Human beings are always in search of finding new ways to know the world and of learning new things. When it comes to learning a new language, people show more curiosity to learn, speak and to write. People feel happiness or enjoy interacting with others, rejoice in knowing about others. The best way to interact with a person of other custom, culture or nation or to know about the culture of others, their thoughts, and ways of living is to learn their language. Learning a new language provides an opportunity to the learners not only to know about others but it becomes a tool to compare the learners about their culture, custom, and doctrines of others.
Learning a second language is a source of knowledge because the second language gives different concepts perspectives and ideas. However, learning a second language sometimes leaves a negative impact on the learners by taking the learners away from their culture, custom and even from their first language. Assume that a second language is the world's lingua franca: English. English is the world's most important language the sense of communication, which is the importance of English and his widely apparent. The importance of English as a second language is reflected in it is an international language.
Individuals who learned English as a second language know more about the world than those who only know their mother tongue. If a person knows English language he or she can use internet, a great source for many things such as entertainment, academic libraries and news and if a person does not know English language he or she cannot avail from this great source because the applications of Internet are in English language.
In my country, English is a second language for most of the people. People have English class in their primary school because it is the universal language. Therefore, people try to learn English to know about the world and to be competent in every field of study. With the progress of the world, culture is no longer confined to their countries. Globalization is an inevitable trend; it is necessary to learn the common language of the world.
• What are the advantages of learning a second language?
• What are the disadvantages of not learning a second language?
• What is the need of learning a second language?
• How can one choose the second language?
• Why should one choose English as a second language?
• What is the importance of learning English as a second language?
In this paper, qualitative methodology will be used to know about the importance of learning a second language. For this purpose, I will take secondary research analysis of different sources. The secondary research analysis will be conducted by doing the thematic analysis of the sources. Some of the sources used in this paper are included “Why You Should Learn Another Language” by Lisa Chau, “Ten Amazing Reasons Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language” by Gendreau, Sam “Why It Makes More Sense Than You Know to Learn a Second Language” by Dan Roitman and “Why learn a foreign language? Benefits of bilingualism” by Anne Merritt, etc.
• Goal 1: Proof of the importance of learning a second language.
• Goal 2: To show people why we need study second language
• Goal 3: If we study the second language, how it would help us in our life.
On the basis of the goals above the following themes have been identified to narrow down the research and present important findings from the research done.
Communication: Why You Should Learn Another Language by Lisa Chau
The article focuses on the importance of building effective communication among different nations.
Source of knowledge: “Ten Amazing Reasons Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language” by Sam Gendreau
Second language has its vocabularies defining new concepts and ideologies.
Language as barrier: “Why It Makes More Sense Than You Know to Learn a Second Language” Dan Roitman
Boos written in other than one’ mother tongue cannot be read if one is not as the leaner of that language.
One of the important themes that come through the reading of the sources is that the people who choose English as a second language can communicate better than those who can speak only their mother tongue. The familiarity with The English language improves communication because the language of the major sources of communication such as social media is English. One can communicate with his or her fiends no matter wherever they live through social media. One can interact or communicate with the expert of the different field if he or she knows English or if he or she is the learner of English as a second language.
One should not restrict communication only to the physical interaction of individuals but interaction with different characters, with different places through different books should also be taken as communication. English is an international language and people across the world speak, read and write in English language. Therefore, a person can interact with people from different culture, different countries and from different nations, if he or she is learner of English as second language. This shows that English improves communication of individuals. Therefore, it would not be wrong if one states that the people who learn English as a second language know more about the world as compared to those who speak only their mother tongue or who do not speak English. The language becomes barrier into the way of those people who do not know second language to improve communication by different means.
The communication through social media or through the Internet shows the importance of English. If a person does not know English, he or she cannot avail from the Internet to communicate with his or her beloveds. It shows that the people who do not know English language become too restricted to communicate as compared to these who are the second learners of English language. This theme reflects the importance of English as a second language. When people have less communication with the world, they know very less about the world. Therefore, the people who learned English as a second language know more about the world than those who only know their mother tongue.
Second language always become a good source of knowledge because it introduces individuals to different ideas and allows individuals to know the world it dominates. Therefore, one other theme that comes through the reading of sources is English as source of knowledge. Most of the books, especially, books related to science and information technology are either written in English or have been translated into English language. Furthermore, the educational system of most of the countries is similar to those of the English-speaking world. Therefore, English as a second language is a source of knowledge, improving creative thinking of individuals. The persons who cannot speak English will not be capable of reading the books written in English or the books that have been translated in English language. In this way, the importance of English as a second language comes forth. The books give the readers important knowledge about the world and therefore, the people who learns English as second language will become familiar with the world and know more about the world as compared to those who do not know English. The people who do not know English cannot read the books translated or written in English and cannot use internet that’s why they have very little know of the world.
If individuals are as the learners of English as second language, they can increase their knowledge by using the Internet as well as by using different information technologies such as through electronic books. There are a lot of video lecture of different scholars on different topics on the Internet and one can watch these videos to improve their knowledge. Individuals who are learners of a second language can avail form these videos. The people who can only speak their mother tongue or who are not the speaker of English language cannot avail from these videos because most of the videos are in The English language.
The third theme that comes through the readings of the different sources comes forth is language as a barrier. Language is a barrier if people do not learn it, and if individuals learn it, it becomes a source to be connected to the world or to know about different species and non-species of the world. Every language has a reservoir of different elements including knowledge. To be able to reach that reservoir, one should learn that language. If individuals do not learn the language that contains the reservoirs, the language does not allow them to approach the reservoirs. Therefore, the importance of learning a second langue is evident. If it is the universal language English, then the importance of learning it becomes more significant because of its universality. The books of science, literature and philosophy all are written in English and, therefore, individuals should pursue English as second language to quench the thirst o knowledge and to know the world.
For the individuals who only speak their mother tongue, the English language is a great barrier that does not let them become competent or does not allow them to avail of different opportunities. Such people neither can visit to the developed English speaking world not they can use the information technology to visit the world through the internet because it is important to know English language to operate computer as well as internet. As compared to the people who can speak only their mother tongue, for the people who are learner of English as second language the second language becomes as a means of knowing exploring the world. Such people can use English language to communicate with the people through information technology, read about others culture and way of doing life. This is why, it is right to state that the people who pursue second language know more about the world as compared to the individuals who know only their mother tongue. The importance of English as second language has been reflected in this theme.
It is concluded in consideration of the above thematic analysis that the individuals who speak only their mother tongue know less about the world as compared to those people who are learners of the second language. The individuals who are learners of second language know about the world more through the second language. The second language becomes a means helping individuals to know about the world. The second language becomes a tool for communication and it leads individuals towards the reservoir of knowledge because every language has its concepts, vocabularies defining concepts and ideologies. Furthermore, individuals who are the learner of English as the second language have also more opportunities to enhance their communication through different sources. Communication can be through reading different books as well as by using social media. The reading of different books written in English will enable individuals to meet with people from different periods, from different nations and from different countries and the usage of social media will enable individuals to communicate with the contemporary fellows living in different parts of the world.
Reading different books written in English and the communication through social media will enable individuals to enhance their understanding of the world. The content of the books are not about anything else but is consisted of the issues of the world. Therefore, it will not be wrong to state that the individuals who are the leaner of English as the second language know more about the world as compared to those who can only speak their mother tongue. This shows the importance of learning English as a second language to know about the world and to enhance communication.
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