A new language teaches you culture, and often the experience of learning a language does change one's personality enough to be quite noticeable... I have different personalities in both my native languages. I've seen more than a few outspoken Americans live in Japan for a few years and come back speaking softer, more pleasant (my personal opinion) English... at times, learning another language teaches you concepts you've never thought about in your own language; therefore, making you realize your ignorance. In turn, you become a little more humble and open-minded. Learning a language does change how one sees and feels the world.
Agreed, though it’s not the language per se i.e. words and grammar. It’s the culture i.e. the way of behaving and looking at the world of the people who speak that language. I also find that the word is no longer the object, rather it is just a symbolic representation of the object. Thus words become tools, and my attitude to my own language changes.
My native language is Spanish, and took me a lot of time to be good at English. I can understand how hard can be to learn a new language, but also I know how wonderful is to become a bilingual person. The feelings you have when you are finally understanding and speaking another language are great. All the time I spent studying English was worth. Also, I'd like to learn French, Japanese, and Korean.
Carolina Mariana Vargas , as a native Spanish speaker, I can understand your feelings when we're learning a new language, mostly English. It's a new and different key to open a door where it would be something like the land of Alice (...in the wonderland).
I'm Korean, and I learn English to speaking in English. I read English newspaper and see CNN news before I sleep. And from now on, ted is great for speaking in English. because I can listen to the English, and learn something from many people in ted. TED is so great program that I see for twelve years(I'm twelve years old)
Speak to someone in their second language and you speak to their brain, speak to them in their mother tongue and you speak to their heart Édit: this was 3 years ago and I had forgotten about this comment, but yes, these are not my words and it is not a correct quote. My guess is that at the time I remembered it vaguely and thought the sentiment fit with the video.
Video Summary: Learn a new language because: 1. Everyone is learning english so if we don't learn a new language they will all but disappear 2. helps to prevent dementia 3. makes you a good multi-tasker 4. it's fun end
Finally the first comment in 100 that's not saying "i know languages x y and z and am enjoying the 4th one hahaha its so much fun". Thanks :P I didn't feel like watching the video, just wanted to see his 4 reasons.
I thought that the first one was the ability to participate in others culture. But thank you for helping me to figure out the fourth reason because I kinda lost tract.
josh mcgee so you would rather take someone else's summary which actually is wrong rather than spend 5 mins on a video that deals with quite an interesting issue in world affairs and make your own mind up.
Ryan your summary is not an accurate summary. Do you do such summaries of all videos you watch? I can see the point of summarising a 2 hour video but a 10 min one? Are people so pushed for time they can't watch a 10 min video all the way through? Most Ted talks are 18 mins so this one is short and succinct. This talk in my view is one of the best Ted talks I have seen in a long while. Most Ted talks are statements of the bloody obvious by people who want to say they have done one on their CV. I just think you picked the wrong target on this occasion.
I see many people stating the number of languages they speak. I always find those statements somewhat difficult or misleading, because it could mean several things. 1. You know a few sentences in 5 languages(doesn't count in any way, but I really have spoken people who thought it did) 2. You can survive if you had to live in an environment where you had to speak one of those languages on a day to day basis. (usually with bad grammar, sentence structure and accent, but could get your point across to others) 3. You can have a reasonable conversation in 5 languages. 4. You are fluent in them. If I take myself as an example: I am completely fluent in 2 languages, I am reasonably conversational in 1 and could survive in another 1. How many languages do I speak? When can you say you speak a language? Is that point 2 or point 3? I myself think it's 3, but I could be too strict. I am curious what others think.
Bram den Braber speaking a language in my point of view means to be able to pass a message and be understood, accents and gramma mistakes are just details, I mean; in my situation, I'm fluent in Portuguese coz it's my primary language and I also was educated in this language, but 10 years ago I moved to a Dutch speaking country so I learned Dutch and I speak it in my daily bases, I taught myself Spanish coz a lot of my weekly customers only speak Spanish, later I started speaking French too because it's so close to Portuguese and Spanish, that it just came naturally, And I speak English too. I think only you can determine whether you speak a language or not.
Bram den Braber Thank you for expressing my thoughts. Suddenly, i see everyone in the comments section claiming to be a polyglot. I am pretty much sure 95% of them speak two languages, their native one and English. Possibly are conversational in a third language, know how to say a couple of sentences, but that's all. It is not surprising at all, though. People like exaggerating and bragging out, a lot.
You do certainly pose an interesting question, one that I've briefly thought of an multiple occasions, and I think that I've come to my answer; I believe that you cannot approach this from a clear cutoff between each 'point", and that these things must be decided on a case-by-case basis by one's own self, but if I had to answer by your metrics then I suppose I'd say somewhere between 2 & 3 but a little closer to 3.
Even I'am spanish native speaker, I think that I could improve It very much. For me, speak a language it's not only to survive, rather than understand how people use it and what can offer.
Yeah me too.Creole is my mother tongue,and I learned French at school.I'm a french native speaker BTW.And after that,i took ESL classes for english and I speak,understand it as well. Now,i'm taking Spanish classes..which i'm intermediate and also German online,i just know something a little bit in German but I can understand it.I say this because I think you don't have to know 95% or 99,99% of a language to be a speaker.If people understand you and you understand others that means you are able to speak and convey information.
My favorite word in my second language, Portuguese, is “camaraoes,” the plural of “shrimp.” It sounds so beautiful! Having learned Portuguese, eventually passing my proficiency exam graded by a Yale University professor, has opened the doors to many friendships and cultural understanding. Most importantly, being in the right place at the right time, I was able to translate for two adopted Brazilian boys (formerly living on the streets in Brazil) who were being seriously abused in the home. The adoptive father ended up in prison for what he did. In the Police car, the lady Officer asked me to ask the boys what was the thing they liked best about living in the USA. The 9 year-old replied these haunting words: “in America, when someone beats us, there are people to make them stop.”
And he missed one of the primary reasons for being bilingual or more. It has been conclusively shown that it increases brain plasticity. And that has larger implications than just fighting dementia and Alzheimer's. It has implications for learning new things and being able to look outside of rigid mindsets. Math is a language for example. Chemistry is another one. And cultural languages gives you a bunch of new tools to interpret the world. They all do. I would argue that being multilingual makes you more able to tackle the worlds problems. Seeing more options.
I teach foreign language. I understand that there are “shortcuts” like translators and so forth. But learning a language extends your first one. Learning a language helps people better understand the struggles of someone learning English. Learning a language is a means of expression and a way to delve into a new culture.
Learning any new language has always been very useful. It gives you new job opportunities, one feels fulfilled , cultures and idioms are learned. Speaking English is already an official language in many parts of the world and allows you to communicate with different people
44 years old and I started learning German 2 weeks ago, as it's something I've been wanting to do for years, but keep putting it off. My goal is to be able to speak it fluently within a year's time. Wish me luck.
Learning a language at an older age is far more difficult than learning 2 languages as a child. I'm also on my journey with learning german. You just have to be very patient. Good luck!
@@velipyr "Learning a language at an older age is far more difficult than learning 2 languages as a child" it took me 2 years to learn a decent english at 46 years old. i'm beginning japanese right now. older =means more experience =more efficient. strongly disagree. My English learned in 2 years is much more sophisticated than my native French at the age of 2.
Why do you wish to be fluent in a year's time? Moreover, what does being fluent really mean? Wouldn't it be better to set more achievable goals? I want to be able to make myself understood in German, to communicate my thoughts in German, to understand the gist of German articles on the net and of the news on the radio or TV. Anyway, good luck with your learning German!
