It's important to learn spanish!
* 559 million people around the world speak Spanish, according to the June 2015 study by the Instituto Cervantes. Of these 470 are native speakers.
* Spanish is the official language in 21 countries. (This doesn't include the USA where it is spoken by millions.) Check out the map on this page!
* The USA is where the world's 2nd largest Spanish-speaking population lives! Mexico is first, and in 2015 the USA edged past Spain for second place. (That means that 41 million Americans are native Spanish speakers. Plus, by 2050 it's estimated that the USA will have the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.)
* After English Spanish is the language most used for business!
* In Forbes’ top billionaires, usually 2 of the top 3 are native Spanish-speakers—one from Spain and the other from Mexico.
* After Chinese SPANISH is the world’s most common native language.
* Spanish is the native language in 21 countries around the world.
* Spanish is the 3rd-most used language on the Web.
* Around the world 21 million students are studying Spanish. (It is the second most studied language in the world.) (At the university level in the USA at the number of students taking Spanish is more than the total of students taking all other languages combined.)
* 70% of U.S. foreign language students in the USA study Spanish.
* There are more bilingual people in the world than there are people who speak one language. (Just think: In Brooklyn, NY, 47% of residents speak a second language at home!)
These all are eye-popping statistics. But if you're a visual kind of person who thinks that "a picture is worth a thousand words," then take a look at these maps:
* Spanish is the official language in 21 countries. (This doesn't include the USA where it is spoken by millions.) Check out the map on this page!
* The USA is where the world's 2nd largest Spanish-speaking population lives! Mexico is first, and in 2015 the USA edged past Spain for second place. (That means that 41 million Americans are native Spanish speakers. Plus, by 2050 it's estimated that the USA will have the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.)
* After English Spanish is the language most used for business!
* In Forbes’ top billionaires, usually 2 of the top 3 are native Spanish-speakers—one from Spain and the other from Mexico.
* After Chinese SPANISH is the world’s most common native language.
* Spanish is the native language in 21 countries around the world.
* Spanish is the 3rd-most used language on the Web.
* Around the world 21 million students are studying Spanish. (It is the second most studied language in the world.) (At the university level in the USA at the number of students taking Spanish is more than the total of students taking all other languages combined.)
* 70% of U.S. foreign language students in the USA study Spanish.
* There are more bilingual people in the world than there are people who speak one language. (Just think: In Brooklyn, NY, 47% of residents speak a second language at home!)
These all are eye-popping statistics. But if you're a visual kind of person who thinks that "a picture is worth a thousand words," then take a look at these maps:
being bilingual makes you smarter
According to the New York Times, research says that bilinguals are smarter:
SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.
For the full text of the article, click here.
In addition, according to Middlebury College, here are five more reasons bilinguals are smarter:
SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.
For the full text of the article, click here.
In addition, according to Middlebury College, here are five more reasons bilinguals are smarter:
- Students who study a world language for just one year score an average of 38 points higher on the SATs. (Even cooler: Students who took four years of a world language showed scores that were more than a hundred points higher on average.)
- Do you ever find it hard to do two things at once? The National Institutes of Healthdiscovered that people who speak more than one language are much better at multitasking, which means walking on your hands while chewing gum should be a breeze.
- People who know two languages are nicer. 2012: The year that researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that people who know two languages are nicer. According to the research, bilingual folks are better able to tolerate differences and find solutions to conflict.
- Eight hundred thirty-five 11-year-olds were tested on their cognitive ability in Scotland in 1947. Between 2008 and 2010, those same people were retested when they were in their seventies. Of the 835 case studies, 260 knew at least two languages. Those 260 people tested significantly higher in cognitive function than their solely English-speaking peers.
What happens in your brain when you flip between languages?
Published in Newsweek, 9/10/18, researchers report on what mechanisms in the brain allow for bilingual people to switch effortlessly between languages. They say, "while those who swap between languages may make it seem easy, it is in fact 'a remarkably complicated process that involves the successful coordination of two independent language systems.'" To read all about it: Click here.
WHAT DOES RESEARCH SHOW ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF LANGUAGE LEARNING?
Don't take Sra. Bozzone's word about the myriad benefits of language learning. See what science says! Click here.
Why learn another language?
According to a poster developed by Middlebury College:
Why learn another language? Because...
Why learn another language? Because...
- It can raise your grades in other subjects.
- You’ve always wanted to be an international spy, right?
- Your future best friend may speak it.
- It can help you conquer those bubble tests.
- It makes you more creative.
- It’s good for your brain.
- It can help you get into your dream college.
- It can help you land an awesome job.
- The bigger your world is, the bigger your heart.
bilingual = More creative
Middlebury College also offers five reasons why bilinguals are more creative:
- People who know more than one language are better able to utilize a distinct area of the brain called Broca’s area. As infinite connections between words and languages are made in the brain, these thinkers are able to better think creatively and abstractly.
