4 reasons to learn a new language | John McWhorter

Summary

The speaker discusses the global dominance of English and its potential to become the universal language, while questioning the necessity of learning other languages. They refute the idea that language significantly shapes thought, instead emphasizing the importance of language in accessing and understanding diverse cultures. The benefits of bilingualism, including cognitive advantages and the joy of language learning, are highlighted, urging the audience to embrace the opportunity to learn new languages in an era where self-teaching has never been more accessible.

Takeaways

• 🌐 English is increasingly becoming the world's universal language, used in various fields such as the internet, finance, air traffic control, popular music, and diplomacy.
• 📚 Despite Mandarin Chinese being spoken by more people globally, English is gaining ground with more Chinese individuals learning English than vice versa.
• 🏫 There are numerous universities in China that teach entirely in English, indicating the spread and influence of the English language.
• 🗣️ It's predicted that by the end of the century, many of the approximately 6,000 languages currently spoken will become extinct, leaving only a few hundred.
• 📈 Instant translation of live speech is not only possible but is improving annually, which raises the question of the necessity of learning foreign languages.
• 💭 The idea that language shapes thought is a complex and nuanced concept, with evidence showing that language can influence perception but not necessarily worldview.
• 🎭 Learning a language can be a gateway to understanding and participating in the culture of the people who speak it, which is a compelling reason to learn new languages.
• 🎥 The film 'Jesus of Montreal' illustrates how language can affect cultural expression, showing characters as less vibrant when they are not speaking their native language.
• 🧠 Bilingualism has cognitive benefits, such as a reduced likelihood of dementia and improved multitasking abilities.
• 🎉 Learning languages can be enjoyable and enriching, offering a sense of fun and engagement with the structure and sounds of different languages.
• 🚀 With modern technology, self-teaching languages has become more accessible than ever, allowing individuals to learn at their own pace and convenience.

Q & A

Why does the speaker believe English is becoming the world's universal language?

The speaker believes English is becoming the universal language because it is widely used in many global domains such as the internet, finance, air traffic control, popular music, and diplomacy.

What does the speaker suggest about the future of language diversity?

The speaker suggests that by the end of the century, most of the current languages will no longer be spoken, with only a few hundred remaining.

What is the speaker's view on the impact of instant translation technology?

The speaker believes that instant translation technology, which is improving every year, will reduce the necessity of learning foreign languages.

How does the speaker challenge the idea that language shapes thought?

The speaker challenges this idea by illustrating that people who speak the same language can have vastly different worldviews, suggesting that language does not significantly shape thought.

Why does the speaker believe learning other languages is important despite the dominance of English?

The speaker believes learning other languages is important to fully engage with and understand different cultures, as language is a key part of cultural participation.

What health benefits does the speaker attribute to bilingualism?

The speaker mentions that bilingualism can reduce the likelihood of dementia and improve multitasking skills.

How does the speaker describe the fun aspects of learning different languages?

The speaker describes the fun aspects of learning different languages through their unique grammatical structures and phonetic features, such as the consonant-vowel patterns in Arabic and the various word orders in different languages.

What example does the speaker give to show the cultural significance of language?

The speaker gives the example of French-Canadian characters in the film 'Jesus of Montreal,' who lose their vibrancy and character when forced to speak English instead of their native French.

What technological advancements does the speaker highlight for learning new languages?

The speaker highlights advancements such as language learning apps and platforms like Rosetta Stone and Glossika, which make it easier to learn languages at any time and place.

Why does the speaker advocate for learning multiple languages in the modern era?

The speaker advocates for learning multiple languages because it is more accessible than ever, it can be enjoyable, and it provides a deeper cultural understanding and cognitive benefits.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 The Dominance and Impact of English Language

The speaker discusses the pervasive influence of English as the emerging global language, covering its dominance in various sectors such as the internet, finance, air traffic control, and popular culture. Despite Mandarin Chinese being spoken by more people, the speaker notes the increasing number of Chinese individuals learning English and the establishment of English-medium universities in China. The script also touches on the potential loss of many languages by the end of the century and the advancement of live speech translation technology. The speaker raises a critical question about the necessity of learning foreign languages in an increasingly English-centric world and addresses the controversial idea that language shapes thought, using the example of gendered nouns in Romance languages.

