Choosing a Language

I've wanted to learn a foreign language for quite some time now, and I'm having trouble coming to a decision on which to learn.

I've narrowed my choices down to Norwegian, Russian and Japanese.

My main problem in deciding  is that I feel like once I start, if I get any significant way through then I won't really be able to change my mind (without throwing away a ton of work which I would be unlikely to do). Norwegian also seemingly has a lack of good resources; it was what I was leaning more towards due to it's relative ease which would mean if I wanted to learn a different language later, I'd be more likely to try and get fluent in Norwegian first and then move on to a different language.

Any thoughts on the matter, /lang/? Thanks in advance for any replies.

I completely understand where you are coming from.

I speak two languages fluently and study 6 others with my ability ranging from academic fluency to mere conversational.

Norsk is definitely the easier option to get started in, however you should remember that all languages are equally as hard to master; to be able to speak, read and write like a native.

Resources for learning Russian and Japanese do outweigh those for Norsk but let me remind you that quality beats quantity every time; hence as long as you have access to resources, then you're sure to be fine.

I would recommend starting with a book/cd combination such as Teach Yourself: Complete Norwegian; which can be found here for US nationals:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Norwegian-Two-Audio-CDs/dp/0071758933/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1340833397&sr=8-2&keywords=complete+norwegian

($29)

& here for European nationals:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yourself-Complete-Norwegian-Courses-Including/dp/1444107208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340833592&sr=8-1

(£16)

This will get you to a basic level of conversational fluency, and from there you can move on to speaking with natives, reading literary books and watching TV in Norsk.

Good luck Anon.