WHY SHOULD YOU LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE?

Why, indeed, should you learn another language? More than that, why should you even consider trying out your skill at a foreign language? If you ask different people, you will more likely than not get different answers as well. Basically, the reason for learning a foreign language is based on the nature of the need of the person. However, there are those people who do not really have the need to learn a foreign language and yet still do. How do you account for that?

Learning a foreign language means learning something that will allow you to go out of your comfort zone. For the person learning a language apart from his own, it means that he is expanding his horizons and learning more about other people and their culture. It means that he is improving himself. There it is, out in the open – one reason for learning a foreign language is for self fulfillment and achievement.

For those who do not really feel that learning a language is the way to expand their horizons, need might be the deciding factor. Business people fall into this category. As business is not limited to one geographical location these days, businessmen find themselves having to deal with people from other cultures more and more. This can mainly attributed to globalization. A company may be headquartered in the US yet have more offices and people the world over. In this situation, a person working for this company would need to know at least the basics of the language of the people he works with.

Another result of globalization and the opening of borders is the increase in leisure travel. As traveling to other countries has become so much more affordable, more and more people find themselves in strange lands. A working knowledge of the language of the land would be very useful in these cases.

As you can see, there are a wide variety of reasons you should learn at least one foreign language. Whether you merely want to learn about other people and communicate with them or you need to learn for leisure or business, it is always a good idea to open your mind to new things.

WAYS TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The learning process can be both simple and complicated at the same time. As such, there are different methods by which one can learn. The same goes with languages. Language schools realize this fact and as such offer a wide variety of programs to people interested in learning a foreign language.

Traditional language schools usually have face to face instruction. This kind of interaction may either be one on one or in a group setting. With the advancements in technology, other modes of learning have come up.

One popular way is to use the Internet. There is a plethora of web sites and chat rooms which are utilized by language schools to offer language instruction. This mode of instruction is great for people who do not really have the time to attend classes in traditional language schools.

Another way by which one can learn a language is through the telephone. This is in fact becoming quite popular these days. People who are even more pressed for time find this way most convenient.

Why, indeed, should one learn a foreign language? You may, after all, be living a fulfilling and successful life knowing only one language. This question is probably asked most by English speaking individuals. They would say that there is no need to learn a foreign language as they can get by with English anywhere they go anyway. So is there really a need to learn a language other than one’s own?

The answer is a resounding yes. For one, learning a language is one way to improve yourself and your awareness of other cultures. In this day and age, there is no such thing as a country on its own. Cross cultural communication and interaction is part of daily life. As such, it would be self enriching to actually learn more about a different way of life, including their language.

Another important reason for learning a language is of a more practical nature. People engaged in business have more chances of dealing with counterparts from the other side of the world today than ten years ago. Trade treaties and economic arrangements between countries and across continents have made this possible. On any given day, a businessman in the Americas may have to deal with another person in China or India. More and more people are being sent to different countries to do business. As such, a means of communication is important. Though it may be true that English is the most spoken language in business (hence the increased demand for English language schools all over the world), English speaking individuals would also benefit from learning the local language of their off shore offices. This would not only show respect for their counterparts but also help them catch nuances that may be lost in translation.

Now how about people who have been bit by the traveling bug? As airfares and travel expenses have taken a dive in the recent years, the number of travelers has increased tenfold. Learning at least the most basic elements of a foreign language would be helpful in these cases. Who said that learning a foreign language had to be a chore? It could be a pleasure, meant for leisurely activities as well!

Different schools of thought have different ideas on how to go about learning a foreign language. Though they may be some differences, the basic idea that anyone can learn a foreign language is common to them. Unfortunately, there is this misconception that has been going around, that only certain people with talent can learn another language. Some think that it is purely dependent on talent. They couldn’t be more wrong!

Learning a language is for everyone who has the desire to do so. As a matter of fact, scientists have found out that a certain part of our brains is specially designed for the function of learning a language. This means all human beings have the capacity to learn another language. Of course, some may be better at it than others. Still, it does not mean that the average person has an excuse to say he cannot learn.

So how do you go about learning a foreign language? One school of thought places emphasis on the acquisition of language rather than the learning of it. Acquisition is something like the process we all go through as children. We hear people around us speaking in some language and we eventually learn to speak it as well without having to go through formal instruction. However, this takes some period of time and many language learners today do not have the luxury of time. More so, we do not have the same situation wherein people around us speak the target language (unless of course you relocate to another country).

So more often than not, formal instruction is needed. This is what is called learning the language. In this process, you would have to know the basic parts of language. Though there may be thousands of languages in existence today, there are basic elements that remain the same. They are: Pronunciation (Phonology), Words (Vocabulary), Word Forms (Morphology), Grammar (Syntax), and Spelling (Writing System). You would have to learn these elements specific to your target language.

The learning process does not end once you step outside of the classroom however. USAGE is the key to successfully learning a language. You would have to keep on using the language even after your program ends. After all, practice makes perfect.