Throughout the world, there are many different languages. While the US doesn’t have a set language, the majority of people speak and read English. But what about the other languages that are spoken in this school? That’s what I strived to find out.

    Senior, Ridvan Tshibambe, told us that she spoke French and mainly uses that at home with her family.When asked if she had any interest in learning another language, she responded with Italian, saying that she admires how fancy it sounds and its similarity to Latin which is the base language for a lot of newer languages. Following up, I asked if there were any difficulties with the two languages. “The pronunciation is very different between French and English.” Even so, she said that she occasionally mixes up the two languages.

    Senior, Anna Vincze, told us that they can speak Hungarian fluently, being from Hungary, and can speak Spanish conversationally. They usually speak English, but speak Hungarian to their family. They enjoy learning Spanish due to how widespread the language is and how many people in school speak Spanish. 

    Vincze said that it’s a lot harder to pick up a new language later rather than sooner. Though they said that it was worth it due to gaining an appreciation for the culture surrounding the language and how it differs from other languages.

   There are many languages in the world, many coming from the language Latin, though not many people speak it anymore, is still useful due to how there are many similarities there are. By learning one language, it becomes easy to see similarities with others, French and Spanish with their Feminine and Masculine forms, Japanese and Chinese sharing the same characters, and many more that you can see by learning.

    Many researchers have seen a link between people who are bilingual and active brain usage. The U.S. Department of Education has released a pdf detailing some of the benefits of learning multiple languages, stating, having an easier time understanding math concepts, developing strong thinking skills, making decisions, remembering, and learning other languages. People who are bilingual also have a connection with other bilingual people; even if they don’t share a language, they can still communicate and understand each other, and share stories about their experiences.

    Now there are a lot of different languages spoken throughout the world, even a lot just in America. We are very lucky to have the opportunity to learn either Spanish or French in our school. Not only that, but in this day and age, we have easy access to other cultures and languages. We can use apps such as Duolingo, Lingo Deer, Memrise, YouTube channels, and tons of others that give excellent lessons to learn all sorts of different languages.