Many may have heard the popular narrative that “Americans can’t do geography” or that “Americans think they’re at the center of the universe.” I will neither support nor refute these claims. However, I will say that the tendency of Americans to speak only one language, along with America’s geographic isolation, could explain why so many believe this.

MCPS students are required to take at least two years of a foreign language during their high school career and taking it even further with four years of a language looks even better on a college transcript. However, many people do not continue their language learning past high school. Some may wonder, is it really worth it? I’d say yes. Taking a language can have valuable effects, from improving cognitive functioning to fostering cultural exchange.

Regarding cognition, practicing a language strengthens neural connections, which helps protect against conditions like dementia. Think of language learning as a workout for your brain. When someone takes that first step in learning a language, whether it be studying conjugation tables or vocab, the more they stick to it, the better they can become and the fitter their brain is.

In a study done by staff at the University of Edinburgh, participants who studied a language for five or more hours per week improved their performance in the language. Furthermore, the benefits of language learning don’t stop at brain functioning. Language learning is also important for cultural exchange and learning about the world around you.

For a good chunk of America’s history, it had been isolated and culturally separated from the rest of the world. But as globalization picked up, countries, like America, became more and more connected. Still, there are echoes of the American isolationist mindset, but language learning is a way to counter this.

When one learns a language, they don’t simply learn words, they learn a way of thinking. For example, people from parts of the world with cold weather have the most words for snow. And my parents who grew up speaking Swahili (a language I’d say is half metaphors) rarely literally mean the things that they say word for word.

Being so connected to a different culture is a unique experience that I’m sure people 1,000 years ago didn’t often have access to. In a world that is becoming more and more connected, we should be trying to learn more about one another in whatever way we can. Thus, taking a world language during school hours could be your way of making a contribution to that goal.

Language learning itself is a tiresome process. As someone who has been learning French since I was nine and still stumbles when forming sentences, I can say the road to fluency is bumpy. But then again, so are many things in life. One only gets so much time on this planet with so many different cultures. Why limit yourself to just yours?