ADVANTAGES OF LEARNING FOREIGN LANGUAGES: THE FRENCH LANGUAGE
Regardless of how you use your new language skills, you will have become a more educated interesting person. More importantly, you will have proven to yourself that you are much smarter than you thought. You will acquire respect and recognition in the society in which you live and among your peers.
This discussion follows the assumption that you already know English or English is your mother tongue. On this assumption, we look at some of the specific advantages that can flow to you when you learn French or other foreign languages:
1. Your English will improve:
Does it sound a bit strange? Well, when you know only one language, you have no basis for comparison because all you know is English. Often, the same idea is expressed in different ways by different languages. By learning other languages, you equip yourself with a great measuring stick. It helps to understand prepositions, tenses and the other parts of speech which we normally tend to take for granted. Your writing will become more precise and creative. This is why most of the great writers and poets are also students of different languages.
2. Invigorating Travel Experiences:
One of the greatest joys of life is traveling. That it comes with considerable expense is another subject altogether. Being so, you should get the best out of your travel. When you know the native tongue of the region where you choose to travel, you move closer to the culture of the region. You will be able to involve yourself with the locals rather than being shunned and relegated to mere sightseeing and cheesy photos. Even with a small stock of local phrases, your travel experience will be rendered vastly different. In France, if you accost someone on the road asking for directions, if you are speaking in French, he will be inclined to be more co-operative than if you were to speak to him in English. The frustration strangers face in alien surroundings will dissipate.
3. Languages have their own beauty:
Among the wide array of God’s creation, humans are the only species endowed with the gift of speech. The manifestation of this gift is what created all the languages. Ever imagined a world without languages? Great languages also have their affable musical quality. Learning new languages can provide you a new way to think and a new way to sing. You will come across new phrases profoundly meaningful and melodic, and you will feel grateful to be alive in those moments. |
