What Learning a Language Does to Your Brain

 

Language is a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. Language is used for communication as it has helped us live in society. It has been a part of human lives since the beginning and is less likely to change. But the world is a huge place with people from different cultures and languages all live together and as technology advances and connecting people all over the world, is our native language enough?

These days, language has become more important than ever, as it will help you communicate with people from different countries with ease. Fortunately, more and more people of all ages and backgrounds are learning languages today. More than half of the world’s population is bilingual or multilingual. What more does learning a language gives you? What are those who speak only one language missing out on?

Here are some benefits of being bilingual or even multilingual:

1. Increases brainpower.

Learning more languages is a great way to keep your brain healthy and sharp.

Being bilingual can improve a person’s multitasking skills, attention control, problem-solving, and creativity, promoting outside-the-box thinking. It can also help improve your memory – handy when shopping and remembering people’s names!

2. It can give students an academic advantage.

Studies have shown that bilingual children can outperform monolingual children in some subject areas. The effects of bilingualism can help improve a child’s educational development, cognitive functions, social skills, literacy, and emotional skills that have positive effects for many years to come.

3. Increase awareness of other cultures.

Being bilingual exposes an individual to diverse customs, ideas, and perspectives from different cultures. Of course, you can still learn about other cultures without knowing a second language, but language learning allows for a more immersive experience.

4. Improve competitiveness in the job market.

Speaking a second language can provide more job opportunities, depending on which languages you speak. Communication in the workplace is important, and more companies, especially those with international offices, are considering bilingualism a high priority. Being able to communicate with foreign clients or customers is considered a big advantage too.

5. Find it easier to learn a third language.

Learning a second language helps you reflect on your language and gain a better aptitude for languages in general. The improved understanding of how language works, coupled with the experience you have already gained, makes it all easier to learn a third or fourth language.

Turns out, learning another language does much more to our brains, improving another aspect of our intelligence. For those of you who still only could speak one language, maybe now is the right time for you to improve your skill. If it feels too hard, here are a few tips to help you learn new languages:

1. Know Your Motivation. Motivation is the best drive for you to study and keep learning something in the long run, so make sure you got the right one.

2. Find A Partner. You could study a language by yourself, but studying it together seems to be better, as it can push the limit for both of you. You can also learn to talk and listen to your partner to practice your listening.

3. Talk To Yourself. If you don’t have a partner, you don’t have to worry because talking to yourself just might be an option. This can keep new words and phrases fresh in your mind and also help build up your confidence for the next time you speak with someone else.

4. Have fun with it. Use your new language in any way that you like. Have fun with the learning process so you will enjoy it and keep learning until you master it.

5. Make your practice a habit. It doesn’t matter if you only learn a little or much in one day as long as you keep practicing every day. If you try to learn something too much in a small amount of time, you will probably lose your motivation and stop halfway through.

6. Listening. You need to learn to listen before you can learn to speak. Every language sounds strange the first time you hear it. The more you expose yourself to it, though, the more familiar it becomes, making it easier to speak and comprehend.

Learning a language could also be considered as a hobby, a time killer that requires you to learn and at the same time improves your skill. I would like to end this with a quote. “With languages, you are at home anywhere.” by Edmund de Waal. So, plan to learn some new languages?

Written by Jason Jahja / XIA3 / 16