Very interesting article.
I cannot judge if Serbian is one of the most difficult languages to learn. It is definitely for me as it is the first Slavic language I am learning. There are so many different concepts which are all new to me and I have the feeling  - the more I know the harder it becomes.

Interestingly enough, I find ekavica easier to pronounce (I also do not have to worry where to put all the j-s or ij-s :) and I also find it “nicer” to read.

As far as grammar is concerned: it is not that hard for me to understand the grammatical cases (although I make enough mistakes) because we have them in German too. My major problem is the “verbal aspect” which is a new concept for me and very hard to grasp.
Also the word order is still a miracle to me (I know the basic rules) It is mentioned in all books that the word order is very “loose” (in B/C/S), but my experience (judging by the many corrections I receive re. word order) shows otherwise.
And then there are so many other “things”...

There are a few resources for learning the language, but there are (as I can observe) more and more coming “on the market”. Nevertheless, one has to be quite “inventive” when one wants to practise the language. Having helped many people to learn German I become sometimes quite “jealous” seeing all the possibilities these learners have. For every little “issue” one can find tons of exercises in books and on the internet. This is something I really miss and wish I also had these opportunities. Thinking up exercises (and themes to write something about) by myself is sometimes quite tiresome.

I enjoyed reading Chris'opinion. I agree with him “I have always liked the way the language sounded. It seemed like it sounded a lot softer than Eastern Slavic languages in my opinion.”

I do not have any particular reasons for learning Serbian and I learn the language purely as a hobby with the help of books and the internet. When you are learning a language without a specific goal (and use) it is sometimes very hard to keep going and stay motivated.
I have been quite a few times at the point of giving up, but fortunately / unfortunately ? “IT” would not let me go :D

sorry for the long response - I got carried away :)

Thank you for this feedback. I really strive for these types of replies since everyone seems so seld-centered in a way that they keep thoughts for themselves :)

You know, the thing you have mentioned about the lack of exercises and resources for Serbian is something that frustrates me the most. Serbian is not so well-known language and we should do everything to promote it as well as our country.We have so much to show, to give!

But, the rivalry is too strong among teachers, professors and eminent people from Serbian language centres. That is why I've started my blog and decided to post articles in disucssion part since it takes a lot to publish it here officially. Knowledge should be free. I'm just confronted with the lack of time sometimes and I can't post everything, but I hope that it will be better and, with time, there will be more and more exercises and articles. :)

it should be the other way around and part 1 should be part 2 - sorry - cannot change it :)