ESL Blogs

Learning another language is good for you in so many ways. But does it also help us speak our first language better? That’s a question I hear a lot. It used to be that the language experts said ‘no’. They based their logic on the idea that if you’re spending time on a second language, that’s time you’re not spending on your first.

It turns out, however, that they’re wrong. A lot of evidence has been collected over the years that indicates that learning additional languages helps you with your first. Here are a few of those reasons.

You become a better student

Learning another language does a heck of a lot of good to your brain. Some examples include:

• It improves memory
• It improves your ability to multi task
• It improves creative thinking
• It improves statistical thinking
• It makes you smarter

These are all obviously things which will make you better at learning other things as well. This includes, obviously, getting better at your own tongue. For that reason, particularly if you start learning a language earlier in life, the advantages of learning that language can more than make up for the time you stick into understanding that second language.

You understand the underlying mechanics of language better

You learn your first language as a baby. At that point of time, though you’re very good at learning the rules of language, you’re not yet all that good at thinking analytically and asking yourself such things as ‘why’. Why in English, do we put subjects before verbs? Why does our spelling so rarely match our pronunciation? Why do so many rules have so many exceptions?

When you learn a second language, you might not pick it up so quickly, but you certainly think about it more analytically. And the things you learn make you re-examine the rules of English itself. This can give you a deeper understanding of the rules and their application. It can also make it easier for you to understand the pitfalls that litter English for non-native speakers or people who struggle with language. And that, in turn, makes you a better communicator.

You become better at body language

When you’re learning a new language, there will be many occasions when you’re not quite sure what the other person is saying. In these situations, you’ll start to pay more attention to people’s actions and posture to interpret what they’re saying.

Obviously, the more you practice this skill, the better you become at it. You’ll figure out what people mean with their gestures alone. That, in turn, will help you in English at well. After all, language isn’t just made up of words but also of the intentions behind them. The more channels you have to read those intentions, the more likely you’ll have the conversation you’re looking for and you’ll get out of it what you want.

You’ll be good at your first language for longer

Research shows that when you learn additional languages, it doesn’t just improve your brain right now, but makes your brain work well for much longer than that of a monoglot (or a person who only speaks one language).

"Speaking additional languages protects you from diseases such as Alzheimer’s as well as keeping you sharp for longer – which is important in this time where we live longer than we ever have before and therefore can benefit more than ever before from staying sharp and on the ball for as long as we can." - says Alex Broudy, writer for Rewarded Essays and regular contributor for different websites and blogs.

It makes you understand cultures

Obviously, learning another language will make you understand that culture better. But that’s hardly the only culture you’ll come to understand better. You’ll also be able to understand your own better!

How’s that? Well, imagine a fish. This fish lives their whole life in a river that flows at a certain speed. Because it has never experienced everything else, it won’t even notice the current. It’s just there.

The moment you throw that fish in a lake, say, things change. They will realize there is no current and their behavior will change accordingly. What’s more (to stretch the metaphor) they will some startling realization about that current. Why is it there? Where did it come from? Is it actually desirable?

That’s what happens to you when you learn another language. The ways that other people do things will make you think about the way you do things. And only when you start questioning things that you take for granted can you actually appreciate them for what they are (or realize that it isn’t so desirable after all). 

So, should you study another language to be good at English?

In a word, no. Yes, of course you should study additional languages. But to study them in order to become better at English is exactly the wrong reason to learn one. After all, learning another language isn’t actually easy. It takes an incredible amount of persistence and effort to get you there.

If the only reason you’re learning another language is to get better at the first one, it’s doubtful indeed to get good enough that you’ll reap the benefits outlined above. Besides, you’ll miss out on one of the best ways to learn an extra language. And that is to actually go somewhere where they speak the language and to speak it.

For that reason, learn a language because you want to travel and live in a country. Or learn a language because you’re fascinated by their culture. Or learn a language because your lover speaks it and you want to be able to communicate in their first tongue. Then, you have the motivation to hold on, you can gain all the benefits I’ve outlined above and do what I’ve outlined here. Now that sounds like the right way to go about such things.