I am from Peru and I speak Spanish, for a few months I set myself the goal of being able to speak English fluently to meet professional goals, watching this video has completely changed my goal of learning this language and continuing to learn others too. I found the health benefits you can get from learning and speaking two or more languages very interesting. Finally, it also seemed so important to me that the fact of learning another language involves learning and understanding about the different cultures of other people. This is my favorite phrase from the video (The language channels the culture).
I learn languages because I enjoy meeting people and understanding their culture. Now on my eighth language - although it's been really difficult to get to this stage I've enjoyed every minute spent learning a new language (((:
Conversational fluency isn't that hard compared to a formal degree. Not trying to say it was easy for this guy but a lot of people are capable. you don't have to learn absolutely every rule, dialect and vocabulary.
Hello everyone! l would happily encourage you to learn Arabic. We , Arabs, have a famous proverb that says: if you learn a new language , you'll be safe from the deception of its speakers !
I really like the fact that the idea is shared that motivation is an important factor in being able to learn new languages every day, and that it also opens the doors to worlds that we did not know.
I genuiely can't explain enough how amazing it is to know more than one language! most of the time I just forget about it (and I'm sure almost every bilingual does) till you see someone's reaction WOAH! YOU SPEAK ENGLISH PRETTY WELL! it feels nice to have more than one source to get information, to explore a new culture, to understand almost everything without asking for help, also the confidence that comes with it. there's many many benefits of learning a new langauge.
@@AdoKaze making new friends from different countries. Watching movies and shows without subtitles. Reading their books without the need to wait for ages till someone translate their books. The fact that you understand native speakers without needing someone's help. You understand their memes. You understand the lyrics of a song that you used to listen to a long time ago. You dream in the target language (it's just happened once to me but I liked the experience). The fact that you understand their opinions and perspectives emotionality and logically better
This guy is one of my favorite linguists. I watched his entire video series on language and cognition and linguistics from the early 2000's. I highly recommend it though I don't remember the name.
I’m fluent in German and have a pretty high level of speaking English for my age (I’m 14) but I’m a native German speaker. I also learn Spanish, I’m not that good but I definitely wanna improve! Speaking different languages is SO fun. Simply just understanding and answering comments, or songs or understanding movies in English makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something😂
Nikita Pavlov i know it’s not the same for everyone, but in my case I was already fluent in English when I started with French, and they have such different roots that I never confused them. Also, because I wasn’t studying them at the same time in the same way. Because of my level of English, I was learning in a passive way, like speaking to people or watching tv (not even trying to study). But with French, it was active learning, more traditional studying because I knew nothing (so a lot of grammar and exercises, practicing a lot, etc...).
Nikita Pavlov the fourth one was tricky though. Because German seems like nothing I’ve ever learnt (French was similar to Spanish, so it was easier). So what I did (since German is a little bit more similar to english), was to learn it in English. So every time I had to translate something I didn’t understand, I did it to English. But it’s hard to maintain two languages that you still don’t speak or know fluently. Although not impossible :)
I started learning Esperanto about two weeks ago, and I'm enjoying it! Learning a new language is like opening a chest that contains a new perspective of reality, a new point of view. I'm definitely going to learn as much languages as possible.
What the Sr. mentions is very true, since English is the most indispensable language today, in every profession it is already very necessary; mainly if it is traveling, doing business, sales or in order to teach someone else.
I love learning languages! My native language is English, but I’m studying Spanish and I am working towards a minor in the language. I hope to learn Korean and many more languages in the future but for now I’m dedicated to learning Spanish and becoming more fluent. Being able to understand the Spanish that I do has already opened so many doors with me in terms of friendship, education, and simply being able to help people. I love it 🥰
In my case, since ever, one of my main characteristic is learning from other people. Each mind in each person is a universe and the only way for obtain all this information is through the comunication. If you want to expand your universe is vital to overcome code limitations. I definitely agree that "a new language changes the way you think". And is a change that results in constant evolution. Thank to my first travel for show me how important is, thank me for having a great desire to learn and finally thank to people with passion for teaching.
I´ve been following you for some time now and I absolutely like the way you present the language learning process. Your enthusiasm is so contagious! I recommend your videos to my students. Thank you for being such a great asset to the community of lifelong learners all over the world. :)
Dr. McWhorter is, in my opinion, the best linguistics teacher around. He is really interesting to listen to, and he can teach you a lot. Not only is there linguistic knowledge and expertise in what he says, but there is also wit and knowledge of what is going on in the world in general. I suggest that everyone purchase and read his many books, and also buy the 4 courses he offers as part of the Great Courses series of The Learning Company. You won’t be disappointed. This man has a lot to teach, and he does so with grace, charm and unbridled efficacy.
Even before I saw this lecture, I always thought I had to learn a language other than my native language. I also think that language is a means of communication and the best way to learn the culture of the country directly. I want to be good at English, but I don't think I can. Haha. In the past, my parents used to go to an academy to learn English, but I didn't understand it at that time. But now I feel that I have to learn, and after seeing this talk, I decided to learn a language again. I think the effect of learning a language is very great. Nowadays, it is worth as much as I think that language is important enough to become a qualification for a job. By learning the language, I think the effect of the language is great, not only the culture of the country, but also people's relationships, other jobs, and thinking of it as a spec. As it takes a long time to learn a language, I think I should definitely learn it. I am taking an English class at school. When I do it by myself, I can't do it well, but I hope I can get closer to English through this lesson.
great video 👍 just a small note: Aktubu أكتب = I write Yaktubu يكتب = he writes Taktubu تكتب = she writes/ you write (addresing a male) Yaktubun يكتبون = They write Taktubeen تكتبين = you write (adressing female) Taktuban تكتبان = you write (adressing two people) Taktuboon تكتبون = you write (adressing more than two males) Taktubna تكتبن = you write (addressing more than two females)
I’m from Chile and I love English language since I can remember. I was really annoying so my mom made me watch movies like “Grease” over and over in English and without subtitle (I was a 3 years old kid so I wasn’t able to read 😅); and my dad loves music so I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Madonna, The Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith, etc, etc. So when I was in school that language was always easy for me. It is everywhere. I think people want to learn it to have more job opportunities nowadays. For me is because I always loved it and made me fell in love with others languages and want to learn them because I want to experience what John said at the end: blow my mind.
I speak English as my native language. I'm fluent in French, having been born in Brussels and lived there for 18 years. I am native level in Spanish, because I have lived in Spain for 25 years and my wife is Spanish. I have self taught myself Polish, and I am now learning Japanese. Language learning is one of the best things a human being can do for himself. It's hard, it takes a lot of time, but if you enjoy the process it can be so much fun!
Why did you decide to learn Polish? Have you had the opportunity to speak Polish with Poles? What have you found the trickiest and easiest in learning Polish? Have you ever been to Poland?
@@Sufi7 Why do you ask? Czy jest Pan Polakiem? I chose Polish because I wanted a bit of a challenge, and as a Catholic I am very drawn to several Polish saints, such as Maximilian Kolbe and Faustina Kowalska. The hardest thing is probably the aspect of the verbs. It doesn't impede comprehension, but I know I'm unable to remember and choose the correct aspect of most verbs. I last went to Poland with my parents in 1994. It's probably changed a bit since then! I have spoken to some Polish people. I used to have a Polish teacher on Italki.
