I've learned Mandarin and Spanish up to intermediate, and I've learned bits and pieces of Korean, Thai, and Bulgarian... And yeah, language learning difficulty is very real. I was shocked the first time I was in Mexico that I spoke better Spanish after 6 weeks than I did Mandarin after a year...
That being said, what I find is the biggest hurdle to learning a language is immersive context. If you're in a situation where you're exposed to "comprehensible input" in a consistent manner, and you're motivated to learn and use your new skills, then you will learn. If, however, the place you're at is accommodating to non-speakers, the tendency to rely on English will win out.
As an example, I lived a few months in a non-touristy part of Thailand (Issan) where I really needed Thai just to order at the restaurant. So I learned the (really hard) alphabet and (equally hard) language up to a functional level. Then I moved to Chiang Mai, which has plenty of tourists and thus plenty of Thais who speak English, and I lost most of it. It was embarrassing.
Some people can get by with discipline instead of being forced to speak their target language. I spent a month in Spain and forced myself to communicate only in Spanish, even if the people I met knew English or French (the two other languages I knew better back then). I even deliberately chose touristic information in Spanish instead of the two other, including audio guides and stuff. The funny thing is, I have no idea how easier it would have been with English and/or French, since I didn't even ask if people spoke other languages than Spanish!
But I agree that people without discipline should jump in the water and go to a place they simply can't rely on their native language.
I've learned Mandarin and Spanish up to intermediate, and I've learned bits and pieces of Korean, Thai, and Bulgarian... And yeah, language learning difficulty is very real. I was shocked the first time I was in Mexico that I spoke better Spanish after 6 weeks than I did Mandarin after a year...
That being said, what I find is the biggest hurdle to learning a language is immersive context. If you're in a situation where you're exposed to "comprehensible input" in a consistent manner, and you're motivated to learn and use your new skills, then you will learn. If, however, the place you're at is accommodating to non-speakers, the tendency to rely on English will win out.
As an example, I lived a few months in a non-touristy part of Thailand (Issan) where I really needed Thai just to order at the restaurant. So I learned the (really hard) alphabet and (equally hard) language up to a functional level. Then I moved to Chiang Mai, which has plenty of tourists and thus plenty of Thais who speak English, and I lost most of it. It was embarrassing.
Some people can get by with discipline instead of being forced to speak their target language. I spent a month in Spain and forced myself to communicate only in Spanish, even if the people I met knew English or French (the two other languages I knew better back then). I even deliberately chose touristic information in Spanish instead of the two other, including audio guides and stuff. The funny thing is, I have no idea how easier it would have been with English and/or French, since I didn't even ask if people spoke other languages than Spanish!
But I agree that people without discipline should jump in the water and go to a place they simply can't rely on their native language.