I've always been fascinated with languages. Well, history and archeology really, but you can't study those without studying languages and cultures. I really enjoy reading history and my favorite channel is probably Discovery Times (history and archeology). For me it is a great way to spend my free time [when I'm not oiling my guns and polishing my swords (j/k)].
Many people find it hard to learn a new language, but it is more psychological than anything else.
Which languages do you speak? Which do you wish you could speak? Which do you like the sound of? And which do you like the caligraphy of? (the art of writing it)
I'm fluent in Afrikaans, Dutch, and English. I'm reasonably adept in Arabic and Hebrew. I can read a lot of hieroglyphics, but I can't pronounce it or actually write it. The same with Chinese. I can read and write a fair bit of it, but don't ask me to say the words.
I'm doing Sanskrit now, and I want to make a serious attempt at mastering this language. The ancient people of the Indus valley is the only people that never burnt their books. China and Athens both destroyed tons of books. The Egyptians wrote everything on tablets and walls, and a lot of it has been found, but it doesn't date back far enough. The Mayan texts are hard to translate. But Sanskrit is generally understood, and the papers are there to translate.
Sound wise... Well, Spanish is beautiful. My favorite language to write is Arabic because it flows so well, and overall I think Hebrew looks the best when printed.
For an interesting link, go here:
http://www.wbschool.org/chinesecharacters.htm
It is really fascinating how the ancient Chinese ideographs were formed.