@@christopherfleming7505 Polką. 30 years have passed, so definitely it has. I just wondered why you had chosen Polish to spend your time on learning. Spanish and French are popular, even Japanese has many followers, but Polish is usually a rare choice provided you aren't a Ukrainian or Belarussian. I agree that Polish conjugation isn't easy to learn for non-natives. I suppose consonants clusters could cause some problems too.
i'm native in spanish particulary chilean spanish, a complex and rare derivation of spanish, with a lot of new words and new ways to speak them, different meaning for same word, depends the tone that you use when you speak can be a nice word or a word to start to fight. now i'm trying to learn new languajes, i can read and write in english (i think) but try to speak in a country where the people don't try to learn new languajes. it's dificult to put in practise and this is the principal problem to learn new languajes in LATAM for example. i think that the best way to test your skills is in a travel and live 24 hours using the languaje skills that your learned in this new languaje i think that it's give's you a lot of confidence and fluence in a short time. regards to all!
As I see it, learning a new language is quite difficult and so time consuming. I really admire people who master different languages and study them at the same time. In my case, I’m just looking for learning and improving my English. As John mentioned in this video, nowadays it is easier to learn anything thanks to internet. I think internet has given us the possibility to have limitless resources with just one click. So, it’s up to us taking advantage of these resources and applied them wisely to get the best out of them. I always wanted to learn English, but for different reasons I never had the discipline to do it. However, a year ago I promised myself to do it once and for all! I’m not going to lie; Learning English has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced. Even though it’s been overwhelming and frustrating, I’d say it has been extremely rewarding. I still have a long way to go, but I’m sure I’ll reach a good level of English. There are a lot of things I have to learn, but I am committed to do it.
I totally agree with the 4 reasons, especially with the culture one. I think that when you speak to people in them language, you can really connect with them and the interaction feels different in a possitive way. Spanish is my first language and I’m learning english for several years now. I thing it is not an easy path, but when I travel and have the opportunity to put it into practice, I feel that it's worth it because be able to comunicate, express our needs and feeling clearly is priceless. I would like to be fluent in english and then have the chance to learn another language.
my native language is portuguese so I love learn Korean and english languages so much and I finally found someone who understands how it is so good to learn a new language in the morning sitting on your couch and drinking a coffee
Last year, I saw one of John McWhorter's talks where he mentions the great new tools for learning languages. After putting off trying for decades, I got a language app on my phone and, as I write this, it tells me I have a 258 day streak going in French. My first goal is to be able to read the news on Le Monde and I can tell, it's going to happen if I stick with it. :)
In my opinion, one of the mainly reasons to learn English is related about the knowledge. If you want to take access to the best knowledge, you will need to learn English (whether you are not English speaker). In my personal case, learning English helped me to travel around the UK with no problems, wich is linked with the speaker idea to imbibe a culture. Furthermore I have written a paper, wich was published in an important journal, etc. My English is far away to be perfect, but every day I am trying to be better, and for me, taking access to the knowledge is my main motivation.
stunning!!!!! definitely one of the best talks I've ever heard. John said in the video that if you speak 2 lenguages dementia was less likely to set in, pretty interesting, I'm probably gonna be searching for more information abaut that. after whatching this video i end up seeing like 10 more related to this topic. I'm a native spanish speaker, and if i had never learned english, I'm sure i would have been five times less smarter than I am today, being able to speak english had led me to masive amounts of information (like this video) that if i had never known English, i wouldn't be able to understand. no wonder this video has been seen by 1.7 millions of people, its fantastic. thanks to the person who uploaded this to the internet.
I am Venezuelan, but I have lived in Santiago de Chile since 2017. I agree that technology helps in a good way to improve my level of English and improve people's lives. I use daily visual and auditory material on the Internet to improve my understanding of English and in the comfort of my home, which has led me to have job opportunities and conversations never thought of in the past by me.
I really liked your presentation since you are very right, English is a universal language which will open the doors to various types of situations, whether in work, education or daily life. In these times learning another language is no longer a thing of another world, it can be learned from home, with a cell phone or a laptop, it only requires will.
@@nekopushyo I have set a goal to learn 30 kanjis each week. 5 per day, and revision on Sunday😉. Yes, I'm still learning and Kanjis are fun (for me atleast)🤭
I speak Czech (native), English and currently learning Korean, Spanish and a little Mandarin through UA-cam or Memrise. I always get so excited when I'm watching something in one of those languages and understand something (once I heard someone say 갑시다 - gapsida - let's go and nearly fell of my bed 'cause I was so excited that I understood it haha)😁
Indeed a language is another way to know a culture because each language tells the story of what happens in the region in which that language is spoken since there are unique words in each culture so each language has its own phonetics and meaning giving life to foods, places, experiences, beliefs and experiences that only exist in that specific place.
I speak Cambodian and English. And what he said about Cambodian or Khmer sounds like a bubble bee is so true. We have the largest vowels and consonants of all the languages in the world, probably because we combined 3 roots of Pali, Sanskrit, and Ancient Khmer into 1 language we speak and write today. Learning English has shaped my outlook on the world outside my Cambodian mind too, and I feel privileged to be able to use it in my daily activities such as commenting on this video. In the future, I want to learn French as Cambodia has a history with the French. At least, 3 languages fluently before I die.
I love he mentioned Arabic, I'm looking forward to learning Spanish and Arabic at the same time, as my third language.. But learning a new language need a continuous courage and motivation to be a consistent learner until reaching fluency
@@dragox876 hi yeah... I'm progressing a lot... i have basics in Arabic since i learnt for 3 years in school so i was beginner then in one year, i studied by myself in around 2022 until i became intermediate and able to speak, i practiced a lot in free talking apps with natives, i did learned Levantine dialect a lil bit & rn I can pull off Arabic conversation naturally in like 66% and I'm looking forward to complete my Arabic fluency into advanced or even like Arabs (know dialects as well & able to converse in more natural & non formal accents & slang words).
I'm using: - the Korean Grammar for International Learners book, - a number of UA-cam Channels I'm sure you've heard/will hear of (TTMIK, Margarita's Weekly Korean Lessons, LearnKorean101.com etc), - I keep up with the tumblrs iwillbeapolyglot.tumblr.com (her Korean tag, but she has a wide range of other languages) and fromirelandtokorea.tumblr.com, - the Memrise "0-1000 Most Common Korean Words" course for vocabulary (it goes from 0 to 5000, and honestly I'm only through halfway this particular course and I'm able to get a general idea of, say, BTS tweets which are completely in Korean), - watching lots of variety shows (2D1N, Sister Slam Dunk, etc) and dramas on a weekly basis for oral comprehension. I try to stay away from historical because it's supposed to be a different speech style (but I mean it's hard - there are so many good ones). There's an incredibly wide variety of resources, a bit overwhelming at times if I'm honest, but if you go to the studyblr or langblr community on Tumblr you'll pretty much set to go. Good luck!
I agree with Mr. McWhorter in the first argument when he said that if you want to imbibe in some culture, if you really want to feel it, you have to control some degree of the language of that culture, because how will you learn about them if you can’t talk with them?. I think the culture is born from the interaction of someone with others and if you can't talk with others, the culture isn't being transmitted. And I liked when he said who learn a new language will have less probability to have dementia, and is true, my great-grandmother was having problem with his brain and her doctor told him to learn a new language can be a solution for her problem and during the time that she was learning german, she began to have better results in her exams. Very good ted’s talk
I agree with John. Learn different languages allows me to learn about other cultures, open my mind and keep my brain busy to avoid dementia. Learning other languages is a challenge that open doors to unknown worlds.
I love speaking English because I love traveling, and that's the main reason. I also think that English is the main business language, so in that way it's becoming not only a necessity but also a great tool if you want to improve your life!!
That is how I agree with you, and in the same way I feel that it is essential in any job since it offers us a better curriculum presentation for whatever side we go to apply for a job.
