This post is late- however I did email the professor.
The culture behind each language differs. Just take English- our culture in the US is not that of in England, or Australia, or any other country that speaks English. While there are many similarities, its the differences that make each culture and country unique. The way we pronounce certain words, highlight certain syllables and use our hands, and gestures while speaking, all differ; as a result, learning a new language is hard. Language is not just words, it is so much more, each culture, each household and even each region has unique language, mannerisms and much more.
Just walking around our campus, you can see the "Richmond culture." Each student brings a unique element to the culture, and as a result, our campus has its own customs and traditions. I have had friends visit our school and say how different the school is from theirs, how we speak, dress and even how we socialize is different. Now this does not make our school weird, rather it just further proves the point that culture and language go hand in hand. That learning a new language is difficult not because learning vocabulary and verb conjugations are hard, but also because of the culture associated with teh language.
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