Is a Second Language Really Necessary?

By Samantha Asher

In high school, you probably had to learn a second language. Most likely you were offered Spanish or French, or if you were lucky, other languages such as Italian were offered. Ultimately to you it didn't matter because you probably didn't want to learn any language. The language you chose was probably the one that looked easier to you.

This might not have been entirely true. If you were like me, learning a second language was exciting. You loved culture and language and couldn't wait to dig in to the culture and language of someone else. You were either torn between which language to choose because there were so many, or you were disappointed in the lack of selection. Either way, you picked your language and enjoyed every minute of it.

Whichever type you were, you probably never really knew the answer to, 'Is a second language really necessary?' If you lived in Europe or on another continent, you'd probably speak more than one language, as many people in other countries do. One reason is that countries are small yet they still speak different languages. If you wanted to cross borders, you'd need to know the other language to get around. In America, every state's predominant language is English, plus Canadians Speak English. So unless you live on the border of Mexico, speaking anything but English is not your priority.

There are several reasons an American would need to know another language, such as if they have friends or family that speak another language, or if they need to know another language for their job. Sometimes you will find your modest knowledge of Spanish come in handy if you come across someone in a store that doesn't speak English. Other than these several reasons, I guess you don't have to know another language.

A lot of people say that if people come to America, they should speak English. Of course we can't expect all tourists just visiting to speak English. How many Americans that visit France actually speak fluent French? Whether immigrants should have to speak English is another highly debated topic. Whatever your stance on that shouldn't matter when it comes to whether you know a language or not. If you don't need to know a second language for your job or family, that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy the experience. Learn a language, travel if you can, and experience the culture of others to greater enrich your life!

The importance of foreign language study should be greatly considered when deciding on a language to learn and how to go about it. Go to LearningaSecondLanguage.info for more information on language learning.