I like to listen to people, speak english, i always liked it but i have been difficult to learn it as i would like, it is a language that i will have doors and new horizons is a world language with which many countries have been able to communicate whether it is for doing business, comercio, friendship, love, etc., i think it is a really the most important language we can learn and teach our offspring.
certainly this language opens many doors and horizons, currently in most jobs they ask you for two languages, the mother tongue and some other learned. Therefore, if you have another language outside of yours, it is easier for them to give you the job and for them to give you greater facility to improve in your work. Likewise, it helps us to understand various sources, call it news, call it modern music, external factors, etc.
I think that English is very interesting and as the speaker said it can be fun too and not only that but it is a universal language and therefore it is a language that we all must learn, because that will open doors for us and it seems to me that The boy who is speaking is right in the part that he says it is easier for other speakers to learn English than for English speakers to speak another language, another thing that caught my attention was that with the passage of time some languages will disappear, But what if we have to do our best to learn a language other than the native one
I am native in Spanish, currently using technologies to improve my English. It’s been a long road since the first touch with this language, when I was six and the teacher taught to the class a song. The only chance to learn in the week: an hour and a half with 30 other kids. Later, I could realize that you can find a chance to learn everywhere; with an app of your cell phone, reading Mangas which are not translated, watching make up tutorials, imitating artists, etc. You can put interesting things for you like the centre of learning process.
Good luck in your learning English journey... My native language is Arabic and I have learned English and now I started learning Spanish a few months ago.. I have come to realize that every language on earth is still on our heads and brain, we are not learning them we are remembering them since they are already existed on our brains, it seems a strange idea but I think it is true
I'm teaching myself Arabic. And I speak Urdu and English with fluency! I learned French in school, but I'm basically forgetting it. But I want to learn Farsi and Turkish and so many other languages in this one, short lifetime...
Although English is one of the most relevant and popular languages among the thousands that exist of this time, it is not the only one that can enrich us. I totally agree with what Sr. McWhorter said, about how learned other languages helps increase our skills and if we wanted to imbibe and get fully involved a culture completely and be part of it, we need to learn it, and above all things, fun in our learning. At least, that is what I try to do while learning English.
My native language is Cantonese and the second one is Mandarin.I learn English in school for around 11 years and from now English is the main teaching language. Not only does it encourages me to change the language channel in order to use more English,but also useful to communicate with foreigners. Hopefully,I can learn a new language to explore more interesting ways about language. By the way, Ted Talk is a good media for me to enhance my listening skills and spoken language!!!
As for me, learning new languages can be a fantastic adventure. First, languages open up opportunities for jobs and travel. I've moved to Germany and - knowing German helped me get a good job! Second, learning a language helps us understand different cultures better. It's like discovering new worlds! Third, it makes us smarter by exercising our brains. I've felt my mind getting stronger as I've learned new words and grammar. Lastly, speaking another language is just plain fun! It feels amazing to connect with others in their native tongue. Personally, learning languages has been an exciting journey. It's brought me closer to people, allowed me to travel, and even improved my memory. I'd highly recommend giving it a try!
Learning another language helps us a lot to socialize with other people, likewise when we are given the opportunity to visit other places where they speak English we will understand what they are speaking to us. Likewise speaking English will give us many opportunities to improve ourselves.
You are very right because when we travel to other places we will have to use it to be able to communicate with others if they cannot speak our language
I agree with Mr. McWhorter about his reasons of what we leand a new language, specially about his second and third reasons that he said: " if you speak two languages, dementia is lees likely to set in, and that you are probably a better multitasker and languages are just an waful lot of fun" another type of great information as important as another type of subjects - such as the world of mathematics or the world of science - that serve us for the contiguous challenges we face, daily. An example would be, if we did not know how to face a conversation with people who do not speak our language - identify their gestures, their intentions -, we could not relate to them because it would make us the tool of language. Also, if we relate to other people, the person is happier and has fun. We MUST learn a new Language!!! by Francisca
I speak Spanish and English as a 2nd, now Im learning French and german, and it's amazing how also the languages are related to the way people behave.. As he says.. The culture, thats amazing.. And being able to pronounce french and german correctly its just so fun!!
Hi, I read your comment and I find it fascinating that you want to master several languages. Do you have any special method? I would also like to master the English language. Greetings 👋🏻
I am a native English speaker, but I'm fluent in Spanish as well. What I have learned is that Spanish natives open their hearts to me in a way that they may not if I did not speak their mother tongue. Language isn't primarily about information; it's primarily about relationships. Speaking someone's native language is like a pass into their culture. Translation software is already good for getting across facts and ideas (with occasional, amusing mix-ups) but I doubt that it will ever be able to open up a people-group to you the way that learning a new language does.
At school I really struggled with language (I was stuck in special ed until my teenage years, but the hard work paid off), I was trying to learn English and then forced to learn French (year 7 UK school) and later Spanish (year 9), it didn't sink in for me at that time in life. It took a lot of hard work and until I was at University to really master the English language, years on from there I am still improving my native tongue, but I've picked up bits of Spanish (enough to order a round of drinks), I wish I could pick up more and that it would come more naturally to me. May be one day I will have a grasp of another language.
English is amazing my friend. And as a native speaker, trust me when i say that not only does 95% of the USA population have absolutely no concrete grasp on the language, but English is incredibly hard for native speakers as well, in regards to grammar and syntax. Awesome! Good job!
Husnu Coban If nobody cares, why did you bother to comment? You clearly cared enough to first read it and then comment on it. You do realise that by commenting you disproved you're own argument, right?
MoishetheBeadle It is true English is a hard language to learn (by the way, English is my native tongue, I may be didn't make that clear). In England it is a similar story of native speakers not truly grasping the language.
I'm a Thai native speaker. When trying to speak English with international tourists for the first time, I found that I acutally was "a language lover". More importantly, since then, I have become a person who loves talking and exchanging opinions with people from different cultures. I also happened to learn Japanese and Spanish. Although I'm not fluent in these languages, I'm still glad that I once have had learnt them. ❤
Learning more languages has increased my brain power. It’s hard to explain how, but I can solve puzzles and things like that much easier. I was able to participate in Hispanic culture. Also, my mother has dementia and Alzheimer’s
This is a great video, because give reasons more different than the typical reason which an could answer when other people ask us about “What is the reason to learn a new language?”, for example My friend said “I was learning a new language, because I could have more opportunities from job”. It is True, but John McWhorter who is a linguistic teacher told us that learn a new language channeled your throughts, So I think in the journey to learn a new language you must change to way as your brain is doing the setences and use the grammar, I believe learn a new language is a excellent exercise to your brain and have a lot of benefit, I have never thinked that other benefit is learn about the culture of other countries.
Sina Allen .. that's great, what the tips that could help who want to learn a new language as fast as possible? and what is the difficulties that you faced with learning a new language? and please give us a quote that you like in learning a new language and in life.
Great! I'm brazilian man and I'm still learning english, as well. I've been in USA for twice. I can say that english is very important for myself development like worker in aviation and lawyer in Brazil. I love that! Great talk!
I learn myself through learning foreign languages. (I can speak 3 foreign languages) I think It's the most important reason. This is a very exciting activity. I think If you have very strong motivation It doesn't matter which language to learn in our time of Inernet. It's so much easier than before. Good luck to you all!
I really like watching the TED's videos because they help me to improve my English skills, by listening to these speeches i get a lot of vocabulary that can help me to speak fluently ❤❤
It’s funny because it’s totally true. At the moment I’m learning other two languages (English and italian) that are not my native tongue (Spanish) and the particularities that another language has makes them so special, today they come to us in an easy way thanks to technology and greatly increase our knowledge of the world which it would be a pity not to take advantage of the benefits of our time. And the best part of this incredible reflection was as he said if you spoke two languages dementia was less likely to set in. Bilingualism is healthy, is amazing how our brain can change and our perception can change. It was a very good reflection.
