Everybody Should Speak a Second Language

Language is one of the most important things in human history. It is a way to help people communicate and understand each other. It is where the individual meets the rest of society in common ground. As of now there are roughly 6,500 spoken languages all over the world. Each language offers a unique meaning and uses different techniques to describe the world around people. All citizens should speak another language. Knowing different languages helps people become more open-minded and increases global understanding. Research shows that it improves cognitive functions of the brain of people who speak different languages. Also having the ability to speak different languages opens up doors of employment that would otherwise be closed. The education system should require education of a second language in K-12 schools.

Knowing different languages helps citizens become more open-minded and increase global understanding. Different languages uses different perspectives on how someone see the world. Scientists are now trying to prove bilingual and multilingual people can use those different perspectives while viewing the world. Professor Panos Athanasopoulos, who teaches linguistics at the University of Lancaster, conducted a study with his colleagues between 15 native english speakers and 15 native german speakers. The native speakers were asked to watch video clips of various people walking, biking, running and driving. Athanasopoulos was trying to prove that depending on the language spoken in the video would cause the speakers to have different perspective. The videos focused on the action of the people or the goal-oriented outcomes these actions were creating. The data the research collected implied that German speakers were more likely to focus on the outcome of the action whereas the English speaker were more likely to focus on the action itself. Athanasopoulos then applied this study to bilingual people who were both fluent in English and German. The researched showed that depending on the language used in the video shaped the perspective of the viewer. When english was spoken, the viewer focused on the action and when German was spoken the viewer focused on the outcome of the action. A second experiment conducted then showed that the bilingual viewer can switch perspective as fast as they can switch languages. (Wieler)

Having different perspectives creates the ability to have a more open-mind. Since the world becoming increasingly globalized it is important to be able to adapt to different cultures outside of one’s own native culture. One of the most influential philosophers, Ludwig Wittgenstein, of the twentieth century said that, “the limits of my language means the limits of my world.” Wittgenstein wrote in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus that philosophical problems stemmed from misunderstandings from the logic of language. Being able to communicate in different languages and understand people on different levels would indicate that it will lead to less misunderstandings in the world. (Richter)

Research shows that speaking a second language improves cognitive functions of the brain of people who speak different languages. Viorica Marian is a scientist and has a PhD. Her expertise is in bilingualism and multilingualism and is chair of the department of communication sciences and disorders at Northwestern University. Viorica Marian and Anthony Shook conducted a report on the cognitive benefits of bilingualism. The report concluded that being bilingual has benefits from early childhood to old age. Even more striking is that the benefits are not exclusive to those who are raised bilingual but who learned a second language later on in life. Being able to speak a second language helps the brain process more information efficiently and holds off cognitive decline. The report also states that it enriches cognitive control, improved metalinguistic awareness, improves memory, visual-spatial skills and boost creativity. (Marian)

Having the ability to speak different languages opens up doors of employment that would otherwise be closed. “Furthermore, beyond these cognitive and neurological advantages, there are also valuable social benefits that come from being bilingual, among them the ability to explore a culture through its native tongue or talk to someone with whom you might otherwise never be able to communicate” Viorica Marian states in The Cognitive benefits of Being Bilingual. As population increases it seems as the world gets smaller. Globalization is on the rise and if individuals want to be competitive in the labor market then being bilingual has it’s advantages. According to the Department of Labor, being a translator is one of the 15 fastest growing occupations in the nation. About 25,000 jobs are expected to open up for interpreters and translators between 2010 and 2020. (Kurtz)

In Is There Really a Labor Market Advantage to Being Bilingual in the U.S.? report by Patricia Gandara, Gandara cross examines multiple studies conducted on economic benefits in the U.S. Gandara finds that in older research had many vague and ambiguous statistics, where the level of education, fluency, literacy, socioeconomic status and immigrant backgrounds were not taken into account. The older research suggest that people who were bilingual, but not very literate in English, tended to make significantly less money than their monolingual counterpart. The newer research, which featured a new and more direct set of questions yielded different results. The research showed that with a college degree, a high level of proficiency in different languages, and where the minority language is valued the bilingual individual tends to make more money than a monolingual.

The advantages don’t stop there. The United States is growing with linguistic diversity with 1 in 5 citizens speaking a non-English language. The Census Bureau only expects that number to rise in the years to come. Today's society is seeing the changes in the community, where the youth of today are experiencing a minority-majority while becoming of age. The new research implies that bilinguals will be rewarded in job market today and in the years to come. (Gándara)

The cognitive benefits of speaking a second language is not only beneficial to the brain but overall long-term brain health. It also gives one potential to earn more economically. With these type of benefits it’s hard to imagine why anyone would be against learning different languages and should be apart of education culture. The education system it does face backlash when trying to implement a diverse language usage in the classroom. Some have tried to downplay the importance of knowing a second language. Professor Ellen Bialystok, who is distinguished research professor in the department of psychology at York University interviewed with NPR. When asked if it’s accurate to say that people who are bilingual are smarter or will be more successful her response was, “Bilingualism isn't the only way to improve your executive control system, but it's a very good one because it comes rather easily just from being able to speak two languages. So smarter implies knows more, can solve problems better and there's really no evidence for that.”

There is also a belief that if you come to America you should be speak only English. Since globalization of the English language is on the rise, Americans have the luxury of opting out of learning a second language. According to education commission of the states, most American high school graduation requirements do not require students to learn a foreign language. Opposition does not recognize or value the benefits of second language.

English only ideology has been in America almost as long as the United States has been declared a country. This type of thinking is what built America and has ugly roots of discrimination in its ideology. America still struggles to embrace bilingualism and multilingualism. Even with evidence that points out the many benefits of being able to speak another language.

Language has shaped human evolution. People talk, read and communicate in many different tongues and dialects. It is important that every citizen speak a second language. Not only does speaking a second language gives a speaker different perspective, it also enables a person to become more open minded. In a rapidly globalizing world, speaking another language helps global understanding. Multiple research reports have proved that speaking a second language improves cognitive health and improves cognitive functions in the brain. Furthermore, it gives people the advantages to achieve more economically and socially. These benefits are reason why all citizens should speak a second language.

Works Cited

Gándara, P. (2015), Is There Really a Labor Market Advantage to Being Bilingual in the U.S.?. ETS Research Report Series, 2015: 1–34. doi:10.1002/ets2.12054

Kurtz, Annalyn The hottest job skill is… http://money.cnn.com/2013/10/30/news/economy/job-skills-foreign-language/ Web

Marian, Viorica Ph.D and Shook, Anthony The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39483 Web Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Pac, Teresa. "The English-Only Movement In The US And The World In The Twenty-First Century." Perspectives On Global Development & Technology 11.1 (2012): 192-210. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Richter, Duncan J. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy http://www.iep.utm.edu/wittgens/ Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Weiler, Nicholas http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/03/speaking-second-language-may-change-how-you-see-world Web