05:00

📚 The Value of Language Learning Beyond English

The speaker explores the reasons for learning languages other than English, even in a world where English is becoming ubiquitous. They refute the idea that language significantly shapes one's worldview by pointing out the diversity of perspectives among English speakers. The speaker then argues that learning a language is essential for immersing oneself in a culture, using the example of a scene from the film 'Jesus of Montreal' to illustrate how language proficiency affects cultural experience. Additionally, the speaker highlights the cognitive benefits of bilingualism, such as reduced risk of dementia and improved multitasking abilities. They also emphasize the enjoyment and fun of learning languages, describing the pleasure of mastering different linguistic structures and sounds. The speaker concludes by encouraging self-teaching of languages, citing the convenience and resources available today, such as language learning software, and the enriching experience it can provide.

Keywords

💡Universal Language

A universal language refers to a language that is understood and used widely across the world, often for communication between people of different linguistic backgrounds. In the video, English is described as the emerging universal language, being the language of the internet, finance, air traffic control, and more, illustrating its global dominance and relevance to the video's theme of language's role in society.

💡Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese is a language spoken by a large number of people, primarily in China. The script mentions it as a point of comparison to English, noting that despite Mandarin being spoken by more people globally, the trend of Chinese people learning English is more prevalent than the reverse, highlighting the influence and spread of English.

💡Cultural Imbibement

Cultural imbibement refers to the process of absorbing and becoming part of a culture. The video emphasizes the importance of learning a language to truly imbibe a culture, suggesting that language is a key to understanding and participating in the cultural nuances that may not be accessible otherwise.

💡Dementia

Dementia is a term used to describe a decline in cognitive ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. The script suggests that speaking two languages can reduce the likelihood of dementia, indicating the cognitive benefits of bilingualism and its relevance to the video's discussion on the advantages of learning languages.

💡Multilingualism

Multilingualism is the ability to speak multiple languages. The video posits that being bilingual or multilingual can enhance one's cognitive abilities, such as multitasking, and is generally beneficial for mental health, thus advocating for the learning of languages beyond one's native tongue.

💡Language Fun

Language fun refers to the enjoyment and pleasure derived from learning and using languages. The video script emphasizes the joy of learning languages, using examples like the playful sounds and structures in Arabic and柬埔寨语 (Note: The original transcript seems to have a placeholder or error here; I've translated 'Cambodian' to '柬埔寨语') to illustrate the aesthetic and sensory pleasure that comes from engaging with different languages.

💡Whorfian Hypothesis

The Whorfian Hypothesis, also known as linguistic relativity, posits that the structure of a language affects its speakers' cognition and perception. The video discusses this concept by suggesting that language can shape thought, but it does so in subtle ways rather than fundamentally altering one's worldview, which is a central argument in the discussion about the impact of language on thought.

💡Instant Translation

Instant translation refers to the real-time conversion of one language into another, often facilitated by technology. The video mentions the advancement of instant translation as a factor contributing to the potential reduction in the number of spoken languages, as it may diminish the perceived need to learn multiple languages for communication.

💡Language Extinction

Language extinction is the phenomenon where a language ceases to be spoken and dies out. The script predicts a significant reduction in the number of spoken languages by the end of the century, emphasizing the importance of language preservation and the cultural loss associated with language extinction.

💡Bilingualism

Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages fluently. The video script highlights the cognitive and health benefits of bilingualism, such as reduced risk of dementia and improved multitasking abilities, which are important considerations in the argument for learning additional languages.

💡Language Learning Tools

Language learning tools refer to resources and technologies that facilitate the learning of languages. The video mentions modern tools like Rosetta Stone and Glossika, which allow for self-guided language learning at any time and in a comfortable environment, underscoring the ease and accessibility of language learning in contemporary times.

Highlights

English is becoming the world's universal language in various fields such as the internet, finance, air traffic control, popular music, and diplomacy.