I like learning new languages because they allow me to communicate with more people around the world, as well as to be able to learn about interesting topics in different languages.
"A different language is a different vision of life" - Federico Fellini. I agree that language doesn't determine thought (linguistic determinism) but there is more to linguistic relativism than the Russian words for blue, goluboy and siniy, it is more than words per se. Linguistic relativism , as the name suggests, is about language, that big, complex human skill that allows us to communicate. It is also not about division, as I have heard you suggest, it is about diversity, that wonderful concept that adds value to the world. Spending time in culturally and linguistically connected Australian Aboriginal communities is proof to me of linguistic relativism and is an amazingly rewarding and humbling experience. "To have a second language is to possess a second soul" - Charlemagne.
My first language is French but I am more fluent in English (which is sad) so I'm working on my fluency in French. I'm also trying to learn Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Yoruba.
6 років тому+3
Haha j'avais jamais entendu parler de gens qui devenaient plus à l'aise dans un langage appris plutôt que leur langage natif. Te deseo lo mejor para aprender esos idiomas :)
I learned Japanese thanks to anime and I love the way Japanese language sounds (it sounds so pretty to me, almost like a melody), I continued learning Japanese and I love writing in their language, now I’m not the best at speaking it but it is still fun. I’m also learning Hawaiian and I find it very similar to some degrees to Japanese where Hawaiian also sounds beautiful to hear.
Если кратко: 1.Постижение культуры 2.Снижение риска заболеть деменцией(что это за заболевание? Никогда не слышал, но может быть некорректный перевод) 3.Вы лучше справляетесь с несколькими задачами одновременно 4. Это интересно (По моему мнению эти причины не так важны)
I can actually say this speech is amazing, because its a very impacted speech to people like me and also, the time was too quick when i was listening is speech. Good video of good speech.... Btw im from South Korea ;)
My country already has two official languages (Spanish and Guaraní), so I've always been bilingual, I've learned English since I was a child and now I can clearly understand it, plus I'm currently learning Korean and Japanese too.
Mr. Mcwhorter said that they were tickets to being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak them. And I agree with this. Also, it is a practice that is beneficial for health, because Mr. Mc Whorter said that If we spoke two languages, this could have a positive impact in reducing the possibility of dementia. With these two reasons I agree with him. Also, because I love learning new languages, even though I'm not that good at speaking English, but I really like it. And I would like to learn French, Japanese and Greek very well. Besides, language is part of a culture. In fact, languages are mutating as the years go by and cultural movements and cultural syncretism that is increasing due to migration. But, if we want to preserve the native languages, it is important to generate strategies and policies that allow these languages to be preserved as part of the culture of a country, generating access to this knowledge and also the protection of these languages.
I just love learning languages. Currently, I'm learning Norwegian, and once I've mastered it, I'll probably look towards the other Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Danish, etc.) or possibly other languages like German and Russian.
I am native Portuguese (Brazilian) and even within my native language there are words and expressions that I am not familiar with and it seems that I am speaking another language, which is fascinating, I have contact with English daily through music, movies and series, I recently started to have more contact with Spanish it is a transformative experience, our minds open and expand to other places, realities, perspectives, learning new languages is immersing yourself in the culture of a certain place and we can do that at any time anywhere in the world so just do it and enjoy!
Go to a country where the language you want to learn is spoken natively. After only a few months, you will make progress, I can promise you that! That's how I have learnt English!
I taught myself a second language (my 1st is English) and have been gradually expanding my use of it and I have found that it has also expanded my mind. I don't think radically differently, but enough to notice it and I feel that my overall acumen is enhanced. So, I think he missed the boat on that one. His second point is absolutely true that you can "become" part of the target culture and enjoy the many benefits that accrue from that understanding. Yes, it is a lot of fun to speak another language.
I agree with Mr. John I think that learning a language other than yours is beneficial to your health, it allows you to keep your brain active, it is because he mentions that the second reason for learning other languages is that dementia is less likely , because we give our mind the ability to be productive for a long time, something else that caught my attention was the fact that it mentions something that I faithfully believe and I believe that because I am studying English, it is because it is an entry for being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak it.
Mary Akinola .. Japanese language is has something cute, I don't really know what is it. I fall in love with this language. I think because it is the anime's language. and we were watching anime when were young. so our love for this language give us the same feeling when we see something were related to our past. but because it's an indirect relation between the Japanese language and us. we don't understand this old relationship.. .. am I right?
Fars mezan Indeed the voice actors of the Japanese language in anime have amazing voice! So beautiful, vibrant! But real Japanese speech is less like anime but still contains that charm. Listening to a Japanese person speak is like music to me :D even the singers are so unique (otaites) with those refined voices and the difference compared to English is amazing, since the way they execute speech is so different. Ahhh it's too good!! ^^
My opinions about this topic are very diverse. First, I had agreed that English is becoming a global language, but then the idea of losing all the other languages came to my mind and it shocked me. The ancient societies, whom culture and tradition are full of richness, have always been in risk when we choose to stick to just one way on doing things. Do not forget that, for example, selknam people at patagonia wouldn’t have disappeared if foreign people had approached them with curiosity and respect about their culture, not imposing a language, a religion, and a way of living. On the other hand, I recognize that having a common language makes interactions and knowledge transference so much easier, so in resume if we`ll have english as a global language please don’t forget our ancestors, their traditions and history, because in diversity we can always find beauty.
