Why should we learn a second language?

Are you a German native speaker living in Germany and in need of a self-esteem boost? Here's something I learnt pretty quickly after moving here: when in public, speak English. I'm serious. People blocking your way? You can become Moses just by shouting "Excuse me, could I get through" in English, then watching the Germans respectfully shuffle out of your way. German teenagers will look at you in awe of your godly powers.

Why does it work? Because English means power. Every language has a connotation - just try and ask the Germans in Serbian and hope they won't kick you. To many non-natives, English means you're international, educated and possibly of superior genetic status. F. Scott Fitzgerald never really reached Europe, it seems - because here, the American Dream lives on. I used to live in Austria, and it was hard to find a kid that didn't long to finally go to America. When they did, they came back as heroes. 

According to a German website, English, French and Spanish are the best languages to learn - all global and polished.

So the basic question here is, should we even bother to learn a language that's not English nowadays? There are quite a few viewpoints on the subject. First, there are the people that say language is what makes us human, and that we need languages for aesthetic reasons and because they are a part of our cultural identity. "Bilingualism is just plain sexy", Pick the Brain writes. In fact, I constantly see the question "How many languages do you speak?" being used to judge people. I learned Latin for three years; look how intellectual I am! I'm reading this Spanish book; don't I look sexy and mysterious? 

A little more research revealed that this applies to both genders - I found a website called Guyspeak.com, where apparently you can ask "real men questions about anything". Some desperate woman already asked if 'real' men found bilingualism attractive - and guess what? Bilingualism is a "sign of sophistication and indicates intelligence - and smarts are always sexy." In terms of what women think... well, let me just say that there exists a YouTube video of much-lauded Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston in which he is interviewed in Spanish and basically says "Muchas gracias, pero entiendo más que hablo" before giving up and continuing in English. This video alone has about 100.000 views and most of the comments seem to relate to serious ovarian damage in young women.

So yes, bilingualism is sexy, as long as it's the right kind - that is, English combined with something erotic like French or something cool like German. Please, no Slavonic languages. You want to look smart and sophisticated, remember?

But obviously, there is more to learning another language than just wanting to impress. From a scientific point of view, bilingualism has one major advantage: superior reading comprehension. A study published in the American Educational Research Journal found that bilingual children have a lot less trouble with unknown vocabulary; probably because they have access to a greater 'databank' of different words. To use my example again: I learned Spanish for three years. When I see a new word like 'redolent' (fragrant), I can figure out its meaning because I know that oler is 'to smell' in Spanish. I also know that oler comes from Latin olere, because that's another language I had to learn once.

All of this is pretty cool, except for the fact that I want to become a doctor and unless I for some reason decide to spend the rest of my life doing SAT Critical Reading questions for fun in my free time, I won't ever need skills like that. So are there other benefits to bilingualism? The answer is yes, again. 

Brain activity during reading tasks in
bilinguals versus monolinguals (source) 

An article by Susan Perry of BrainFacts.org revealed that new research has been done to show that the bilingual brain actually has physically denser grey matter, particularly in the left brain hemisphere. That makes sense because that's where communication is mostly controlled. It's also said to be the centre of rational, analytics thinking - and some more grey matter in that area certainly shouldn't harm anyone. The right hemisphere is especially active when a person is rapidly switching between languages. Conclusion: Speaking two languages increases your cognitive abilities and allows you to better deal with intellectual challenges, especially multitasking. 

But it gets even better. In 2007, famous neuroscientist Ellen Bialystok did a statistical analysis using the medical records of 400 Alzheimer's patients. What she found: "On average, the bilinguals showed Alzheimer's symptoms five or six years later than those who spoke only one language."

The correlation makes sense: a well-oiled, active brain is also a healthier brain. Now we have a summary of the points that support bilingualism: it's attractive and it's healthy. And, to quote my mother, "If we all spoke only English we'd all be the same." I think it is important to have your own language - the uniqueness that brings shouldn't be abandoned just because English is sometimes more convenient. Learn a second language! Not out of necessity, but because it opens the doors to fascinating culture and can keep you healthy and smart. And sexy.