Languages 

The value of learning a second language 

Year 8E student Emily Y has written the following persuasive piece with the topic "learning a language is more useful than learning maths". We share her insightful writing below. 

By Emily Y, 8E

Did you know that there are 6,500 languages in the world? Millions of people all over the world are learning languages, including myself and the people around me. Language apps like Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are increasing in popularity and schools are encouraging students to take up a language. 

Languages are not only exciting to learn but come with many benefits. They increase social interaction with people around us, make us think widely and creatively, and allow us to have amazing long-term benefits. Learning languages is more useful than learning math. 

Firstly, languages connect us with people around the world and we learn more about diverse cultures. Languages are a barrier that prevent people from interacting with each other. That is why learning a foreign language helps us overcome these obstacles and allow us to socialise with more people. It also helps us become more appreciative of the diverse cultures around us. 

One of the most obvious things that comes to people’s minds is travelling. Being able to speak the language of the country travelled to is a huge advantage for foreigners. Not only can you socialise with the native speakers there, but you will enjoy the stay more without having to use a translating app for your every step. It is also proven that if a person is multilingual, their job employment rate increases. When searching for a job, being able to speak more than one language can only be an advantage. With the ability to speak multiple languages, you will be more likely to find a well-paid job. Companies are always looking for the bilingual staff, so you will be a big benefit at your workplace. 

According to Eton Institute’s Language Development in the Workforce survey, 89% of clients stated that multilingual employees add value to the workforce and 88% stated that recruiting team members with language skills is important to their organisation. 

Learning a foreign language can help a person be have improved social life and job opportunities. 

Secondly, learning a language enhances brain development. Language learning improves memory abilities and thinking skills. A recent study by Dr Thomas Bak, a lecturer at Edinburgh's School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences — shows that young adults proficient in two languages performed better on attention tests and had better concentration than those who spoke only one language. Not only do they think smarter, they also appear to think more creatively than those who only speak one language. In fact, a study conducted in 2012 showed that bilingual children were both better problem solvers and creative thinkers. Bilingualism can improve a speaker’s mind, both when they are young and old. It encourages them to see the world in a different light and understand cultures. 

Learning a foreign language comes with long term health benefits as well, it can prevent or delay the Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Bilingual subjects in a study experienced Alzheimer’s, on average, 4 1/2 years later than monolingual subjects did. Speaking more than one language provides the constant exercise for your brain, so keeping your brain active is a proven way to be healthy in an old age.

Thirdly, we can gain confidence and motivation from learning a language while improving our academic capabilities. Learning a foreign language is not as easy as it seems. In some cases, the whole language system may be different and difficult to understand. However, being able to say, “I can do it”, is the real key to learning something difficult and new. That is why motivation is a big part in persevering with a language. Approaching difficult tasks with motivation in mind, positively impacts how people learn new concepts in the future. Confidence increases when a new skill is mastered and learning a language is no different. Self-confidence is strongly linked to motivation because when people feel motivated, they are able to have a better self-confidence on what they do. Therefore, people are able to enjoy the process of learning a language. 

Studies show that when learning a language, other aspects of the person’s academic abilities improve. Such as reading comprehension, spelling and even problem solving. Since learning a language involves going back and forth between the foreign and native language you will become more conscious of the idioms, vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure of your mother tongue. This improves your overall, academic capabilities.

Many people may argue that learning math is essential for learning about the world since it is a fundamental base of science. Learning a language does that and even more. We can experience the world in a different view, learn about so many diverse cultures that we may have never known and focus on learning about the world in a more close and emotional way. 

In conclusion, I believe that learning a language is definitely more useful than learning math. 

Many people are recognising how much they will gain from learning a language. You can gain confidence, have many more social interactions, and develop skills that will be greatly useful throughout life. 

I definitely think that languages are better than learning math. The 6,500 languages we have in our world are a gift, and they are here for us to use and learn from.