Few people know about a pragmatic, efficient way to learn a new language. Those who do, advance in learning steadily and according to their schedule. While most people find themselves learning a new language as a necessity, many others do it because it is fun. It feels more sophisticated to know more than one language. It can be highly beneficial in your life over the long run. However, it is not an easy task to learn a new language no matter whether it is for fun or out of necessity. You've probably seen friends or acquaintances talk about wanting to learn a foreign language, then enthusiastically purchasing products, books, and maybe even enrolling into a course or program, only to ultimately see the reality of the fact that they have failed in their pursuit of learning another language. According to The Guardian, the ICM survey, which questioned 1,001 young people aged 14-24 from across the UK in June this year, paints a picture of a generation perhaps surprisingly open to the prospect of language learning, but often deeply lacking in the confidence of their ability to put their language studies into practice. The research had indicated that A-level languages are perceived as being harder than other subjects and their content is demotivating. Sitting down with a language textbook and trying to teach yourself a new language is not only boring, it takes an inordinate amount of time. It can take months to capture the basics of a particular language. Fluency comes far later. Often, we don’t have the luxury of spending months learning a language. For example, those people who are migrating or taking up a job abroad. However as an individual learner or with a tutor, the student can cut down the time it takes him/her to master the basics of a new language. There are methods that can be used to reduce the time it takes. Main Essentials of Learning a New Language - They distinguish three main essentials associated with learning a new language; namely the vocabulary, basic sentence elements / patterns, and grammar rules. Vocabulary - the most basic step towards learning a new language is to learn its words. Familiarity with the words will lead you to form sentences. Sentence Patterns and Elements - this has to do with how you ask and answer questions. Making coherent sentences is the way to make someone understand what you are saying. The ability will also help you understand what others are saying and how you might respond. Grammar Rules - Each language has certain rules that need to be followed. There is a special type of media developed for the first and second component - a bilingual graded book. Bilingual graded books are also called bilingual graded readers. They offer a parallel translation that allows the user to learn a new language in less time. With the translation on the same page, learners can effortlessly learn what any unfamiliar words mean. They can quickly pick up new vocabulary and phrases that are used over and over in texts of bilingual graded books. When they read a graded bilingual reader, they can pick up chunks of language and vocabulary that they can use in conversation and other real-world applications. It also significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to become conversational in a new language. As you read a bilingual reader, your brain begins to remember words and phrases simply because you are exposed to them several times. You don’t even realize, until you have to recall what you’ve learned, that you have already learned the new words and phrases. Listen to the audio tracks that should always accompany a bilingual graded book to learn how words are said and to improve your overall ability to speak the new language. A good idea is to use the free VLC media player to control the playing speed. You can control the playing speed by decreasing or increasing the speed value on the button of the VLC media player's interface. Decide what is better for you a paper book or an e-book. Many of the e-readers by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo have dictionaries pre-loaded on their devices, with options to download additional ones, for free. If you do not have an e-reader, you do not have to buy one, because you can download it as a free app to your phone and use it right away. Writing your own notes, searching or making highlights is ridiculously simple with an e-reader or e-reading app. Anything you do with an e-book is also synced to the cloud, ensuring any change will follow you, no matter what device you are on. At first search on Google for "bilingual graded books" or "bilingual graded books for beginners". Choose and buy a book on a suitable topic, for example general, business, medical, culinary, dialogues, students, cooking, family, tourists, detective, short story or whatever you like. Read it for about twenty minutes a day. If you do it every day, you will be surprised how much you can learn in a month's time. Try to use the target language after you have learned for a month. If you don't have an opportunity to talk to native speakers at home or at work/study, use your target language in small talk on Skype or another online chat. Search on Google for "free online clean chat rooms" and pick up the one that suits your interests. Two or three minutes of small talk two or three times a week or more often will give you some motivation and encourage you to learn new questions and answers for new dialogues. Compile a list of questions and answers for your dialogues in a target language or find them on Google with keywords "Bilingual graded books dialogues" and try using them. Don't be afraid of making errors. They are your steps to success. You will spot and correct them sooner or later anyway. They will not be for the rest of your life. Better not to talk at all than to talk incorrectly? Wrong! Start talking as much as you can! Your language will improve every time you talk. A learner who knows only a hundred words and isn't shy of talking will progress more quickly than the one who knows a thousand words but remains silent because he or she is afraid of saying something wrong. It can usually take you from one to three months to finish a bilingual graded reader at beginner level (A1) and elementary level (A2). The amount of time depends on your previous experience with learning foreign languages and on your personal abilities. At this point you should be able to ask and answer simple questions with the following questioning words: What? Who? Where? When? Which? How many/much? As you improve and become more confident in your ability to use the new language, you can move on to the next reader level and continue your language-learning journey. After using a bilingual graded book for a week or two you are ready to study grammar rules, so buy a good grammar book. A grammar book will satisfy your curiosity about grammar rules awakened by the bilingual graded book. Read the grammar book to find out how you can use your target language more precisely. Follow this order - first read a reading book, then use a grammar book and exercises to make your learning experience uninterrupted. Language text with a parallel translation has helped many to uncover their potential for learning multiple languages. Whether you are learning a language as a hobby or for a necessary purpose, you will find such books are supportive. Using them is by far more pragmatic, efficient way to learn a new language than a "learn a language in two weeks" program. However you should frequently use the target language by using bilingual graded books with audio tracks, grammar books, chats, internet pages and even songs to maintain your motivation and progress. Remember - twenty minutes a day does the magic!
I liked this video and I agree with Mr. McWhorter about English is the world’s universal language so it’s important to learn it. I believe that speaking another language permit grow up, open your mind and know the world and the people whose live in their. In my personal experiences learning english had been difficult, especially talking with another person, but I know that is not impossible, so I won't give up.
My favourite is when a language has a word for something that doesn't exist in your native tongue.
Mutterseelenallein
One of germans sadest and most beautiful words
merienda
Kintsukuroi
Yeah how about starting to learn finnish then?
Lol
A new language teaches you culture, and often the experience of learning a language does change one's personality enough to be quite noticeable... I have different personalities in both my native languages. I've seen more than a few outspoken Americans live in Japan for a few years and come back speaking softer, more pleasant (my personal opinion) English... at times, learning another language teaches you concepts you've never thought about in your own language; therefore, making you realize your ignorance. In turn, you become a little more humble and open-minded. Learning a language does change how one sees and feels the world.
I totally agree! ❤️
True
This opinion is very interesting！
Thank you so much as I made a speech from your comment for my exam
Agreed, though it’s not the language per se i.e. words and grammar. It’s the culture i.e. the way of behaving and looking at the world of the people who speak that language. I also find that the word is no longer the object, rather it is just a symbolic representation of the object. Thus words become tools, and my attitude to my own language changes.
My native language is Spanish, and took me a lot of time to be good at English. I can understand how hard can be to learn a new language, but also I know how wonderful is to become a bilingual person. The feelings you have when you are finally understanding and speaking another language are great. All the time I spent studying English was worth. Also, I'd like to learn French, Japanese, and Korean.
Carolina Mariana Vargas , as a native Spanish speaker, I can understand your feelings when we're learning a new language, mostly English. It's a new and different key to open a door where it would be something like the land of Alice (...in the wonderland).
I need to learn español
why dont you try to learn Vietnamese? It really challenges you. i beg
I need to learn Spanish because around here some people speak that and it would be cool to speak to them
@@jaymeswhite2567 no querrás cuando escuchaes gente diciendo BUENAAAAAAARDO NDEAAAAAA
I'm Korean, and I learn English to speaking in English.
I read English newspaper and see CNN news before I sleep. And from now on, ted is great for speaking in English. because I can listen to the English, and learn something from many people in ted. TED is so great program that I see for twelve years(I'm twelve years old)
꾼쨤! Omw you are so clever!
Wow, you are so smart! I'm so proud of you as a Korean! I just found that ted is a great for English few days ago.. TT Anyway 열심히해!!
꾼쨤! i am learning Korean. if you are interested, we can exchange languages
WIZONECHU can we exchange languages?
Hey man can we become friend and study english together
Speak to someone in their second language and you speak to their brain, speak to them in their mother tongue and you speak to their heart
Édit: this was 3 years ago and I had forgotten about this comment, but yes, these are not my words and it is not a correct quote. My guess is that at the time I remembered it vaguely and thought the sentiment fit with the video.
I love this!
verifiedmartian how about couples who speak different languages and fall in love?
Didn’t Nelson Mandela say that?
@@ingrid44556 their brains fell in love 😂😂
Romell Mazon. Exactly! I have ever known this sentence from Tim Donner
Video Summary:
Learn a new language because:
1. Everyone is learning english so if we don't learn a new language they will all but disappear
2. helps to prevent dementia
3. makes you a good multi-tasker
4. it's fun
end
Finally the first comment in 100 that's not saying "i know languages x y and z and am enjoying the 4th one hahaha its so much fun". Thanks :P I didn't feel like watching the video, just wanted to see his 4 reasons.
thanks you saved me 5 minutes
I thought that the first one was the ability to participate in others culture.
But thank you for helping me to figure out the fourth reason because I kinda lost tract.
josh mcgee so you would rather take someone else's summary which actually is wrong rather than spend 5 mins on a video that deals with quite an interesting issue in world affairs and make your own mind up.
Ryan your summary is not an accurate summary. Do you do such summaries of all videos you watch? I can see the point of summarising a 2 hour video but a 10 min one? Are people so pushed for time they can't watch a 10 min video all the way through? Most Ted talks are 18 mins so this one is short and succinct. This talk in my view is one of the best Ted talks I have seen in a long while. Most Ted talks are statements of the bloody obvious by people who want to say they have done one on their CV. I just think you picked the wrong target on this occasion.
