Language for the Sake of Language

Foreign language acquisition not as a means to an end

Among some of the most common reasons for learning a foreign language are travel abroad, work requirements, or simply to communicate with loved ones of a different mother tongue. I can even recall during my undergraduate studies when my foreign language classmates had a greater focus in healthcare, law, or international business. This was clearly a marketable skill that would advance them in their respective career paths. But me? I just liked the languages. 

Don’t get me wrong, I personally think that these are all noble reasons for studying languages. Language study takes consistent time, effort, and patience in order to reach a proficiency level that is employable with native speakers. What is little discussed, however, is the merit in language acquisition without another end goal. In other words, what about learning a language for the benefit of simply knowing another language?

Regardless of whether or not you subscribe to the philosophy of “knowledge for knowledge’s sake”, language is undeniably unique in its connection to how we think about everything else. What is that voice in your head saying as you work through a problem? How does the language you use organize your feelings in excited states? What are the words that you connect to other people or places? These subconscious, omnipresent thought expressions are a very powerful reflection of our experiences. Language is something that is absorbed, refined, and can be learned anew. 

Language is the underlying fabric by which we interact with the world and others, and I believe monolingualism is a barrier to experiencing all that we can come to know. “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world” said the great philosopher of language Wittgenstein. And just maybe he was right. Studying a foreign language is not just an effort toward navigating the railway system or ordering lunch at a local restaurant. Whether you realize it or not, having access to different languages is having unique access to cultures, ideas, and perceptions of the world. 

So if you’re feeling fernweh (German) to explore new places, or if your last meal could only be perfectly described as lagom (Swedish), take a moment to reconsider the true value in knowing another language… or two.