4 reasons to learn a new language (Maria Ticó)

John McWhorter claims that nowadays English is becoming more important due to globalization: we all try to speak it because it's the language of finance, the Internet, air traffic control… In fact, although we all know mandarin Chinese is the language that has more speakers in the world, studies have shown that there are more Chinese people learning English than English people learning Chinese. In addition, it is predicted that by the end of this century, there will just be some hundreds of languages left, plus the fact that we will have instant translation. McWhorter makes us wonder why would we want to learn a new language then?

The answer lays in many reasons: firstly, he points out that a language channels your thoughts, so it's better to have a worldview over more than one language. Secondly, when you move to a new country, you tend to want to assimilate their customs and culture. One way to do that is by learning their native language, so you have something in common with the people who are not foreigners. Another reason is that it is demonstrated that if you speak two or more languages, you are less likely to have dementia and you will probably be a better multitasker, so that proves that bilingualism is healthy. Furthermore, languages are fun, you may find some difficulties when you are learning them but when you do, you enjoy the variations that make them special. Finally, the last reason he gives us is that we have reached a point where we don't have to assist a class to learn a new language, for you can study at home by your own by just having your computer and some useful webs, such as Rosetta Stone, Glossika or Dilbert., whenever you want to and however you want to.

To conclude, I'd like to add the quote he used to finish his talk: "Languages won't change your mind, but they will certainly blow your mind". We should try to learn new languages because it's the best time to do it, it's fun and practical. 

Maria Ticó Burguera