- 1,596,234: The number of people who tuned in to the TedTalk by linguist Patricia Kuhlas she explained how bilingualism helped babies as young as six months old make use of sophisticated creative reasoning.
- Did you know that in Japanese, there are two words for the color blue? (One refers to lighter shades of blue and the other refers to darker ones.) Because different languages vary so much in vocabulary, people who speak two languages are able to perceive things like color differently.
- A group of 60 bilingual students were studied alongside 60 of their one-language-speaking peers. The researchers found a noticeable difference in the level of detail and richness in descriptions by the bilingual student—proof that they think more colorfully.
- Bilingual children showed a statistically significant increase in mathematical creativity(that’s code for thinking outside of the box) as early as 45.4 months. That’s less than four years old.
IT's a must!
"Whether one pursues a career in teaching, health care, international business, diplomacy, social services, law enforcement, or other endeavors, the ability to communicate proficiently in a language other than English is no longer a luxury--it is a necessity," according to the Foreign Language Annals (Vol. 47, No. 3, Fall '14, page 540). In the same issue on page 535, it's reiterated that teachers should use the target language 90% of the time in the classroom.
Also, according to Russell Berman--Stanford University professor and former Modern Languages Association president, in college "one of the best choices you can make..is the decision to learn a foreign language, whatever your major...Knowledge of another language can pave the way for advanced study in a wide range of fields and give you a chance to build the kinds of expertise that someone with out those language abilities would not be able to master."
Also, according to Russell Berman--Stanford University professor and former Modern Languages Association president, in college "one of the best choices you can make..is the decision to learn a foreign language, whatever your major...Knowledge of another language can pave the way for advanced study in a wide range of fields and give you a chance to build the kinds of expertise that someone with out those language abilities would not be able to master."
built-in exercise for the brain
Learning another language keeps your mind sharp, no matter your age, says a study from Northwestern University published in the journal "Brain and Language." In addition it affirms that "speaking more than one language constantly exercises the brain and makes it more prepared to take on other brain-challenging tasks." For more, click here.
See the world differently
Speaking a second language may change how you see the world - and your thinking can be more flexible. according to a new study. For example, what do you see in this photo? English speakers see this image differently than German-speakers. Bilinguals can see if from both perspectives. It's a fascinating concept, but hard to explain. You can read more about the study by clicking here.
make your brain bigger
Learning a foreign language can increase the size of your brain, this according to a recent study. Yes, and also according to this study, "We know that people who speak more than one language fluently have better memories and are move cognitively creative and mentally flexible than monolinguals." For more, click here.
Language learning boosts brain plasticity and ability to code new information
The more languages you know, the more connections your brain makes! Researchers studying the human brain and language acquisition have found that the more foreign languages a person learns, the faster the brain responds and processes the information it absorbs. Researchers from Russia and Finland used electroencephalography as part of the study. Published in Medical News Today, September 5 2016: Click here.
bilingual brains have better attention and focus
Bilingual is better, yet another study finds. (Published in journal "Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, September 9, 2016) Yes, scientists have found another incentive for you to make the most of your Spanish class with Señora Bozzone. According to researchers knowing more than one language can help boost our powers of attention and focus. Check out the summary. Click here.
HOW TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE: 7 TIPS FROM TED TRANSLATORS
Knowing more than one language is great for your brain. But what’s the best way to learn? TED’s Open Translation Project volunteers share tips. Below are a few. For the complete list, click here.
1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar.
2. Let technology help you out. A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away.
3. Do not worry about making mistakes. One of the most common barriers to conversing in a new language is the fear of making mistakes.
1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed. Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar.
2. Let technology help you out. A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away.
3. Do not worry about making mistakes. One of the most common barriers to conversing in a new language is the fear of making mistakes.
The power of the bilingual brain
" A bilingual brain is not necessarily a smarter brain, but it is proving to be a more flexible, more resourceful one. In a polyglot world, that's a lesson that a largely monoglot country like the U.S. ignores at its peril. 'Monolingualism,' says Gregg Roberts, a language-immersion specialist with the Utah state office of education, "is the illiteracy of the 21st century."
For more from this 2013 Time Inc. article, click here.
For more from this 2013 Time Inc. article, click here.
Are you frustrated in spanish class? don't give up!
If you know more than one language now--or are learning one in school, don't give it up! Research gives you plenty of reasons to keep at it. Click here.
Bilinguals may perceive time differently
"Unlike Hollywood, we're not claiming that bilinguals can see into the future," says the author of a recent study about the brain, bilinguals and time, " but learning a language really does rewire the brain." He adds, "Mentally going back and forth between different languages and ways of understanding time is actually brain training. You are sending your brain to the gym." To read more, click here.