Do you really need a practical purpose to learn a foreign language?
People who have family members from other cultures, or who plan to live or study in another part of the world do not need to be convinced of the indispensable nature of foreign language study, nor do they need advice on how to choose their target language. These language learners are already on a mission to learn a language, so that they can achieve their practical goals. They are simply seeking the least difficult and most effective way to master a language.
What about the rest of us who grew up in a monolingual setting, do not intend to move to another part of the world, and who do not work with international customers or coworkers? Do we really need to embark on a lengthy journey of time-consuming language learning without any particular, pragmatic purpose? Besides, without any time constraints or easily tangible rewards at the end to propel us forward, this enterprise will likely cease in the beginning, or during some period of perceived stagnation in one’s progress. Considering all of these potential impediments, why even embark on such an unpredictable voyage?
Often, people familiar with the experience of language learning complain to each other about how much time it takes for them to acquire a language and ask their peers for any advice on how to master a language quickly. All of this occurs because they want to absorb a language as a mere tool to achieve something else. If not for that “something else” or, in other words, if they did not have those specific life circumstances that require them to learn a language, they would not be doing it at all. They strictly focus on the result, and see the process as merely an annoying period that they need to suffer through in order to reach their end goal of language mastery.
The process of learning a new language itself is what should be the main drive and motivation for learning. When people study a language, they are not just memorizing vocabulary and grammar rules, they are gaining access to the revised version of a an entirely new worldview, and discover altogether novel facts and ideas previously unbeknownst to them. Learning a foreign language is an exquisite way to learn about oneself, one’s surroundings, and about complex human relationships. Legendary Italian film director and screenwriter Federico Fellini once remarked that, “A different language is a different vision of life.” The more languages somebody knows, the more they are able to view and consider every situation from various different angles and perspectives. The process of learning a language never ends and that is why the reward and pleasure of doing so lies in every moment and interaction with and via the language.
There are roughly 7,000 languages spoken in the world today. The choice of what language to study depends on individual preferences, often simply based on what a person knows about a particular country or culture. If you are debating what new hobby you should pick up or if you are having a hard time choosing which language to study, try to look at this grandiose endeavor from a completely novel perspective. Regardless of the outcome of your learning, after doing it, you will never be the same person. Most likely, you will experience the whole palette of emotions in the learning process, including frustration, annoyance, boredom, and hopelessness, but all of them will be completely overcome and surpassed by an omnipresent fascination with the new world you have discovered. After that, you will never want, let alone be able to stop… Set sail in the vast waters of revelation and self-discovery, with only the allure of new knowledge and perspective to guide you, not the location of the final destination.
Olga Sylvia, PhD