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It’s very likely that the first words humans learned to understand were “I”, “we”, “who” and the numbers 1, 2 and 3. These are the oldest words in almost every language if you go back far enough. And it makes sense. One of the reasons that we humans have taken over the world is due to our ability to collaborate. So, words like “we” and “who” are of course essential.
This idea of collaboration remains integral to the modern world, especially with so much chaos and strife. So, learning to communicate with others is an essential skill now more than ever. It’s almost certainly more important than maths or science (despite what we’re taught at school). And yet, English is the language of business and of the internet, so for a native English speaker, learning another language can seem at best difficult and at worst, pointless.
So whether you have always wanted to try and learn a language and have never quite found the motivation, or if you are already bilingual and want to feel good about yourself, below are 5 reasons to crack on with that Duolingo session (other apps are available) and arrange that solo trip of a lifetime…
Communication
Learning another language means you can communicate. This is a good thing. It opens doors and saves time. It makes navigating your way around different cultures and countries easier. But it does more than this. Being able to communicate in another language means that you can better understand the culture itself.
Simple conversations aside, knowing even a little of another language enables you to understand more about the history of the culture of the place you’re visiting or living. Why do they think the way they think? Why do they do the things they do? Language can give us a fascinating glimpse at the logic and the concepts behind the culture in ways that Google Translate would entirely miss.
For example, famously the Inuit have a lot of words or snow. This may seem like a cute oddity for those of us who have never lived in an environment where being absolutely precise about the type of snow that you have encountered is a matter of life of death. Consider the following:
- muruaneq ‘soft deep snow’
- qanisqineq ‘snow floating on water’
- nutaryuk ‘fresh snow’
- navcaq ‘snow cornice, snow (formation) about to collapse’
The difference between knowing where there is deep snow or snow floating on water is really important. Deep snow can trap you and tire you out. Snow on water can soak you and lead to hypothermia and increased risk of frost bite.
Similarly, fresh snow fall can hide previously discovered dangers, while snow cornices can pose an avalanche risk. So, while all of these words translate as “snow” in English, in fact they are communicating subtleties and concepts that English simply cannot define quickly, in a single word, with the same precision.
Idioms are also a fantastic window into the history and struggles of a culture. For example, to say “just in case” in Spanish, you can use the phrase:
“Por si las moscas”
This translates roughly to “In case there are flies”. This makes sense. Before the days of fridge freezers, in a warm country, the chances of food spoiling due to maggot and fly infestation was quite high. This was likely a risk everyone would have been both aware of and worried about in historical Spain. It would cost a great deal to replace spoiled food. There was also a significant risk of getting ill. So the idiom reflects this. Compare this to the English idiom which means the same thing:
“For a rainy day”
Why was rain so important in historical England? If it rained a lot (which is does) when it was time to harvest your crops, this could easily be a matter of life of death. At best, a rainy day would impact your income by spoiling the harvest. At worst, it would starve your family by removing your income entirely along with your ability to feed yourself.
It makes you better at learning other things
At their core, all languages are simply patterns of sounds and symbols that we learn to attribute meaning to. In this sense, they are a really good form of brain training. The ability to pattern match is a talent that propelled humanity into the modern cornucopia we enjoy today. Being able to match patterns was a crucial element to this. In fact, we still use pattern matching now to figure out how clever someone it. Patterns are commonly used in standardised IQ tests as a measure of intelligence.
Thanks to how languages were taught in schools, it would be easy to feel like learning a language is basically a mammoth game of hangman. If you make a mistake, the punishment is humiliation. And if you get it right, the prize is being served the beer that you wanted.
In reality, the more you learn, the more you get the gist of what people are talking about. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know a few words, your brain will lend you a hand. It will use non-verbal cues in conversation to help fill in the gaps. This works both ways. The more you learn, the more you begin to understand the gist of the conversation. The more people begin to understand you. People are generous for the most part and will happily fill in the gaps. And, even if you get it wrong, quite often it’s funny.
Finally, looking at learning a language as skill to be constantly developed rather than as an end goal to achieve gives you an appreciation for wider learning. This shift in perspective can be powerful. After learning a language, you become generally kinder and more generous when thinking about your progress when learning other new skills. You tend to give yourself more freedom to try, to play, to make mistakes and to learn from them. This usually means you learn more thoroughly and more quickly.
It’s better than video games
Video games offer escapism and reward by virtue of a little chemical release that makes you feel good (via sweet sweet dopamine). They allow you to create your own virtual profile and personality which you can show off to the world through your style of play or your character or avatar or whatever. You can have signature moves or practised techniques that create a sense that the avatar you are controlling is you, but a different kind of you.