I see many people stating the number of languages they speak.
I always find those statements somewhat difficult or misleading, because it could mean several things.
1. You know a few sentences in 5 languages(doesn't count in any way, but I really have spoken people who thought it did)
2. You can survive if you had to live in an environment where you had to speak one of those languages on a day to day basis. (usually with bad grammar, sentence structure and accent, but could get your point across to others)
3. You can have a reasonable conversation in 5 languages.
4. You are fluent in them.
If I take myself as an example: I am completely fluent in 2 languages, I am reasonably conversational in 1 and could survive in another 1. How many languages do I speak? When can you say you speak a language? Is that point 2 or point 3? I myself think it's 3, but I could be too strict. I am curious what others think.
Bram den Braber speaking a language in my point of view means to be able to pass a message and be understood, accents and gramma mistakes are just details, I mean; in my situation, I'm fluent in Portuguese coz it's my primary language and I also was educated in this language, but 10 years ago I moved to a Dutch speaking country so I learned Dutch and I speak it in my daily bases, I taught myself Spanish coz a lot of my weekly customers only speak Spanish, later I started speaking French too because it's so close to Portuguese and Spanish, that it just came naturally, And I speak English too. I think only you can determine whether you speak a language or not.
Bram den Braber Thank you for expressing my thoughts. Suddenly, i see everyone in the comments section claiming to be a polyglot. I am pretty much sure 95% of them speak two languages, their native one and English. Possibly are conversational in a third language, know how to say a couple of sentences, but that's all.
It is not surprising at all, though. People like exaggerating and bragging out, a lot.
You do certainly pose an interesting question, one that I've briefly thought of an multiple occasions, and I think that I've come to my answer; I believe that you cannot approach this from a clear cutoff between each 'point", and that these things must be decided on a case-by-case basis by one's own self, but if I had to answer by your metrics then I suppose I'd say somewhere between 2 & 3 but a little closer to 3.
Even I'am spanish native speaker, I think that I could improve It very much. For me, speak a language it's not only to survive, rather than understand how people use it and what can offer.
Yeah me too.Creole is my mother tongue,and I learned French at school.I'm a french native speaker BTW.And after that,i took ESL classes for english and I speak,understand it as well. Now,i'm taking Spanish classes..which i'm intermediate and also German online,i just know something a little bit in German but I can understand it.I say this because I think you don't have to know 95% or 99,99% of a language to be a speaker.If people understand you and you understand others that means you are able to speak and convey information.
My favorite word in my second language, Portuguese, is “camaraoes,” the plural of “shrimp.” It sounds so beautiful! Having learned Portuguese, eventually passing my proficiency exam graded by a Yale University professor, has opened the doors to many friendships and cultural understanding. Most importantly, being in the right place at the right time, I was able to translate for two adopted Brazilian boys (formerly living on the streets in Brazil) who were being seriously abused in the home. The adoptive father ended up in prison for what he did. In the Police car, the lady Officer asked me to ask the boys what was the thing they liked best about living in the USA. The 9 year-old replied these haunting words: “in America, when someone beats us, there are people to make them stop.”
Thanks for that.
Achei seu comentário fofo. 🇧🇷
Muito bem. Parabéns. Eu também falo e escrevo em três idiomas: o inglês, o português que é uma das minhas línguas maternas e o francês.
Funny that shrimp and a country in west Africa are the same words in Portuguese
And he missed one of the primary reasons for being bilingual or more.
It has been conclusively shown that it increases brain plasticity. And that has larger implications than just fighting dementia and Alzheimer's.
It has implications for learning new things and being able to look outside of rigid mindsets.
Math is a language for example. Chemistry is another one.
And cultural languages gives you a bunch of new tools to interpret the world. They all do.
I would argue that being multilingual makes you more able to tackle the worlds problems. Seeing more options.
I agree
Fantastically amazing !
I agree also
Wrong. I can introduce to you several language teachers who are narrow-minded and really dumb.
I guess I speak 3 languages then ... English, Spanish and Chemistry haha who knew
I teach foreign language. I understand that there are “shortcuts” like translators and so forth. But learning a language extends your first one. Learning a language helps people better understand the struggles of someone learning English. Learning a language is a means of expression and a way to delve into a new culture.
English is easy bruh
Learning any new language has always been very useful. It gives you new job opportunities, one feels fulfilled , cultures and idioms are learned. Speaking English is already an official language in many parts of the world and allows you to communicate with different people
44 years old and I started learning German 2 weeks ago, as it's something I've been wanting to do for years, but keep putting it off. My goal is to be able to speak it fluently within a year's time. Wish me luck.
Learning a language at an older age is far more difficult than learning 2 languages as a child. I'm also on my journey with learning german. You just have to be very patient. Good luck!
@@velipyr "Learning a language at an older age is far more difficult than learning 2 languages as a child" it took me 2 years to learn a decent english at 46 years old. i'm beginning japanese right now. older =means more experience =more efficient. strongly disagree. My English learned in 2 years is much more sophisticated than my native French at the age of 2.
Why do you wish to be fluent in a year's time? Moreover, what does being fluent really mean? Wouldn't it be better to set more achievable goals? I want to be able to make myself understood in German, to communicate my thoughts in German, to understand the gist of German articles on the net and of the news on the radio or TV. Anyway, good luck with your learning German!
I am from Peru and I speak Spanish, for a few months I set myself the goal of being able to speak English fluently to meet professional goals, watching this video has completely changed my goal of learning this language and continuing to learn others too. I found the health benefits you can get from learning and speaking two or more languages very interesting. Finally, it also seemed so important to me that the fact of learning another language involves learning and understanding about the different cultures of other people. This is my favorite phrase from the video (The language channels the culture).
I learn languages because I enjoy meeting people and understanding their culture. Now on my eighth language - although it's been really difficult to get to this stage I've enjoyed every minute spent learning a new language (((:
how old are you?
Conversational fluency isn't that hard compared to a formal degree. Not trying to say it was easy for this guy but a lot of people are capable. you don't have to learn absolutely every rule, dialect and vocabulary.
omg 8 languages?????how??,I'm 19 ,speaking english a litlle bit and trying spanish and french
Alvin Tossler I agree. But I know people that study a language as a degree and they're still not near fluency. Everyone is different((:
Arthur souza constant practice(:
Hello everyone! l would happily encourage you to learn Arabic. We , Arabs, have a famous proverb that says: if you learn a new language , you'll be safe from the deception of its speakers !
Is it why English is so popular to learn all over the globe? )))
I agree
Um timo Arabic and Spanish has many similarities
No, thanks.
How do I know you're not trying to deceive me?
I really like the fact that the idea is shared that motivation is an important factor in being able to learn new languages every day, and that it also opens the doors to worlds that we did not know.
I genuiely can't explain enough how amazing it is to know more than one language! most of the time I just forget about it (and I'm sure almost every bilingual does) till you see someone's reaction WOAH! YOU SPEAK ENGLISH PRETTY WELL!
it feels nice to have more than one source to get information, to explore a new culture, to understand almost everything without asking for help, also the confidence that comes with it.
there's many many benefits of learning a new langauge.
Are there any more benefits of learning a new language that you can mention?
@@AdoKaze making new friends from different countries. Watching movies and shows without subtitles. Reading their books without the need to wait for ages till someone translate their books. The fact that you understand native speakers without needing someone's help. You understand their memes. You understand the lyrics of a song that you used to listen to a long time ago. You dream in the target language (it's just happened once to me but I liked the experience). The fact that you understand their opinions and perspectives emotionality and logically better
This guy is one of my favorite linguists. I watched his entire video series on language and cognition and linguistics from the early 2000's. I highly recommend it though I don't remember the name.
