Are There Benefits to Knowing More than One Language? - Essay Sample

Introduction

The ability of an individual to learn and use many languages is called multilingualism. Bilingualism is the ability to learn and use two languages. They are many people who can use more than one language in the world. Globalization has continuously raised the need for multilingualism. This is because people are in need of socializing with as many communities as possible from various parts of the world. Multilingualism is also necessary for carrying out international trade. Traders need to understand their clients as well as their needs (Schuh 97). The internet is also making the world more multilingual as it penetrates in all the corners of the world. As a result, people who can use more than one language has many economic advantages. Besides the economic benefits, a multilingual individual has high cognitive ability. However, some of the demerits of an individual being in a position to use more than one language are that the user may not gain complete proficiency in all the languages. An individual also spends a lot of time in learning the different levels of language. It takes at least two years to fully comprehend and master another language. Despite the demerits, the merits of knowing more than one language outweigh the demerits.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

High cognitive ability is the best advantage of learning and using more than two languages. People with the ability to learn and use more than one language have lower risks for developing dementia. They are also better at enhanced executive function. The cognitive ability enables people process thoughts in a better and efficient way than those who are monolingual. As a result, the individuals can perform many mental activities. They can easily learn and understand new information. The skill can be best tapped at the early stages of a human beings' life. People with high cognitive ability interact very well with other people. Therefore, it improves people's interpersonal skills. This is because such a person can understand most of the people in the society with whom they speak similar languages. Multilingualism requires an individual to have high levels of language semantic aspects. It comes with a skill to show empathy (Dewaele and Wei 352). This is because a multilingual person not only understands the language spoken but also the culture of the people who speak in different languages. One cannot be an efficient multilingual without understanding the history of the other people. This is because language is tied up with history and culture. Some words may have different meanings by the virtue of belonging to different cultures. Individuals who learn and use foreign languages are less likely to be biased in making decisions than those who only can speak one language. The knowledge on the foreign language provides the speaker with a cognitive ability that enhances the speaker's unthinking emotional reaction. It also promotes analytical thinking. The reasoning in people is informed by cognitive systematic thoughts as well as unconscious thoughts which are emotional in nature. Foreign language equips the speaker with skills to suppress his or her unconscious thoughts and instead use the cognitive systematic thoughts which is more analytical and reasonable. Additionally, individuals with the knowledge of foreign language tend to make decisions which are utilitarian in nature in cases where they face moral dilemma. Trying to master other languages at an old age may be thwarted by poor cognitive function such as multiple sclerosis (Kim 171).

Having the ability to learn and use various languages comes with many economic benefits to an individual. It raises the employability of a person, especially in the international level. Many international organizations such as the United Nations require their employees to master at least one international language. Therefore, multilinguals play a critical role in the labor market even at a local level, they can interact with people who does not understand the national languages. Some of the people who does not understand the national languages include natives who are illiterate and only understand their mother tongue. The employees who masters several languages plays part in interpretation. They can also do very well in pushing sales because they can interact with the customers of diverse culture comfortably. In respect to salaries, employees who can speak several languages relatively earn higher income in the labor market. In the US, bilinguals earn more than monolinguals by approximately $3000 annually (Agirdag 450).

Most of the people who use foreign languages fail to understand the languages deeply. Reason being that they fall short of understanding the historical and cultural aspect of the foreign language. As a result, the speaker cannot be as fluent as a native speaker. A lot of time is also spent in learning the foreign language. In the course of mastering the foreign language, some people fail to master their mother tongue language especially young children who grow up in foreign countries like it is the case with immigrants. In most of the cases, such victims fail to master their mother tongue because they have a greater exposure to the foreign language or the medium language in case it is different from the mother tongue. The children's first language is interrupted as they acquire the foreign language or the secondary language. As a result, the children mastery of the primary and secondary language is lower than the monolingual standard. Such victims cannot differentiate between the primary and the secondary language and therefore, they end up mixing the two languages in their expression. There are also few opportunities in the field of language and therefore this is a big setback.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many benefits to knowing more than one language. The benefits include economical and high cognition benefits. Due to an individuals' prowess in a secondary language, such an individual gain employment which has an attractive salary above the market rate. Multilinguals also carry out trade internationally with ease. Cognition benefits help people to socially relate well with others. Multilingual people are able to relate socially better than the monolingual ones because of their high cognition ability. The multilingual individuals also make decision easily.

In many countries worldwide, there is at least one national language which is supposed be to learned and used by all the citizens. Learning several languages plays a role in fostering unity in society. Reason being that people have a common language to use, thus it is easy to understand each other. Additionally, learning and using foreign or secondary language involves understanding the history and the culture of the natives who speak the foreign language. Learning the secondary language through immersion is better than doing in class.

Works Cited

Agirdag, Orhan. "The long-term effects of bilingualism on children of immigration: student bilingualism and future earnings." International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 17.4 (2014): 449-464.

Kim, Karl HS, et al. "Distinct cortical areas associated with native and second languages." Nature 388.6638 (1997): 171.

Schuh, Russell G. "Bernd Heine & Derek Nurse, eds., African Languages. An Introduction (2000) (Book Review)." General Linguistics 39.1 (1999): 97.