The problem is that this “new you”, this escapism, is based on a narrow and pre-defined set of parameters dictated by the game. The rewards are virtual and often unsatisfying (which is why they can end up being so addictive).
Learning a language is a different kind of escapism. It almost forces you to actually become a different person. How? Until we are natively proficient, the usual jokes and phrases, the slang and pop culture references that we use to define our personality in normal life are gone. Instead, we need to use the new language to articulate these ideas. Often, we can’t do that very easily because we don’t know the right words. Very often, the words and concepts don’t even exist. So, to try and communicate, learning a language forces you to abandon your traditional and polished “self” and try something new.
This process means you have to consider and reflect on the old concepts you were habitually using to communicate. Some survive and work in a new language. Some don’t. The upshot is that you can engage in a peculiar type of escapism – not one that is pre-set by a game studio, but one that you get to choose yourself, by virtue of the specific language or words you learn to use.
The only downside is that, just because you are funny or smart in one language, doesn’t guarantee you’ll be funny in a another.
It helps you to connect to other people
Have you every been in conversation with someone and they’ve said “Yes! Now you’re speaking my language”. It’s an expression that means we have a connection.
English is the most commonly spoken language in the world which means that English speakers are especially sensitive when we find ourselves in situations where we don’t understand the language we’re immersed in.
You’re somewhere new. You get lost. You look around at the strange road signs and try and tune in to the strange sounds being spoken around you, and it dawns on you suddenly that unless you have some battery on your phone, some ability to access translate or maps or some luck bumping into someone who can speak English, you are in trouble
So the ability to bust out a quick phrase in German or Korean or Arabic can become a lifeline, both for you in case you’re in a jam and need to ingratiate yourself to the locals, or perhaps for others you may encounter, who are feeling lost and alone in an English speaking country, adrift in a sea of words and voices they don’t understand.
The impact of hearing your own language abroad has its own psychological effect. At its mildest, it shows as curiosity. If you are indeed lost, it takes the form of sheer elation (usually depending on how lost you are). This can create powerful feelings of connection (or salvation). For that alone, it’s worth learning a phrase or two. And who knows, there might even be a free drink in it.
You’ve already done it
You’ve learned a language already. You’ve literally already done it. You’re so good at it, you don’t even think about it when you speak it. It’s completely natural. And what’s more, you began to master it as a messy, dribbling child who could barely tie their own shoe laces.
The key thing is practise. You’ve made your language your own and now you don’t even need to think about it anymore (sadly, we all come across people who take this last point a little too literally). But even with all that practise, we can still make mistakes. Even in our native tongue, we are constantly learning. For example, here are some great often-mistaken phrases:
- For all intensive purposes (for “all intents and purposes”)
- Taking it for granite (for “taken for granted”)
- Being an escape goat (for “scapegoat”)
- Nip it in the butt (for “nip it in the bud”)
- One in the same (for “one and the same”)
- Expresso (for “espresso”)
So if you can master a language as a child, you certainly can as an adult*
So, learning a language helps you understand other cultures better. It is good for your brain and helps you see things you might otherwise miss. It helps you connect and provides a lifeline either for yourself or potentially others in scary situations. And, most importantly, you’ve already learnt one; one which you basically mastered as a child.
And if you’re worried about sounding silly, don’t. Because learning a language is about communication more than anything else. And with communication, simple is usually better.
Consider the following:
Person A: “My dear darling, would it trouble you awfully if I request your company on the eve of Friday for a tipple and some nourishment?”
Versus
Person B: “Come for a drink on Friday?”
Person A clearly knows more words. They are a walking thesaurus. But you’d be entirely justified in asking what on earth they’re on about. Person B on the other hand uses far more simple language but is significantly better at communicating. So, you don’t need to know all the words. Just enough to get by. And more often than not, people are kind and nice. They’ll fill in the gaps and help you out. They’d be chuffed that you’re even giving it a go.
*While it’s funny to make this point, children actually have an extraordinary ability to absorb language. Younger children can learn anything from 2000 words per year. It’s true that they are typically immersed in their language, but this is still incredible. Adults ability to learn new languages slows down a little as we get older. This is why kids with bilingual parents often have a significant advantage when learning a new language as they begin absorbing words and concepts at a younger age when we are far more absorbent.
P.s – To see how learning another language can get you some great reactions (and even some free stuff) Xiaomaync is a content creator and a polyglot, with a huge range of languages under his belt. You can watch his channel here.
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