Comment 10-Who taught you the most things? Why the mother tongue?

Nowadays, people all over the world study a foreign language like English, Spanish, German or Chinese with the objective of living and working in countries where these languages are spoken. Learning a foreign language benefits everyone.

On the one hand, knowing a foreign language makes it easier to travel or to find a better job. In addition, it can help you understand other cultures when you travel abroad. The art, traditions and culture of any country, can be better understood if you have some knowledge of their language. Moreover, studies have shown that bilingual people are smarter than people who speak only one language. Multilingual people are even smarter. Learning a foreign language helps our brain in many ways. It allows us to make connections faster and remember things better.

On the other hand, learning foreign languages has disadvantages, too, such us the cost of the course and the time it requires. Furthermore, you have to be cautious, because while you are learning other languages, you can forget your mother tongue. When the native language is not maintained, important links to family and other community members may be lost. Until the age of about 12, a person’s language skills are relatively vulnerable to change. Studies have found that even nine-year-olds can almost completely forget their first language when they are removed from their country of birth or if they speak more in a foreign language than their native one. In adults, the first language is unlikely to disappear entirely except in extreme circumstances.

To conclude, there are numerous benefits to learning a foreign language. Travel and work are just two of them. Language skills also make us smarter and better.