By: Robert Tu
My German teacher told our class a story about when she was fixing her car, and she got into a conversation with a person about teaching German is beneficial. Whether you speak a different language in your house or if forced into learning one at school, is learning a second language worth the time? The answer may seem obvious, but learning a language is daunting. According to the Foreign Service Institute, it could take anywhere from 575-2200 hours from your first language. This average shows how much dedication is needed because learning a language is a long and strenuous commitment. An hour a day of learning would still take one to six years on average. Spanish/French would take 575-600 hours, German/Latin 750, and Japanese 2200. These stats emphasize how long languages, depending on how different from English, take to learn. The numbers switch for non-English speaking people, so it goes both ways.
Now you know how long learning a language takes, is the time and effort you put in worth it? I would argue yes if you plan on not just living in the United States. There are tons of different languages in the world, and learning new skills, in general, is beneficial to your well-being. Some ways a language could help you in the future include careers, memory, and improving your first language. If you find career opportunities in a place that speaks a language you learn, you are saving yourself time in the long run. Other countries could fit your wants and need better than your home town. Unless you are keen on remembering thoughts, you probably have some memory of forgetting a ton. Learning a language could help with your memory. You have to remember words, spelling, and grammar. Some might argue that this is the same as a different subject, but language forces you to think more critically because the skill does not come naturally to most people.
Learning a new language can also help you perform better in other classes. Linguistics is a skill that can benefit not only English but how you think about the world. For example, people used different languages in history, math, and science. This idea shows there is no universal language. Learning a language can help you in various areas. There is a reason linguistics is a subject in itself. Learning German helped me gain a new appreciation for English, like how there are no gendered nouns in English which made me realize that learning English first is better than learning it second.
In conclusion, learning a language takes a while, but the returns are rewarding. I believe learning a second language is beneficial to everyone because you can have more opportunities academically, increase memory, and help you gain an appreciation for your first language. Learning more than two could have a less significant effect, but learning a language is a skill that will stick with you for life.
https://www.openculture.com/2017/11/a-map-showing-how-much-time-it-takes-to-learn-foreign-languages-from-easiest-to-hardest.html
https://www.middlebury.edu/language-schools/blog/why-you-should-learn-second-language-and-gain-new-skills
