(opinion article)

Most people understand that without knowledge of foreign languages it is difficult to survive in the modern world. Therefore, they send their children to schools where they can study two or even three foreign languages. However, is it good to study several languages simultaneously? On the one hand, foreign languages are the main part of our culture, so they help us to expand our outlook. We cannot broaden our minds if we see the world only from the perspective of our own culture. In addition, learning languages is a good exercise for the intellect. Moreover, if pupils know at least one foreign language, they learn new languages much faster. On the other hand, many pupils find it confusing to learn two or three languages at a time, especially languages that are similar, because children usually mix up lots of words. Besides, some languages are tricky enough to learn. For example, in English there are more exceptions than rules. In this case, children can be overloaded with homework. More than that, some pupils do not know their native language well and learning several foreign languages could prevent them from mastering their own language.

We asked one of the parents about their attitude towards learning several foreign languages:

“Hello. We see that at the present time one foreign language is not enough and schools are introducing the second. How do you feel about this and do you agree?”

“Good afternoon. As a mother, I feel sorry for my children because this is a big burden on them. But if you look at it in perspective, then learning several foreign languages ​​is a huge advantage in adulthood. It seems to me you can make such sacrifices.”

“What is your second language?”

“We chose German because there are relatives in Germany and my boy has already learnt it a little.”

In conclusion, I want to say that learning languages is extremely beneficial and I would like to know different foreign languages. However, I believe children should not learn too many languages at the same time, so as not to get confused. They ought to get a solid base in one language before they start learning a new one.

Alors, parlez vous…Deutch Sprache? Addio…