Languages are categorised in language families. English, for example, belongs to the same family as German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese belong to the same language family.
So, how can this knowledge help you when you want to learn a second language?
I will tell you a story about myself. I know German and English fluently. So, when I attempted to learn Dutch, I noticed that I already understood really much of the language without any knowledge of it. Why was that? Because I could relate to both German and English to help me understand. It isn't only certain words but grammar and sentence structure as well. Related languages have much in common so if you know one language of a family, learning a second language from the same language family will be easier for you.
Are there any negative effects as well?
Yes, definitely, if you aren't aware of them and watch out. See, while it can help you a great deal that those languages are close to each other, it can also make you mix them up. Let me tell you another story. I had Spanish at school and, at the same time, tried to learn Italian at home. So, when I got a Spanish exam back, my teacher asked me if I, by any chance, learnt Italian as well. I had a look at my exam papers and knew why he had asked...I had used some Italian words in my Spanish texts. Bummer!
My best advice is to be aware of the relationship of the languages and watch out for possible danger of mixing them up while at the same time enjoying the advantage of understanding quite a lot without having to learn that much.
Language ... the bridge of communication, the magic creator of worlds, the brush and paint of authors. Language is magic. It gives us power. It is something you just have to love.
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