[jimwhitson]

Although I broadly agree with your point about significant details, it's absolutely not the case that English 'isn't much of a problem'. English is an extraordinarily hard language for a foreign learner: the grammar is idiosyncratic and subtle, our use of prepositions is frankly bizarre, the orthography is about as difficult as they get, etc. etc. etc.. English is a dominant language for historical reasons, but it would be hard to choose a worse one on linguistic grounds.

[erichocean]

English is a dominant language for historical reasons, but it would be hard to choose a worse one on linguistic grounds.

Strongly disagree. Flexibility in a language leads to flexibility of the mind. The English language's incredible variety, massive vocabulary, and huge range of idioms is of great benefit to those that speak it (while also making it difficult to learn). Subtlety in a language is a virtue, not a vice.

For maximum linguistic impact, people should also learn languages that read right-to-left.

If you really want a more-or-less linguistically "simple" language, Spanish is a decent choice (and is also the second most widely used language, after Mandarin).

[jimwhitson]

> Flexibility in a language leads to flexibility of the mind. The English language's incredible variety, massive vocabulary, and huge range of idioms is of great benefit to those that speak it (while also making it difficult to learn). Subtlety in a language is a virtue, not a vice.

Indeed, but I think we're talking about language in two different ways: all your points are completely correct, but mainly of value to those who understand the language fairly well; my points were implicitly from the POV of a foreign learner trying to pick the language up.

As a native Anglophone, I love our freaky language, orthography and all. However, I try to keep reminding myself how horrible it is for new learners.