Melissa Walker Ms. Rachel Smith English Composition 101-16 11/22/99 Why Should You Speak a Foreign Language Why should you speak a foreign language? That seems to be a question many people ask. Some of the following are benefits of speaking a foreign language: you have the ability to, communicate with more people, understand another culture, learn about your ancestral history and background, and increase your chance at job opportunities. The first, and most obvious reason to speak a foreign language is that speaking another language gives you a chance to communicate with people you would not have been able to talk to otherwise. Attending a university I have noticed that there are many people from different countries, and if I were to learn their language I would be able to talk to them and make new friends ("Benefits of Being Bilingual"). The second reason is so you can learn about and appreciate another culture other than your own. As cited in the article "Why Study a Foreign Language?", if you only speak one language you may become "alternately snug and comfortable in your own family group or the larger group to which you belong (nationalilty, race, religion, language), you may conclude that the customs, language, or culture of all those who are different from you are strange, peculiar, or even wrong." If you only speak one language you may become comfortable in that language, and find the language or culture of another person strange or wrong. Being able to speak another language will help you to see through that and understand and accept people with another language and cultural background (Sinioras). Another reason to learn a foreign language is so that you can learn more about your own ancestry and your own cultural background. Over twenty-five percent of Americans have a German background, and over fifteen million people in America are Hispanic or have a Hispanic background. If people would study the language from their background, they could find out more about themselves while they are benefiting from being able to talk to other people ("Why to Learn a Foreign Language"). One more reason to learn a foreign language is to increase the number of job opportunities you may have. For example, Greek and Latin are widely used in the field of medicine, so, if you already know it, then you may be finding yourself one step closer to a job in the medical field. In politics, many people have to have an interpreter, and things said between two people can be misinterpreted, so being able to speak the language yourself would be more direct and cause less error between the two politicians trying to communicate (Sinioras). Being able to speak a foreign language can benefit a person in many ways. First of all speaking a foreign language makes it possible for someone to communicate with a person they otherwise would not have been able to talk to. Second, knowing another language can help you learn to be more open to cultures other than your own. Learning another language can also help you to learn more about your ancestry and background, and it can also help someone find a job. Bibliography "Benefits of Being Bilingual." Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratroy at Brown University and Center for Applied Linguistics. Revised May 6, 1999. 19 Nov. 1999 Sinioras, Mary. "American's Should Learn a Second Language." Courier Online. 19 Nov. 1999 "Why Study a Second Lnguage?" 19 Nov. 1999 "Why to Learn a Foreign Language?" 19 Nov. 1999