On Learning a Foreign Language

Renaissance education hinged upon the learning of Latin. Latin was not only the mark of an educated man, but the common medium for exchange of ideas all across Europe. From the earlier Scholastics all the way through the Elizabethans and on into the early 20th century, Latin was the language of knowledge. It was more than just a medium of communication, it shaped how men thought, spoke, and wrote. Even Sir Francis Bacon, writing in English, translated "The Advancement of Learning" and the "Novum Organum" into Latin, assuming that they would endure longer in that tongue.

While there is no common world-wide language (despite attempts such as Esperanto and Loglan), many of the advantages that once came from knowing Latin can still be obtained by learning a language other than the one you were born speaking.

Language does more than let us talk to our friends and family. It moulds, shapes, and determines the thoughts in our heads and therefore, the way we view the world. Learning a foreign language gives us another viewpoint, changing the patterns of our thoughts. Just as we say “a cup of coffee" in English, Chinese has “measure words” which are specific to each noun and are used every time that noun is counted. Roads, rivers, snakes, cucumbers, belts and eels all use the same measure word; a grouping that shows connections that may not be obvious to the speaker of another language.

Furthermore, learning a foreign language shows us the advantages and limits of our own. Some concepts can’t be properly translated, such as gezellig, sprezzatura, or guanxi. Equally, some of the words we imbibed with our mother’s milk can’t be translated into other languages. The endless use of borrow- and loan-words between languages gives ample evidence that some concepts are not universal; but by speaking a foreign language we become aware of them. This ability to see the world in a different way carries over into our daily lives. To those who speak a foreign language, the world seems larger than it did before; and like bees, they see shades and nuances and colors to which others are blind.

But learning another language does more than allow us to play with new concepts and ideas; it allows us to communicate with other human beings. We become able to hear the stories of their lives, their thoughts, their concerns; and in turn they can hear ours. Through this communication, both sides benefit. We learn our similarities and our differences; which ones are basic (and perhaps irreconcilable) and which are minor or stylistic. We learn the reasons behind customs and holidays; the morals and attitudes of others cultures.

And being a frozen conversation between the reader and writer, literature is also a valuable window on our fellow man. A translated book may reach a far greater audience, have a greater effect, promote more understanding than any single conversation ever could.

For writers, knowing another language gives access to other forms and styles of literature that can be carried back and adapted to our native tongue. Haiku, for example, is now practiced and enjoyed in lands and tongues far from that of its birth. The literature of the world is full of buried treasures, needing only someone who can read to map for them to be brought out into the light. These once-hidden gems enrich both he who finds them and the world at large.

Finally, speaking another language makes us an ornament to our native land. Anyone who has lived more than a decade or two has encountered a lost tourist or immigrant (often someone rich in years) who doesn’t speak our language well. Helping (and being able to help) a person in difficulty is a deed that reflects well upon ourselves and our society and which may have consequences greater than simply explaining how to get to a nearby monument or grocery store--for today's tourist may be tomorrow's Prime Minister.

The men of the Renaissance were required to learn Latin; we have more choices these days. We have the opportunity to have broader horizons than even they did, but only if we set forth on the sea of learning a foreign language.