Why we should be learning different langauges

Breeann Jones, Staff Writer

Why learn French when there are so many other languages out there in the world? We learn French and Spanish, but that is where the variety ends. There is the entire continent of Asia, which is full of different languages. There’s German, why not that?
In my opinion, we should be learning Mandarin Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, not just French or Spanish. These languages are the future; the countries in Asia are at the top of the economic and academic chains. They have their children learn more than one language at a young age. My cousin is eight and he knows English, Spanish, French, and -his first language- Korean. They also go year round at their school, and they are required to learn English by first or second grade.
The exposure to another culture’s language –such as Korean- can be beneficial to our academics. I personally have improved in my English grammar because of another country’s lack of grammar. I have a better understanding of the rules of grammar more than I have ever before. I have also realized that the world isn’t as small as it seems. With new and improved technological devices being created, we are now more interconnected to the world around us. So quit being a ‘PABO’ and do something about it!
I have been exposed to new cultures and languages because of a change in my family. My uncle, Christopher, and my aunt, Jin-hye, live in Korea with my two younger cousins Ethan and Evan. When I was in sixth grade, my aunt came to our family reunion and began to teach me Korean. At first I wasn’t interested, but as time went on after she left I began to dig deeper into the language. In seventh grade, my friend and I began to get into the Korean culture by listening to the music. After reading the subtitles to some the songs I wanted to learn more. Not only do I want to learn it to understand, but I also want to be able to talk to my cousin, Evan. He doesn’t speak English very well. So that is part of the reason why I want different languages.