Romanian as a hidden gem with a unique blend of Romance and Slavic influences. The script emphasizes the benefits of learning these languages for travel, business, and personal growth, while also touching on their unique linguistic features and cultural significance.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Learning a new language can be an exciting goal for 2024, with Japanese, Swedish, Hindi, Korean, and Romanian as top recommendations.
• 🎌 Japanese is popular in the US and Canada, especially due to its beautiful script, cultural appeal, and practical benefits for travel and business.
• 🇯🇵 Japanese has three writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji), making it a unique but manageable language to learn, with straightforward pronunciation and no tones.
• 🇸🇪 Swedish offers a simpler grammar compared to Old Norse, with modern Swedish being easy to learn and offering cultural and quality of life benefits.
• 🇮🇳 Hindi, with its beautiful Devanagari script, is vital for travel in India and is increasingly important in international business due to India's growing global presence.
• 🇰🇷 Korean is rapidly growing in popularity due to its cultural exports and tech industry, featuring a simple and logical alphabet (Hangul) and manageable grammar.
• 🇷🇴 Romanian is a hidden gem, blending Romance and Slavic influences, with unique features like Turkish, Greek, and Hungarian words, and easy pronunciation.
• 🌟 Each language offers unique cultural insights, travel experiences, and practical benefits, making them worthwhile to learn for personal or professional reasons.
• 📚 Story-based learning methods are highlighted as an effective way to learn these languages, with resources available for beginners.
• 💼 Language skills can enhance career opportunities, with Japanese and Korean being particularly valuable in tech and business sectors.

Q & A

Why does the speaker suggest learning Japanese in 2024?

The speaker suggests learning Japanese due to its beauty, popularity in pop culture, the influence of Japanese video games, and the potential for a more authentic experience when visiting Japan. Additionally, Japanese language skills are becoming increasingly valuable for career opportunities as Japan is the US's fourth-largest trading partner.

What are the three writing systems used in the Japanese language?

The three writing systems used in Japanese are Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Hiragana and Katakana each have 46 letters and are relatively easy to learn, while Kanji is more complex with around 2,000 characters commonly used in daily life.

Why might learning Japanese be considered a smart career move?

Learning Japanese can be a smart career move because Japan is a significant economic power and the US's fourth-largest trading partner, making Japanese language skills valuable in various professional fields.

What unique feature of the Japanese language makes it stand out according to the script?

The unique feature highlighted in the script is that Japanese has no noun gender, no articles, only two irregular verbs, and only two basic tenses (past and nonpast), making its grammar logical once understood.

Why is Swedish considered a good language to learn for those with Viking heritage?

Swedish is considered a good language for those with Viking heritage because it is a modern and simplified version of Old Norse, and it offers a connection to the Scandinavian culture and history.

What are some of the benefits of learning Swedish mentioned in the script?

The script mentions benefits such as experiencing the Scandinavian lifestyle, the Midnight Sun phenomenon, the Swedish custom of 'fika' (meeting for coffee), and the fact that Sweden ranks high in quality of life, green living, and life expectancy.

How does the script describe the Swedish language in terms of pronunciation and grammar?

The script describes Swedish pronunciation as generally easy, with the exception of the infamous 'SJ' sound. The grammar is said to be simple and logical, with a subject-verb-object sentence structure similar to English, and only two noun genders and verb conjugations for time.

What is the significance of Hindi in India's culture and economy?

Hindi is the heartbeat of Indian culture, spoken by over 600 million people. It is significant for international business as India's economy grows and evolves, and it is the third most spoken language in the world. As of 2023, India has the largest population, and Hindi content makes up 5% of all YouTube content.

What challenges does the script suggest a learner might face when learning Hindi?

The script suggests challenges such as the gendered nature of nouns, verb conjugation at the end of sentences, matching verbs and adjectives to gender, and the use of post-positions instead of prepositions. Additionally, Hindi has three levels of politeness that must be learned.

Why has Korean become a popular language to learn as mentioned in the script?

Korean has become popular due to the influence of media and art, the rapid growth of the Korean tech scene, the country's status in telecommunications, and the booming economy. The beauty industry is also a significant factor, making Korean an attractive language for many learners.

What are some of the features of the Korean language that the script finds appealing?

The script finds the Korean alphabet, Hangul, to be logical and simple, with only 24 letters. The grammar, while challenging, is logical, and verbs follow predictable patterns. The script also appreciates the lack of tones and the fact that Korean words are pronounced the way they are written.

Why does the script introduce Romanian as a hidden gem for language learners?

Romanian is introduced as a hidden gem because it is a unique Romance language with Slavic influences, offering a blend of Latin and Slavic structures. It has a fascinating history and unique vocabulary, making it an appealing choice for those looking for something different from commonly learned languages.

What are some of the unique aspects of the Romanian language mentioned in the script?

Unique aspects of Romanian include its Latin alphabet with five extra letters, three genders, three noun cases, verb conjugation similar to other Romance languages, and the use of double negatives. It also contains words from ancient and mysterious Dacian and Thracian languages.