Around one in four Americans can hold a conversation in a language other than English. Spanish is the most common second language followed by French and then German. If English is your only language, you may think that learning a second language is difficult and time consuming. You may even feel that it would have no advantage to you whatsoever. However, this is not the case. Even if you did not have the opportunity to learn a foreign language at an early age, it is never too late to start. Learning a second language will not only enrich your life, it has many more important advantages.
Intellectual Growth
and Development
Learning a second language has positive effects on
intellectual growth. According to the American Council on Teaching a Foreign
Language, young children who learn a foreign language show a number of
cognitive advantages over children who speak only one language. Because
language learning is more of a problem solving activity than a linguistic
activity, it helps to increase the overall development of problem solving
skills. Further, research has shown that even if learning a second language
takes time away from other studies, mathematics for example, neither the
language learning nor the other study suffers. Second language provides
children and adults with an increased ability for flexible thinking and
creative thinking skills.
Improved
Understanding of your own Language
You may be surprised to know that learning a foreign
language can also help to improve your understanding of English. Before long
you will have a greater awareness of tenses, verbs, prepositions and general
rules of grammar. You may also find that as your vocabulary of the foreign language
increases, your English vocabulary will also grow.
Increasing Cultural
Awareness
If you have ever traveled to a foreign country where you do
not speak the native language, you already realize how hard this can be,
particularly if the natives speak little or no English. Traveling is one of the
most pleasurable and education activities in life. It enables you to expand
your cultural horizons, exchange ideas and experiences. However, if you are
excluded from the native language of the country you are visiting, you will
also be excluded from the majority of their cultural activities.
Increased Employment
Opportunities
If you learn a foreign language, this could greatly increase
your employment opportunities. According to a recent Korn/Ferry poll, 64 percent
of business executives speak two or more languages. This is a big plus for
companies who are seeking overseas expansion. It can open the doors to
increased salary, translating and teaching opportunities here in the United
States and work opportunities overseas. If you are a young student, learning a
second language can also improve your chances of college acceptance.
Strengthened Global
Communities
Learning a second language enables you to communicate within
and across cultural boundaries, it also strengths communities on a global
level. Think about how social and political relations can be strengthened, how problems
can be solved when we can exchange ideas and concerns in a shared language.
Why Learn a Foreign
Language
There are many different languages to choose from and your
reasons for doing so may be numerous. If you are going on vacation to France,
for example, you may wish to learn to speak French. If you are interested in
your European ancestry, you may wish to learn Dutch or German. You may at some
point in your life wish to spend a period of time working overseas. This is a
great way to learn a foreign language because you will become completely
immersed in it while you are there. But whatever reason you choose, learning
another language will always be worthwhile.
References
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