Argumentative essay
Maysan 11F
Education, acquiring foreign languages, and the reasonability of it all.
(Is it fair to require that all students learn atleast one foreign language?)
Is the knowledge of more than one language that significant in our society? in today's world,
diversity and globalization have forced all kinds of cultures and customs to blend. As a
result, many people prefer to learn languages different than their native tongue. Knowing at
least one foreign language can improve one's social and cognitive skills, increase memory,
as well as provide better work chances and boost one’s confidence.
To begin with, it takes drive to learn a new language. Schools should make foreign language
studies mandatory for pupils from the beginning of their education so that they can learn new
words and phrases more easily. This does not come without advantages; recent studies
have shown that learning a new language can improve cognitive ability. Young adults who
are fluent in two languages outperform those who speak only one language on tests and
have better concentration. To illustrate, Dr. Thomas Bak of Edinburgh's School of
Philosophy, Psychology, and Language Sciences conducted research, where he found that
young adults who spoke two languages had greater attention and concentration spans on
exams than single-language speakers. He also tested people in their 70s who had grown
multilingual throughout the course of their lifetimes and found that they fared significantly
better on intellect and reading tests.
Taking this a step further, switching between languages can provide the brain with some
good workouts. Children are eager to explore and learn new things at a young age. The
more they exercise their brains in these early stages, the easier it will be for them to learn
new things as adults. In addition, research has shown that bilingual children have stronger
memory, and hence better word recognition, calculation skills, and auditory memory. In 2007,
the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conducted a powerful study in
Massachusetts, stating that “Children who study a foreign language, even when this second
language study takes time away from the study of mathematics, outperform students who do
not study a foreign language and have more mathematical instruction during the school day.”
Lastly, The ability to communicate in multiple languages can help a Resume stand out.
Students benefit not just personally, but also professionally, from receiving foreign language
education in school. It can make a person's university application stand out and make them
an appealing prospect to numerous businesses and organizations. When we set out to do
something and achieve, we develop confidence, no matter how minor the outcome. Even a
30-second conversation with a native speaker will raise your confidence because you know
it's something you couldn't do before. This "yes, I can!" attitude will become your own motto,
and you will be able to use it to accomplish any goal in your life. As once said by author E.E.
Cummings, “Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous
delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
Some may argue that learning a new language places additional cognitive strain on children,
causes cultural confusion, or makes it challenging for them to master the language. Despite
the fact that some of their comments are reasonable and make sense, the facts
overwhelmingly support my position. Many of the above examples of research and studies I
have mentioned above show the advantages and benefits with so few drawbacks, and how
acquiring such abilities can help students achieve success in both their personal and
professional lives. Even from a medical point of view, studying a foreign language has been
scientifically proven to improve memory, cognitive skills, and concentration, all of which
support the validity of my claim.
To summarize, I believe that teaching a foreign language in schools is more than fair, and
that it is important enough to consider making it mandatory everywhere because, when the
few drawbacks are regarded, there is nothing but the many benefits and success it will bring
to current students and future generations, both personally, by improving their skills and
memory, and professionally, by learning how to communicate with other people, as well as
prospective universities.
How does learning a language improve memory? - Brainyhacks
Studying a New Language Helps Boost Memory and Brain Power (thejoint.com)
7 Surprising Benefits of Learning a New Language (Backed by Research)Pick the Brain |
Motivation and Self Improvement
Disadvantages to Children Learning a Foreign Language (howtoadult.com)