Learning a language is a great advantage in a globalised society where mobility is made easier. In addition to being helpful when travelling, it is also a big plus for education generally and for potential international employment. At any age, learning a second language helps us develop a variety of mental skills.
- Increases mental acuity:
A foreign language has its own complex set of rules, grammar structures, and vocabulary. Your brain must adapt to complexity as it makes sense of and assimilates new patterns when learning a new language. Key learning abilities like cognitive thinking and problem-solving are developed as our brains attempt to communicate by figuring out the meaning. Strong critical thinking abilities are very advantageous on both a personal and professional level.
- Strengthens memory:
Use it or lose it. How frequently have you heard that expression? It is a well-known truth that brain functions improve with increased use. When learning a new language, it’s important to be able to recollect and put your newfound information to use. Your memory will get a nice workout in the brain gym when you learn a new language. As a result, multilingual individuals have brains that are more active and adept at recalling facts, figures, names, and directions.
- Makes it easier to multitask:
For individuals who are not accustomed to it or who don’t do it effectively, multitasking can be highly stressful. Those who are multilingual and adept at switching between language systems are skilled at this extremely taxing job for the brain, claims a study from Pennsylvania State University. Individuals who have learned to think in multiple languages and switch between them are far better multitaskers and experience less stress.
- Increases efficiency in other academic disciplines:
Studies reveal that the advantages of learning a new language include greater scores on standardised exams in maths, reading comprehension, and vocabulary by multilingual students compared to the scores of monolingual children. This is due to higher cognitive skills. Youngsters could inquire as to why they must learn this language, but parents and educators are wiser. Linguistic proficiency improves your ability to do well in problem-solving tasks across the board, which is acknowledged by the requirement that students learn a foreign language in school.
- Strengthen Your Connection with Other Cultures:
The closest link to other cultures is language. Understanding and appreciating the customs, beliefs, artistic expressions, and history of the people who speak a language are fostered by our ability to communicate in that language. Studies demonstrate that children who have learned a second language are more open to and have more positive attitudes about the culture connected with that language, which in turn fosters better tolerance, empathy, and acceptance of others.
Writer:
Risalat Rahman Hridoy
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE