Being Bilingual

I thought I would talk about some positive stuff today (not to mention that the topic fills me with pride about my own children). According to an ABC news article (http://news.yahoo.com/study-bilinguals-faster-brains-120105403--abc-news-health.html), “Speaking two languages can actually help offset some effects of aging on the brain”.

The excuses I often hear from people about not learning a second language are things like:

·         “I do not have an ear for languages”

·         “I am too old”

·         “It is too difficult”

·         “when am I ever going to use it”

These excuses are the type of excuses we hear from our students when we are trying to teach them!

Learning another language has so many other benefits such as learning about another culture, and getting outside your comfort zone. It is never too late to attempt to learn a language at the very least: so why don’t we as adults make more of an effort to do so in this country? If you are living overseas, you have absolutely no excuse not to learn! It is a great example for our kids, and it really will do us no harm.

Therefore, my sermon for today is if you do not speak a new language, make an effort to learn one, and if you already speak more than one, learn another.

Learning should never stop correct?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam