Why learning another language is so important?
Perhaps, you have seen a lot of people learn other languages or
you have read several articles that enjoin you to learn another language and
you wonder why learning another language is so important. Or maybe, you ask
questions like; ‘What do I stand to gain from learning another language?’ ‘What
value will the foreign language add to my life?’ ‘Does it help my thinking or is it really only about communication?’ The following will tell you more about what you about
the benefits of learning another language.
When you learn another language, you will gain
insights into a different culture which will allow you to be more flexible and
appreciative of other ways of doing and looking at things. Of course, you can
still learn about other cultures, but language learning really allows for a
more immersive experience because most cultural traditions are tied to their
language. Also, another phenomenal benefit of learning a second language for your Children is that
you will be able to make friends with more people, especially if you learn in a
group setting.
With today’s universal unemployment
problems, a multilingual ability is definitely a competitive edge over other
monolingual competitors. If your C.V. accolades include fluency in a second
language, your chances of employment are much greater than for those who speak
only one language as many multinational companies now thrill to add qualified
bilingual speakers to their team. In addition, when choosing where to
study, you have more choices than
bilinguals. You can travel abroad to study when you know their language and you’ll even feel more comfortable and have an easier
time navigating public transportation, ordering dinner and meeting new people
along the way as you travel since you already know the native language.
People who are
multilingual may be better at processing language and other analytical tasks
because the process of becoming bilingual exercises the brain, challenges you
to concentrate, and causes the part of your brain responsible for
problem-solving and filtering information to work more efficiently. Research
shows that babies exposed to two languages display better learning and memory
skills compared to their monolingual peers. Chinese speakers have stronger
connections leading from anterior superior temporal gyrus (part of the brain),
known as a “semantic hub”, critical in supporting language to both Broca’s and
Wernicke’s area. This increase in connectivity is attributed to the enhanced
mapping of sound and meaning going on in people who speak tonal languages.
Therefore, Learning Mandarin as a foreign language increases
cognitive activity through the retention of new vocabulary and rules,
it also increases mental flexibility and creativity through its unique
features such as the character writing system.
Being a bilingual will improve your social life due to the simple fact that it allows you to talk to
more people effectively. As you would have known being a bilingual, the culture
and tradition of the users of the other language, it will be easier for you to
understand and tolerate differences without misunderstandings. For example, an
English man communicating with a Chinese man would have known that in Chinese,
words are generally not omitted as in English but may rather be repeated. The
repetition won’t cause any fight as he would have known that their speaking
cultures are different.
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