Monolingualism is exactly what it sounds like: the state of knowing just one language. It's common in the United States, but around the world, most people speak at least 2. While here, being multilingual isn't completely necessary, it's still something we should strive to be - the benefits are significant. Read on for 10 reasons why!
1. Most schools require a few years of foreign language anyway.
Why waste precious hours of your life in a required class if you’re not going to get anything out of it? As stupid as you may think your foreign language class is, keep it from being a waste of time by actually learning the language. Pay attention in class, do the homework, and practice speaking and writing with friends in your class. Make the best of the situation, whether you like your foreign language class or not.
2. If you love traveling…
Being multilingual will make your travels smoother. There’s enough to worry about in a foreign country without even taking language barriers into account! Once you get out of the most tourist-y areas, you’ll be in trouble if all you know is English. Just one other language can open a continent up to you; learn Spanish, for example, and you’ll be able to wander through 21 different countries language-barrier-free! Plus, you’ll be able to communicate (sort of) with people who speak a language in the same family as yours. My friend went to Italy on spring break and was able to communicate with the locals using Spanish. This was because Spanish and Italian are both in the Neo-Latin language family!
3. It’ll give your brain a boost!
Study after study after study has proven the beneficial effects language-learning has on your brain. It’s basically one big brain exercise, and can help your memorization, listening, and decision-making skills, among others. Additionally, this exercise can even help to slow the onset of dementia by years. In contrast, the best Alzheimer’s drugs can only slow it down for 1 year or less.
4. And improve your English.
Learning another language involves vocabulary, sentence structure, parts of speech, and many other language-y things. Knowing these in your second language can help you improve your English too, because of the extra grammar lessons and the comparisons you make between the languages.
5. It may open up job opportunities.
Imagine teaching English abroad, or being a foreign language teacher here at home. Being multilingual can help you in more conventional jobs as well: imagine being a doctor and being able to communicate with a patient that knows limited English. Think of working as a restaurant waiter in a heavily multi-ethnic area. And even if your opportunities to use your second language are rare, it’s always a fun thing to put into your resume!
6. Connect to your roots.
If your family came to the US recently, or you have roots in another culture, a great way to connect to that aspect of yourself is through a language. For example, my entire extended family lives far away from me, in Puerto Rico and Colombia. Spanish is my link to them. Almost none of them speak English, and few have been able to travel to mainland America. If you want to connect to your ethnic background and extended family, learning a relevant language is a great way to do so!
7. If you’re a book nerd...
Know that it’s pretty cool to read stuff as it was originally written. My father always says that there’s no way to translate literature perfectly, especially poetry. If you want to truly experience a specific book or poem in its original form, here’s some motivation to learn that language!
8. Learn empathy.
America is an incredibly diverse nation. This diversity is beautiful and inspiring, but can also cause a disconnect between groups- so many of our problems stem from this! Learning another language is the first step to understanding and empathizing with different groups of people. Remember that we are all human in the end.
9. Brag about it!
Becoming multilingual is no easy feat, so pat yourself on the back for your dedication and will, and don't be afraid to show off your skills if the opportunity arises. Don’t be embarrassed by your accent, either. You go!
10. It’s never been easier.
As hard as teaching yourself a language can be, technology has made it easier than ever! You can download language-learning apps for free, like Duolingo, or use pricier ones like Busuu, which allow the user to connect with native speakers worldwide in order to practice. You can also listen to audio of people speaking the language on YouTube, read your favorite children’s books in the language, and watch your favorite children’s movies or shows in that language.
More and more studies are being published on the benefits of multilingualism, and language-learning prodigies keep making the news. One of the prompts on this year's AP Language exam even dealt with this topic! It's clear that knowing more than one tongue is becoming more important in our globalized society. Add to that all of the other assorted benefits, and you've got yourself a great case for becoming multilingual. Good luck!