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people globally, but more Chinese are learning English than vice versa.

There are over two dozen universities in China teaching courses entirely in English.

It's predicted that by the end of the century, the number of spoken languages will drastically reduce from around 6,000 to just a few hundred.

Instant translation of live speech is not only possible but improving annually.

The question arises: Why learn foreign languages when English is becoming universal?

The idea that language channels thoughts is a dangerous oversimplification.

Language can influence thought in subtle ways, such as gender associations with nouns.

The concept that language shapes a unified worldview is flawed, as evidenced by diverse English speakers like Bono, Donald Trump, and Kim Kardashian.

Learning a language is crucial for fully immersing in and understanding a culture.

The film 'Jesus of Montreal' illustrates how language can affect the perception of characters and their culture.

Learning languages can provide health benefits such as delayed onset of dementia and improved multitasking abilities.

Languages offer enjoyment and fun through their unique phonetics and structures.

Learning a new language is easier than ever with modern tools like Rosetta Stone and Glossika.

The current era provides unprecedented access to language learning resources, making self-teaching more feasible.

Learning languages can be a mind-blowing experience despite not necessarily changing one's fundamental thought process.

Transcripts

The language I'm speaking right now

is on its way to becoming the world's universal language,

for better or for worse.

Let's face it,

it's the language of the internet,

it's the language of finance,

it's the language of air traffic control,

of popular music,

diplomacy --

English is everywhere.

Now, Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more people,

but more Chinese people are learning English

than English speakers are learning Chinese.

Last I heard,

there are two dozen universities in China right now

teaching all in English.

English is taking over.

And in addition to that,

it's been predicted that at the end of the century

almost all of the languages that exist now --

there are about 6,000 --

will no longer be spoken.

There will only be some hundreds left.

And on top of that,

it's at the point where instant translation of live speech

is not only possible, but it gets better every year.

The reason I'm reciting those things to you

is because I can tell that we're getting to the point

where a question is going to start being asked,

which is: Why should we learn foreign languages --

other than if English happens to be foreign to one?

Why bother to learn another one when it's getting to the point

where almost everybody in the world will be able to communicate in one?

I think there are a lot of reasons,

but I first want to address

the one that you're probably most likely to have heard of,

because actually it's more dangerous than you might think.

And that is the idea

that a language channels your thoughts,

that the vocabulary and the grammar of different languages

gives everybody a different kind of acid trip,

so to speak.

That is a marvelously enticing idea,

but it's kind of fraught.

So it's not that it's untrue completely.

So for example, in French and Spanish

the word for table is, for some reason, marked as feminine.

So, "la table," "la mesa," you just have to deal with it.

It has been shown

that if you are a speaker of one of those languages

and you happen to be asked

how you would imagine a table talking,

then much more often than could possibly be an accident,

a French or a Spanish speaker

says that the table would talk with a high and feminine voice.

So if you're French or Spanish, to you, a table is kind of a girl,

as opposed to if you are an English speaker.

It's hard not to love data like that,

and many people will tell you that that means

that there's a worldview that you have if you speak one of those languages.

But you have to watch out,

because imagine if somebody put us under the microscope,

the us being those of us who speak English natively.

What is the worldview from English?

So for example, let's take an English speaker.

Up on the screen, that is Bono.

He speaks English.

I presume he has a worldview.

Now, that is Donald Trump.

In his way,

he speaks English as well.

(Laughter)

And here is Ms. Kardashian,

and she is an English speaker, too.

So here are three speakers of the English language.

What worldview do those three people have in common?

What worldview is shaped through the English language that unites them?

It's a highly fraught concept.

And so gradual consensus is becoming that language can shape thought,

but it tends to be in rather darling, obscure psychological flutters.

It's not a matter of giving you a different pair of glasses on the world.

Now, if that's the case,

then why learn languages?

If it isn't going to change the way you think,

what would the other reasons be?

There are some.

One of them is that if you want to imbibe a culture,

if you want to drink it in, if you want to become part of it,

then whether or not the language channels the culture --

and that seems doubtful --

if you want to imbibe the culture,

you have to control to some degree

the language that the culture happens to be conducted in.

There's no other way.

There's an interesting illustration of this.

I have to go slightly obscure, but really you should seek it out.

There's a movie by the Canadian film director Denys Arcand --

read out in English on the page, "Dennis Ar-cand,"

if you want to look him up.

He did a film called "Jesus of Montreal."

And many of the characters

are vibrant, funny, passionate, interesting French-Canadian,

French-speaking women.

There's one scene closest to the end,

where they have to take a friend to an Anglophone hospital.

In the hospital, they have to speak English.

Now, they speak English but it's not their native language,

they'd rather not speak English.

And they speak it more slowly,

they have accents, they're not idiomatic.

Suddenly these characters that you've fallen in love with

become husks of themselves, they're shadows of themselves.

To go into a culture

and to only ever process people through that kind of skrim curtain

is to never truly get the culture.

And so to the extent that hundreds of languages will be left,

one reason to learn them

is because they are tickets to being able to participate

in the culture of the people who speak them,

just by virtue of the fact that it is their code.

So that's one reason.

Second reason:

it's been shown

that if you speak two languages, dementia is less likely to set in,

and that you are probably a better multitasker.

And these are factors that set in early,

and so that ought to give you some sense

of when to give junior or juniorette lessons in another language.

Bilingualism is healthy.

And then, third --

languages are just an awful lot of fun.

Much more fun than we're often told.

So for example, Arabic: "kataba," he wrote,

"yaktubu," he writes, she writes.

"Uktub," write, in the imperative.

What do those things have in common?

All those things have in common

the consonants sitting in the middle like pillars.

They stay still,

and the vowels dance around the consonants.

Who wouldn't want to roll that around in their mouths?

You can get that from Hebrew,

you can get that from Ethiopia's main language, Amharic.

That's fun.

Or languages have different word orders.

Learning how to speak with different word order

is like driving on the different side of a street if you go to certain country,

or the feeling that you get when you put Witch Hazel around your eyes

and you feel the tingle.

A language can do that to you.

So for example,

"The Cat in the Hat Comes Back,"

a book that I'm sure we all often return to,

like "Moby Dick."

One phrase in it is, "Do you know where I found him?

Do you know where he was? He was eating cake in the tub,

Yes he was!"

Fine. Now, if you learn that in Mandarin Chinese,

then you have to master,

"You can know, I did where him find?

He was tub inside gorging cake,

No mistake gorging chewing!"

That just feels good.

Imagine being able to do that for years and years at a time.

Or, have you ever learned any Cambodian?

Me either, but if I did,

I would get to roll around in my mouth not some baker's dozen of vowels

like English has,

but a good 30 different vowels

scooching and oozing around in the Cambodian mouth

like bees in a hive.

That is what a language can get you.

And more to the point,

we live in an era when it's never been easier to teach yourself another language.

It used to be that you had to go to a classroom,

and there would be some diligent teacher --

some genius teacher in there --

but that person was only in there at certain times

and you had to go then,

and then was not most times.

You had to go to class.

If you didn't have that, you had something called a record.

I cut my teeth on those.

There was only so much data on a record,

or a cassette,

or even that antique object known as a CD.

Other than that you had books that didn't work,

that's just the way it was.

Today you can lay down --

lie on your living room floor,

sipping bourbon,

and teach yourself any language that you want to

with wonderful sets such as Rosetta Stone.

I highly recommend the lesser known Glossika as well.

You can do it any time,

therefore you can do it more and better.

You can give yourself your morning pleasures in various languages.

I take some "Dilbert" in various languages every single morning;

it can increase your skills.

Couldn't have done it 20 years ago

when the idea of having any language you wanted

in your pocket,

coming from your phone,

would have sounded like science fiction to very sophisticated people.

So I highly recommend

that you teach yourself languages other than the one that I'm speaking,

because there's never been a better time to do it.

It's an awful lot of fun.

It won't change your mind,

but it will most certainly blow your mind.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)