Should Everyone Learn at Least One Other Language?

 

Should Everyone Learn at Least One Other Language?

By: Ella Ylagan

    Language learning is a skill taught at most schools in the USA and as someone who is learning Spanish, I have really come to question, should everyone at least learn another language? New York Times' Stacie Berdan's article titled "Being Monolingual Is No Longer an Option" as well as Yudhijit Bhattacharjee's article, "Why Bilinguals are Smarter" explore the benefits of learning a second language. Additionally, an article on the website, Middlebury Language Schools goes into detail about positive effects that language learning has on the brain. Some other benefits include improved cognitive skills, increased job hiring rate, and much more (Berdan 2014). 

    The first advantage of learning a new language is one that most people would benefit from, that being enhanced cognitive function. In an article titled, "Why You Should Learn a New Language and Gain New Skills", language learning "improves your memory" and "enhances your ability to multitask"(Middlebury language Schools 2020). Learning a language improves your memory because you have to constantly memorize new vocabulary and grammar rules. Using a skill, like memorizing, will help train your brain in this way, allowing you to memorize things in the future more easily. Another key part of learning a new language is multitasking. The brain function used in multitasking is similar to being bilingual as someone who is utilizing multiple languages needs switch between speaking and thinking in different languages, or in other words, they need to be constantly switching gears. These cognitive skills are ones that we use in everyday life, and we would benefit from strengthening them.

    When learning a language, these increased skills may not be very noticeable, but studies show that the bilingual brain beats the monolingual brain in a variety of ways. New York Times writer Bhattacharjee's article, "Why Bilinguals are Smarter" describes multiple studies researchers conducted in which the bilingual person outperformed the monolingual person. Because of the need for organization in a bilingual brain (to sort out which language to use and how exactly to use it), bilingual preschoolers were shown to be more adept at solving color-shape mental puzzles than their monolingual counterparts. Some other studies done showed bilingual peoples' heightened ability to monitor their surroundings. As bilingual people often have to change what language they are speaking based on who they are with, or where they are, they performed better than monolingual people, as well had less brain activity, in a test in which focused on how well a person monitored tasks (Bhattajcharjee 2012). These tests all show aspects in which being bilingual is better than being monolingual, as bilingual people are shown time and time again to have a higher mental function simply because they know and use a second language.

    While increased cognitive skills do improve everyday life, it has been shown that learning a language can also help people get jobs. Author Stacie Berdan, who has worked abroad describes the necessity of knowing a second language in her article, "Being Monolingual Is No Longer an Option". Berdan states that, "Today many Americans work abroad, competing with global graduates proficient in three to four languages and ever-stronger emerging market talent pools"(Berdan 2014). This statement is saying that because many jobs require Americans to be in other countries or interact with people from other countries, the need for those speaking multiple languages has increased. In other words, jobs are more willing to hire people who know many languages, due to the increasing globalization of trade and work. In another paragraph, Berdan writes, "Language also matters for appreciating cultures, connecting and building relationships around the world,"(Berdan 2014). By this sentence, language learning is an essential part of learning to be more culturally aware and able to talk with people that are not from your home country. Knowing another language can help one to be both culturally sensitive and a more a worldwide-communicative person.

    From researching about the benefits of learning a second language, I can say with confidence that everyone should learn at least one other language. The advantages of learning a language are quite clear, but another point that was not mentioned in other articles yet seems to be unspoken was, "why not?". Learning a language may be a time investment for some, but other than that, there are not many disadvantages to being bilingual. In my opinion, learning a new language is essential and greatly beneficial with no detrimental consequences because of its cognitive and communicative benefits. Because of this, I highly recommend that you learn a language, or if you are already learning a language to keep at it.

Works Cited

Berdan, Stacie. “Being Monolingual Is No Longer an Option.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 May 2014, https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/29/is-learning-a-language-other-than-english-worthwhile/being-monolingual-is-no-longer-an-option. 

Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit. “Why Bilinguals Are Smarter.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Mar. 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html. 

“Why You Should Learn a Second Language and Gain New Skills.” Middlebury Language Schools, Middlebury Language Schools, 12 May 2020, https://www.middlebury.edu/language-schools/blog/why-you-should-learn-second-language-and-gain-new-skills#:~:text=Besides%20having%20more%20chances%20of,real%20problem%20for%20most%20countries.