German learn you should
If you want to give yourself a cognitive workout when speaking, learn German.
I bet whether it's in Yoda speak, or in the literal translation, you understand this sentence in German perfectly.
- 🇩🇪 Du solltest Deutsch lernen, weil es dir beim Denken helfen kann.
- 🇬🇧 You should German learn because it (to) you with the thinking, help can.
In fact, with regular practice, an English speaker would quickly adjust to this Teutonic form of their language as if it's second nature.
It's a testament to the slot-style of English and German, and their rigidity, even though verb placements are very different.
The reason why I think learning German is a great memory exercise for English speakers thinking, is because it forces shifting words in working memory, much like English adjective order, but next level.
Naturally, the Germans have a memory hook for it: TeKaMoLo:
- Temporal (When?)
- Kausal (Why?)
- Modal (How?)
- Lokal (Where?)
And under certain conditions, there are modifiers that modify this order...
I think I'll stop there...
So to sum up: German is a brain trainer, and it's for the ages.
Good it is, to learn German, yes, hmmm.