Five Reasons to Learn Spanish
Americans tend to be comfortable with the fact that our primary language has also been the primary language of the world in general, and have viewed other languages with suspicion. However, you may find that when you step beyond the confines of this box, you can receive benefits both expected and unexpected. Here are five reasons to learn Spanish today.
1) Spanish is commonly spoken worldwide. Being the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world today, with approximately half a billion total speakers, learning Spanish can help you communicate with more people around the world outside of China and the Indian subcontinent more than any other language. Additionally, the growing number of Spanish speakers coming to America will make learning Spanish helpful in getting along with our neighbors.
2) By learning to speak Spanish, you can better understand English. Though English is of Germanic origins, most of the modern English vocabulary is Latin in origin. Additionally, you may find that you better understand the nuances of the English language by contrasting it with another language.
3) Spanish is an easy language for English speakers to pick up and can make it easier to learn more languages. Due to the historical and geographic links between English and the Romance languages, these tend to be among the easiest for English speakers to learn. In addition, once you have increased the flexibility of your mind by learning a new language, each additional language becomes easier and easier to learn.
4) You may find your mental horizons expand in unexpected ways. In every language there are concepts which can be roughly translated into other languages, but which do not exist in their pure form in another language. Moreover, considering the different ways the same thoughts can be expressed can broaden your perspective. If this is not enough, studies have shown a boost in memory performance associated with knowing multiple languages!
5) Learning Spanish can help you get a job. The most practical reason to learn Spanish: knowing multiple languages looks good on any resume, and Spanish is among the most useful foreign languages to know. Spanish can also be extremely helpful if you want to travel either in North America or through Europe.
As you can see, there are many reasons to learn Spanish, from the purely practical to the different ways learning a new language can improve the very way you think. In an increasingly connected world, it becomes more and more limiting (and less fun) for us as Americans to insist that one language is enough.
1) Spanish is commonly spoken worldwide. Being the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world today, with approximately half a billion total speakers, learning Spanish can help you communicate with more people around the world outside of China and the Indian subcontinent more than any other language. Additionally, the growing number of Spanish speakers coming to America will make learning Spanish helpful in getting along with our neighbors.
2) By learning to speak Spanish, you can better understand English. Though English is of Germanic origins, most of the modern English vocabulary is Latin in origin. Additionally, you may find that you better understand the nuances of the English language by contrasting it with another language.
3) Spanish is an easy language for English speakers to pick up and can make it easier to learn more languages. Due to the historical and geographic links between English and the Romance languages, these tend to be among the easiest for English speakers to learn. In addition, once you have increased the flexibility of your mind by learning a new language, each additional language becomes easier and easier to learn.
4) You may find your mental horizons expand in unexpected ways. In every language there are concepts which can be roughly translated into other languages, but which do not exist in their pure form in another language. Moreover, considering the different ways the same thoughts can be expressed can broaden your perspective. If this is not enough, studies have shown a boost in memory performance associated with knowing multiple languages!
5) Learning Spanish can help you get a job. The most practical reason to learn Spanish: knowing multiple languages looks good on any resume, and Spanish is among the most useful foreign languages to know. Spanish can also be extremely helpful if you want to travel either in North America or through Europe.
As you can see, there are many reasons to learn Spanish, from the purely practical to the different ways learning a new language can improve the very way you think. In an increasingly connected world, it becomes more and more limiting (and less fun) for us as Americans to insist that one language is enough.
Source...