C# is basically Java with some minor differences 

Just about everyone I see saying this stopped seriously following or working with C# back at 2.0 or earlier. The changes since then have produced a very different beast than Java. Whether it has origins in NIH syndrome is entirely besides the point - MS was bolder with the language and the framework than Java's sluggish committees, and at the end of the day has built the better mousetrap.

IMO any novice who isn't Windows phobic would be better off learning it than Java, in part because it will expose them to a wider range of language constructs and capabilities (pseudo-functional bits, task parallel stuff, etc).

That said, a total novice would probably be better off dabbling in a dynamic language like Python than taking on either Java or C#. Nothing like a REPL for getting your feet wet.