Language Learning

Many of us have a bucket list and "learn a new language" is usually on there. In the US, grade school students take at least 2 years of an offered foreign language in order to graduate. Even in college, many majors require that you take X semesters/credits of a foreign language. With that being said, we should be a nation that's full of bilingual (at the least) people... right?

Maybe yes, maybe no. I personally believe that there should be more people making an effort to know and understand a second language. An article from the US Census states that out of a population of ages 5 and older, 80.3% of people only speak English at home while 19.7% of people speak a language other than English at home. This doesn't necessarily mean that only 20% of the population are bilingual. In fact, I've learned that the US doesn't keep track of bilingualism among it's citizens like some other countries do. Perhaps it has something to do with the US technically not having an official language? (Just speculation.) From Ethnologue, the statistics show that there are about 215 living languages in the US, 61 of which are "in trouble" and 141 of which are "dying". 65% of languages in the US are dying! I don't know about you but that saddens and inspires me to learn more about different languages and their cultures.

Statistics aside, why should you learn a new language? There are a ton of other reasons why, but I list 5 reasons for you.

1. It's fun! When you find a learning method that works for you, it no longer seems like a task but an activity that you enjoy. And who doesn't like to have fun?
2. It's a great way to make new friends. You can always go the classroom route or join a community of people (online or in-person) of people who want and need language partners. It's completely up to you.
3. When you start learning how to communicate in a different language, you start learning new things about that group's culture. Gaining an understanding about a different culture is a big step in overcoming negative stereotypes, bigotry and racism.
4. It can increase your chances for securing a great job opportunity. (Seriously, an entire blog can be dedicated to this topic alone.) From what I've read and heard, there are business and companies here in the US that want to hire people who can fluently speak more than one language such as Spanish.
5. Last but not least, you get to cross something off that bucket list of yours. Trust me, it's a great feeling. 

So, as you can tell learning languages and expanding your brain's capacity to communicate in different ways is something that I greatly enjoy. My languages, other than English, include: American Sign Language, I'm learning Chinese (Mandarin) and Italian now. However, I have some to little experience with French, Spanish and German. And I don't intend on stopping with those. I say this not to brag, but with the hopes of inspiring someone else. So go out to your nearest library, nearest community college, App store or computer. There are a ton of options on how to learn a language. You can even start your exposure by watching a movie or TV show in the language you want to learn. I wish you all well in your findings!