Benefits Of Learning A Foreign Language

Everyone in America has had to learn a second language in order to obtain a high school diploma, however this ‘learning’ of a language is merely a short class that does little to tie one down to a second language. There are few students who continue to seek more and more knowledge about their intended language. Some lose interest, while others make excuses by saying that it is too hard. However, learning more than one language has so many benefits that it is mind boggling to me that more people like to remain monolingual. Obviously time and resources are a concern, but there are so many ways to learn a language that can be catered to one’s individual needs. Think about all of the people in our nation whose first language is not English.

Speaking a second language can prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. Being bilingual can improve someone’s skills and brain function. It can also increase your brain size and connectivity. If someone knows more than one language it can help protect their brain against aging and it can help if a second language is learned at a young age. Learning a second language can help people in many ways but the most important thing for people to learn a language is to better their health.

Second benefit is improvement of social skills. Knowing a different language helps children to adapt easily to a new environment, increasing his/her self-esteem and self-confidence. How would you feel if someone asks you a question and you don’t understand? I know that feeling. Children feel more confident and secure and will never feel humiliated by not being able to communicate.

    Being able to speak another language strengthens cognitive skills. When speaking one language, both of the language systems are active which forces the brain to resolve that conflict (Bhattacharjee). If students learned to speak another language it would strengthen their cognitive skills because the brain would be forced to resolve the internal conflict which, in turn, gives it a workout. Being bilingual is good for strengthening cognitive functions in the brain.

Learning a second language can help children maintain attention despite outside stimuli better than children who only know one language. While this might add more hours in the school day, learning a new language will help keep the brain young, which means it can delay dementia by several years. Dementia is huge category of brain diseases that cause decrease in the ability to think and remember. Sacrificing one more hour in school can lead to the possibly you will never have dementia. Another benefit to learning a new language you have significantly better cognitive abilities (general intelligence and reading) compared to people who do not know a second language.

Once you learn a second language well enough, it is said that learning a third or fourth is easier (2). Two languages are better than one. Also, luckily for second language learners, two significant by-products of bilingualism are better cognitive skills and longer attention spans (4). Having those two elements would greatly help with testing, especially standardized exams. Knowing more than one language also increases your job opportunities. Employers are constantly showing interest in bilingual workers. Its beneficial because not everyone who lives in the United States speaks English. It appeals to employers because it makes you seem smarter. Also, as stated above many high schoolers don’t retain the language. Since the 1960s, studies have shown that the best time to begin the study of a foreign language is in elementary school (3). Because children at this age show a better mental flexibility, more creativity, divergent thinking skills, and improved listening and memory skills, kids are able to process language early

Actually, being bilingual benefits the individual both mentally and physically, promotes cultural awareness, and allows for an individual to be more successful in today’s international world. Dr. Ellen Bialystok, a developmental psycholinguist ranked as Distinguished Research Professor at York University, states that bilinguals have improved memory, decision making, multitasking, and focusing skills. Also, bilingualism allows individuals to acquire a unique cultural awareness, as each language not only carries communication but its cultural, traditions, and values..** (stimulus) Some may question why English-only speakers should speak a foreign language while other countries are promoting their citizens to learn English. However, as the U.S. diversifies and the job market toughens, it is beneficial for individuals to make themselves more valuable to employers. These mental, physical, and social implications of bilingualism are positive and aid the nation would in preserving the cultures that the melting pot U.S. is known for. To promote effective and beneficial bilingualism throughout the nation, dual language immersion programs should be implemented into U.S. school

The ability of speaking two languages is important for a career in today’s standpoint. With countries becoming more diverse with different cultures and ethnicity, being bilingual can help an individual tremendously in the work force. With this in mind, schools should implement a class for students to learn a new language and being able to master it before graduating high school. Therefore, Schools should require students to learn and master a foreign language before graduating high school because people who speak multiple languages are intellectually smarter, it helps them communicate better in the modern world, and benefits them for the workforce.

Not only does learning another language open the mind up to understanding cultures but it promotes personal growth and can even increase the speed at which important social skills are developed. Another advantage of bilingual education is that having already learned a second language, learning a third language becomes even easier. This concept just shows us further proof that learning two languages can open up the mind because if a student can learn three languages then they’re immersed in three cultures as well.

Bilingualism enhances your brain in certain areas like speed, strength, efficiency, and focus. This can help people through different situations they might not even think of. A person might be able to focus on his or her friend's voice in a noisy room. A person might be able to go through a math test faster than others. They might also be able to remember things better and delay Alzheimer's

Most would say that these effects are merely knowing two languages, but bilingualism has many more positive brain effects than that. Recent studies have shown the teens fluent in more than one language have more access to their total brain functions. These findings have proved that our senses help to shape our brains. It is also factually proven that being brought up in a bilingual environment has aided in improving multitasking skills. With that, children able to speak two languages are also better at focusing their attention on one thing for longer periods of time, without becoming as easily

Studies have shown that knowing multiple languages does not stop diseases, such as dementia, but can slow the effects. If two people had dementia, but only one of them spoke a foreign language, the one who spoke a foreign language would retain their memory for a longer time. It would be as if the person was diagnosed with dementia five years later than the other person who was not bilingual (bbc.com). This proves that taking a foreign language in high school should be required so that later in life a person can at least acquire some of the good benefits that will help keep them healthy. Scientists have also found that learning a second language can reduce a person’s chances of having a stroke. However, if a person who knows multiple languages does have one, chances are they are twice as likely to recover from it than a person who is not bilingual (bbc.com). This shows that acquiring multiple ways of communication in the world allows for a longer, healthier, more meaningful life. Conclusively, knowing a second language gives someone a better chance at having an array of advantages, including a longer, healthful

Do you know that learning second language is important as a bilingual brain? It’s really helpful things that people should try to do it in aspects of their life. People at the previous time notice that no only their language is important or not only the one language can help you, if people want to study for example, they could see that the most language is used now a day is the English language. Why the most often from the people take their children to the English school? Have you ever ask yourself this question? Because it can help the students or the people in general in their career and they can be able to do a CV for their job at the future. So, there are a lot of advantages of bilingual brain.

In a time of globalisation, intercultural communication has become more significant than ever before. Language has always been one of the major obstacles to the contact between different cultures. Nowadays, English is considered as a lingua franca, which means ‘a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different’ (OED, 2017). Many native English speakers then see no reason to learn a foreign language. However, language is much more than just a means of communication, it conveys thoughts, images, and ideologies. By learning foreign languages, people develop a deeper global awareness and understanding of other cultures. Therefore, multilingualism

Throughout our ever developing world, a majority of countries knows at least more than their native tongue fluently, while the United States slowly slips behind in the foreign language department. This is why while children receive their general education here in the United States, it should be mandatory that children learn a second language at a young age. If children were to learn a second language at a young age, it would help their brain to retain and comprehend the information easier; it would expand the gray matter in the brain to further help in their education; thus it will also help the world economically because of learning a second language at a young age.