Psycholinguist Frank Smith has famously declared “One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way”. Though society has grown to ardently promote bilingualism from a young age, the specific benefits are not well-known by many. These advantages are not limited to simply travelling and being able to interact with other people. The complex relationship we build with our second language allows us to gain deeper insights into different communities, expand our employment opportunities globally and can even lead us to better health in the long term.
Personal Development
When discussing bilingualism, some sceptics would argue against the benefits. Why learn Spanish or French when you can speak English everywhere? Upon contemplating this, it is vital to establish that the linguistic climate of the world is changing. For instance, Spanish and Chinese are rapidly catching up to English as some of the most highly requested languages for work. The number of jobs in English-speaking countries that require a second language has drastically gone up. On a more personal level, millions of individuals have advocated for languages through personal experiences. In a BBC article titled “How learning a foreign language changed my life”, various interviewees revealed the astonishing outcomes they had from language learning.[1] Cassandra Scott, from Edinburgh, studied French, German and Russian. She claims that such learning performed miracles for her English, by providing her with a new perspective of her native tongue and a strong set of analytical skills. Similarly, Alex Chaffer, a sports journalist, was provided with such immense confidence once he mastered German, that he landed a job on the website of Bundesliga - the top football league in Germany. Consequently, learning languages allows us to develop as confident, competent and highly determined communicators.
Insights into Culture
Though some tend to separate the concepts of language and culture, the two are in fact inextricable elements that do not and cannot exist exclusively on their own. In his work, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, H. Douglas Brown describes these two ideas in the following manner: “A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwoven so that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture”.[2] Essentially, language is the direct expression of a particular group’s values, revealing much about its history, beliefs and cultural customs. What is more, language and culture influence each other as they evolve and develop. Thus, learning a new language is not only about the surface level of basic understanding, but it is also about becoming aware of a particular society's beliefs and values through which our communication with that society improves greatly - whether we realize this consciously or not as we are speaking with members of that community. We become exposed to ideas different from our own. In the broader social context, such insights into a specific community allow us to strengthen intercultural relations, both on a personal and international level.
Globalization and Employment
More and more boundaries, whether they are political, social or economic, are being blurred and erased between countries and societies globally. In an increasingly globalized world, bilingualism has become a crucial part of our endeavour to connect to different communities - that could be for the purpose of political discussions and collaborations, or for the benefit of helping individuals to become better equipped for the job market. In fact, an increasing number of companies and fields of work have been promoting the benefits of speaking a second language in the workplace. A report by New American Economy (NAE) states that U.S. employers posted more than three times more jobs aimed at Chinese speakers in 2015 in comparison to the previous five years. Similarly, the number of jobs listing Spanish and Arabic as a desired skill went up by approximately 150%.[3] Fundamentally, companies with a global outlook are seeking more and more bilingual workers to be able to build strong connections with international partners and to simply allow their business to flourish on a global scale.
Cognitive Benefits
Nevertheless, the importance of learning languages is not limited to cultural enrichment, employment and globalization. There has been an increasing number of studies done to showcase the cognitive benefits of being bilingual or multilingual. Through technological advancements, scientists and researchers have managed to take a peek inside the brain of multilingual people and study the changes and benefits to the cognitive and neurological systems. The fundamental concept is that bilingual people switch between two languages on a daily basis. In essence, this means that their brains remain more active and flexible than those of their non-bilingual counterparts. This in turn leads to improvements in cognitive development, especially in young children. Moreover, studies to determine whether bilingualism can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s are in working progress.[4] Being bilingual has also been strongly associated with better problem-solving abilities, enhanced concentration and improved creativity. The Journal of Cognitive Psychology even states that older bilingual people enjoy better memory in comparison to their older monolingual peers.[5] So, what would this mean for our society as a whole? Such cognitive benefits mean that we can have healthy, highly competent individuals and communities able to navigate their way through a globalized world better. It further means that our society can potentially use languages to reduce the risk of brain-related illnesses, subsequently, promoting better overall health.
In other words, the scope of benefits that learning languages can provide us with is immense. From greater work opportunities and improved communication, to enhanced memory and better overall health, bilingualism is well and truly thriving and connecting us globally.
[2] Brown, H. D. Principles of language learning and teaching, 1994, 165.
The Importance of Languages in Our Society written by Nikol Nikolova
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