1. Fool’s Paradise The English language as a barrier to adult second-language acquisition Elizabeth McLaughlin Dr. Erin Stackle

3. Why is it so difficult for native English speakers to learn a second language when compared to native speakers of European languages? Lack of motivation Incompetent language instruction One possible additional factor…

4. English is THE most simplified Indo-European language in modern use. Grammatical complexity: Presence of grammatical structures found in most Indo-European languages e.g. gendered nouns, verb conjugations, noun declensions Simplification: The shedding of these structures over time

5. Imaginary Grammar: Grammatical structures not present in a language. Idea: Perhaps Imaginary Grammar is what makes second-language acquisition more difficult, because one must learn the purpose of the grammar in addition to the grammar itself. Examples: The native English speaker learning German must learn about the concept of gendered nouns in addition to learning the nouns themselves. The native German speaker learning English has only to leave behind noun genders for a theoretically simpler system.

6. Hypothesis Because English is very simplified, does the comparative amount of imaginary grammar facing the native English speaker help account for the discrepancy in second-language statistics?

7. I would very much like to find out, and propose a research project to examine the subject. The project would result in a short research paper.

8. References Jones, Jeffrey M. "Twenty-two Percent of Non-Hispanic Americans Speak a Second Language." Gallup.com. Gallup, 1 May 2001. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. Matsaidoni, Theodora. "Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece." GreekReporter. Greek Reporter, 12 June 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. Swain, Harriet. "Lack of Languages Stifles Brits and Americans." The Guardian. Guardian Media Group, 8 July 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. Geldart, Martin. The modern Greek language in its relation to ancient Greek. 1870. Reprint. Charleston: Bibliolife, 2009. Print. Adrados, Francisco Rodriguez. A history of the Greek language: from its origins to the present. Trans. Francisca Rojas del Canto. Boston: Brill, 2005. Print. Moleas, Wendy. The development of the Greek language. 2nd ed. London: Bristol Classical Press, 2004. Print. Mackridge, Peter. The modern Greek language: a descriptive analysis of standard modern Greek. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Print.