Artwork by Alex Lee
Bilingualism or multilingualism refers to the ability to speak more than one language. In today’s world, we find ourselves communicating with people from all four corners of the globe with different cultural identities, and the need to be able to communicate with different people is becoming even more necessary. As we progress into a world that is forever turning into a metaphoric melting-pot of cultures and traditions, we need to find ways to express ourselves to more and more people. Simply put, learning another language is the easiest way to broaden your horizons, albeit it’s still considerably difficult. It is evident that the number of unique cultures and languages on the planet cannot be counted, but making an effort to learn one such language will both aid you in future endeavours as well as develop your mind to perform at its best.
The Science Behind Brain Development With Languages
Neuroplasticity
The main benefit that learning a new language brings to the mind is neuroplasticity, which means that the brain gets “remodelled”, new connections are made and new neurological pathways are formed. In an experiment conducted on the topic, scientists studied English speakers who also spoke Mandarin Chinese as a second language. Areas of the brain such as the superior temporal gyrus (STG) responded stronger to lexical tone switches. This is a sign that they treat Mandarin tones not just as “sounds” or acoustic signals, but as important linguistic information. This shows the extent of further neurological development when a second language, or an L2, is learnt.
Anatomical Structure Changes
Additionally, the fundamental shape of the brain can be altered when another language is learnt. Scientific studies have shown many times that learning languages can alter the physical shape of your brain as well. After three months of intense language study, recruits at the Swedish Armed Forces Interpreter Academy had increases in cortical thickness (the thickness of the area of the brain) in areas associated with language processing, while a control group, who studied other subjects but no new languages, had no changes in comparison.
Brain Protection
Whilst learning a new language definitely contributes to an improved concentration and a more powerful memory, a key benefit that we often overlook is the protection it provides against neurodegenerative disorders such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. Studies on the topic have shown that when the elderly engage in neural-stimulation activities - such as simply reading a book or speaking in a foreign language - they are less likely to experience memory loss. Cognitive stimulation strengthens the connections between neurons and promotes healthy cognitive development through all ages.
The Other Benefits Of Language Learning
While language learning evidently has benefits for the brain, such benefits aren’t frequently talked about and there are many others that can impact our daily lives. It goes without saying that simply having the ability to speak more languages can open up more doors for your life.
Careers
As a teenager myself, I frequently come across this idea in daily discussion. As the thoughts of universities and career loom over us, we must take into consideration our fluency in different languages. People who are proficient in more than one language are high in demand in job markets in all industries. Learning more languages means you can potentially apply and get jobs all around the world, opening yourself up to new opportunities and better career advancements.
Cultural Understanding
Learning different languages opens up an individual to the opportunity to be a part of a community with a different culture and to learn more about the world. It can help people understand and appreciate different cultures, which leads to greater tolerance and less prejudice towards people who may be viewed as “different.” Having an understanding and an immersion in different cultures is a truly positive outcome of language learning that we can definitely benefit from in today’s world.
Creativity
By learning different languages, we naturally expose ourselves to different cultures, different people and different perspectives. These perspectives often merge with those of the owner to form a “hybrid” perspective. These viewpoints are shown to boost creativity and prove useful in promoting a creative outlook on life. Having a perspective with which you can perceive issues and act with creativity is beneficial for problem-solving and logical thinking.
Are Languages Everything?
Having read the above article, you might think that learning a language is enough to consider yourself a native of the culture. This is definitely one aspect of the culture, but there are many more features of a culture that one must learn about to truly immerse themselves. These include artforms, rituals and traditions, and cuisine. Naturally, having a stronger understanding of such factors would boost your overall cultural understanding. Nevertheless, this shouldn’t discourage you from learning a language even for the fun of it - not just for the sole reason of using it as a future asset. Learning a language is an enriching activity that can develop your mind and provide you with new skills, and such activities should be a top priority as we move into an ever globalising society.
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