Is Iraqw an easy language to learn?

This chapter argues that as soon as large sections of the population are expected to follow education in a language that is not their first language, ease of language learning becomes a relevant consideration. This is now the case in Africa. But is it possible to be more precise in assessing ease or difficulty of language learning? In order to discuss that, the chapter looks at levels of language learning and proposes a new way to approximate the ease or difficulty of language learning for specific combinations of languages. In order to do that, it develops an innovative way of using the Automated Similarity Judgement Program (ASJP) and its associated database. This is done by benchmarking it to a US government scheme for determining ease or difficulty of language learning for specific language pairs. The chapter argues why there is a wider relevance to such a scheme: in Tanzania as well as in other parts of the world, educational systems are increasingly entrusted with the task of teaching large sections of the population a second or third language. However, what can we expect an educational system to achieve? This is discussed in the context of Iraqw and the Tanzanian educational situation and leads to a number of recommendations that are relevant for the Tanzanian situation. The chapter ends with a summary and some last conclusions.