The Importance of Foreign Language

Throughout American history, western ways have always led to prosperity and constant influence of leadership to the global world. It is not surprising that English is the universal language according to popular belief, and often times non native english speakers are therefore seen as ‘disadvantaged’ especially in the US. Fundamental truth states that cultures define themselves through languages and gives one the ability to communicate and exchange views. If so, do native speakers close themselves off against foreign languages and only communicate with native english speakers? And viewing from a non-native english speaker’s perspective, how will they immerse themselves while living in the “melting pot”? Contrary to popular belief, English is not the lingua franca, hence, learning a foreign language should be more of an urgent concern for monolingual native speakers specifically in the reputable “melting pot”. By learning a foreign language not only do we then know another language but more importantly we are also able to expand our ability to communicate as well as opening doors to the valuable cognitive, social, and global benefits of learning a language other than our native tounge.

Trying to learn a foreign language has always been thought of as a challenge for anyone. Most of the time, we first begin our attempt driven by a superficial motivation and an incentive other than just to know another language than English. Rarely does one wake up one day and challenge themselves into learning a foreign language, usually it seems that in our generation, we nonetheless make the attempt because we are forced to fill an educational requirement. Sure, perhaps this force may drive us, but what happens if were not forced? Unfortunately this is a concerning situation that many educational institutions in America face, further accepting the false idea that English is the universal language of humanity, and blunting the necessity for Americans to learn another language.