Obviously, the major advantage of knowing more than one language is that, well, you can communicate in more than one language! However, bilingualism brings a host of added benefits. In fact, learning a second language actually changes your brain! While it is quite common for native English speakers to know only their native tongue, since it’s often all they need, the vast majority of people actually speak more than one language. By some estimates, 75% of the world population speaks at least two. In South Africa for example, there are eleven official languages! Almost everyone there can speak English, the common language, as well as their own “home” language. In fact, English is only the fourth most popular language at home in South Africa. But how does multilingualism benefit us, apart from the obvious? Well, it has been proven to foster better general academic performance, boost creativity, and it allows us to socialize with a more diverse range of people, while it can also boost our psychological confidence! On top of this, research is beginning to show that knowing two or more languages actually changes the makeup of our brain, and can protect it in the long term: Doctors are learning that bilingualism and multilingualism are linked to faster recovery from strokes, while it can also delay the onset of dementia.
