The Power of Languages
Living in America, a very diverse country with people speaking all kind of different dialects, I sometimes can’t control my desire of learning some other languages my friends spoken. Although it requires time and effort, learning a new language is definitely a good thing. John McWhorter discusses some benefits of learning different languages in his TedTalk speech. According to McWhorter, the biggest advantage of learning foreign languages is it helps us to get more involved into the other cultures. Sometimes we will find it hard to communicate with the other who are from different areas, and it is because we are not familiar with the language they speak thus we can’t understand their thinking process. Also, McWhorter suggests that learning different languages can reduce the chance of getting dementia. The benefits of learning languages of course extended to our own pleasure as well. The speaker describes how speaking multiple languages is enjoyable by explaining the various words order of different languages. Not only that, the reason why we should all learn the new languages is because improvement of technology has made it more accessible for people to get familiar with a new language. Therefore, we should seize the chance and start studying new things.
Sometimes, I like to contemplate the reason of having all those different types of languages. Wouldn’t it be easier for everyone if there were only one language in the world? So there will be no barrier between people from different places or cultures. Just as McWhorter points out that although English is becoming a worldwide language, it is better for people to learn the different language. I agree with him that English is the most popular language in the world, but the fact is that it is not that important anymore. In Taiwan, more and more people start taking another language besides English as their second language because they want to be unique and more competent in the future labor market. Since everyone can speak English, knowing how to say it will not be a big deal any longer, so the role English plays in today’s is getting less and less crucial.
I believe that learning various languages will always be a good investment in the future because it not only provides us a chance to meet with more people but also helps us understand the other cultures more. Plus, it is never too late to learn a new thing! So let’s begin learning now!