Jianzhi Feng no you
MrC0MPUT3R yeah he's imformative
Please watch this video and tell me if it’s useful for learning languages or no 🙏🏻 🌹ua-cam.com/video/zVjlRMGVV74/v-deo.html
I’m fluent in German and have a pretty high level of speaking English for my age (I’m 14) but I’m a native German speaker. I also learn Spanish, I’m not that good but I definitely wanna improve! Speaking different languages is SO fun. Simply just understanding and answering comments, or songs or understanding movies in English makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something😂
I also learn English but I'm Russian and Ukrainian native speaker (i'm 14 as well :) )
I'm a native spanish speaker, who also speaks english, french and now trying to learn german haha
@@chilenaerrante Bro, tell me when you started learning third language? I mean what was haррening with your second language when you started third?
Nikita Pavlov i know it’s not the same for everyone, but in my case I was already fluent in English when I started with French, and they have such different roots that I never confused them. Also, because I wasn’t studying them at the same time in the same way. Because of my level of English, I was learning in a passive way, like speaking to people or watching tv (not even trying to study). But with French, it was active learning, more traditional studying because I knew nothing (so a lot of grammar and exercises, practicing a lot, etc...).
Nikita Pavlov the fourth one was tricky though. Because German seems like nothing I’ve ever learnt (French was similar to Spanish, so it was easier). So what I did (since German is a little bit more similar to english), was to learn it in English. So every time I had to translate something I didn’t understand, I did it to English. But it’s hard to maintain two languages that you still don’t speak or know fluently. Although not impossible :)
I started learning Esperanto about two weeks ago, and I'm enjoying it! Learning a new language is like opening a chest that contains a new perspective of reality, a new point of view. I'm definitely going to learn as much languages as possible.
Hey! Are you fluent by now?
Are you fluent?
@@Electrostatic_Fusion nope. He's still a komencanto.
bro not giving updates 💀💀💀💀
What the Sr. mentions is very true, since English is the most indispensable language today, in every profession it is already very necessary; mainly if it is traveling, doing business, sales or in order to teach someone else.
The reasons are in:
1 4:26
2 6:04
3 6:28
4 8:23
I love learning languages! My native language is English, but I’m studying Spanish and I am working towards a minor in the language. I hope to learn Korean and many more languages in the future but for now I’m dedicated to learning Spanish and becoming more fluent. Being able to understand the Spanish that I do has already opened so many doors with me in terms of friendship, education, and simply being able to help people. I love it 🥰
How's everything?
Yo te puedo ayudar con el Español y tu me ayudas con el ingles@@nicoleraheem1195
In my case, since ever, one of my main characteristic is learning from other people. Each mind in each person is a universe and the only way for obtain all this information is through the comunication. If you want to expand your universe is vital to overcome code limitations.
I definitely agree that "a new language changes the way you think". And is a change that results in constant evolution.
Thank to my first travel for show me how important is, thank me for having a great desire to learn and finally thank to people with passion for teaching.
I´ve been following you for some time now and I absolutely like the way you present the language learning process. Your enthusiasm is so contagious! I recommend your videos to my students. Thank you for being such a great asset to the community of lifelong learners all over the world. :)
Dr. McWhorter is, in my opinion, the best linguistics teacher around. He is really interesting to listen to, and he can teach you a lot. Not only is there linguistic knowledge and expertise in what he says, but there is also wit and knowledge of what is going on in the world in general. I suggest that everyone purchase and read his many books, and also buy the 4 courses he offers as part of the Great Courses series of The Learning Company. You won’t be disappointed. This man has a lot to teach, and he does so with grace, charm and unbridled efficacy.
Even before I saw this lecture, I always thought I had to learn a language other than my native language. I also think that language is a means of communication and the best way to learn the culture of the country directly. I want to be good at English, but I don't think I can. Haha. In the past, my parents used to go to an academy to learn English, but I didn't understand it at that time. But now I feel that I have to learn, and after seeing this talk, I decided to learn a language again. I think the effect of learning a language is very great. Nowadays, it is worth as much as I think that language is important enough to become a qualification for a job. By learning the language, I think the effect of the language is great, not only the culture of the country, but also people's relationships, other jobs, and thinking of it as a spec. As it takes a long time to learn a language, I think I should definitely learn it. I am taking an English class at school. When I do it by myself, I can't do it well, but I hope I can get closer to English through this lesson.
You are indeed right 👍👍
머쪄용
great video 👍
just a small note:
Aktubu أكتب = I write
Yaktubu يكتب = he writes
Taktubu تكتب = she writes/ you write (addresing a male)
Yaktubun يكتبون = They write
Taktubeen تكتبين = you write (adressing female)
Taktuban تكتبان = you write (adressing two people)
Taktuboon تكتبون = you write (adressing more than two males)
Taktubna تكتبن = you write (addressing more than two females)
I've never heard it explained that way when it comes to fully taking in and understanding a culture. Very good stuff
I’m from Chile and I love English language since I can remember. I was really annoying so my mom made me watch movies like “Grease” over and over in English and without subtitle (I was a 3 years old kid so I wasn’t able to read 😅); and my dad loves music so I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Madonna, The Beatles, Queen, Aerosmith, etc, etc. So when I was in school that language was always easy for me. It is everywhere.
I think people want to learn it to have more job opportunities nowadays. For me is because I always loved it and made me fell in love with others languages and want to learn them because I want to experience what John said at the end: blow my mind.
I speak English as my native language. I'm fluent in French, having been born in Brussels and lived there for 18 years. I am native level in Spanish, because I have lived in Spain for 25 years and my wife is Spanish. I have self taught myself Polish, and I am now learning Japanese. Language learning is one of the best things a human being can do for himself. It's hard, it takes a lot of time, but if you enjoy the process it can be so much fun!
Why did you decide to learn Polish? Have you had the opportunity to speak Polish with Poles? What have you found the trickiest and easiest in learning Polish? Have you ever been to Poland?
@@Sufi7 Why do you ask? Czy jest Pan Polakiem? I chose Polish because I wanted a bit of a challenge, and as a Catholic I am very drawn to several Polish saints, such as Maximilian Kolbe and Faustina Kowalska. The hardest thing is probably the aspect of the verbs. It doesn't impede comprehension, but I know I'm unable to remember and choose the correct aspect of most verbs.
I last went to Poland with my parents in 1994. It's probably changed a bit since then! I have spoken to some Polish people. I used to have a Polish teacher on Italki.
@@christopherfleming7505 Polką. 30 years have passed, so definitely it has. I just wondered why you had chosen Polish to spend your time on learning. Spanish and French are popular, even Japanese has many followers, but Polish is usually a rare choice provided you aren't a Ukrainian or Belarussian. I agree that Polish conjugation isn't easy to learn for non-natives. I suppose consonants clusters could cause some problems too.
i'm native in spanish particulary chilean spanish, a complex and rare derivation of spanish, with a lot of new words
and new ways to speak them, different meaning for same word, depends the tone that you use when you speak can be
a nice word or a word to start to fight.
now i'm trying to learn new languajes, i can read and write in english (i think) but try to speak in a country where
the people don't try to learn new languajes.
it's dificult to put in practise and this is the principal problem
to learn new languajes in LATAM for example.
i think that the best way to test your skills is in a travel and live 24 hours using the languaje skills that your learned in this new languaje i think that it's give's you a lot of confidence and fluence in a short time.
regards to all!
As I see it, learning a new language is quite difficult and so time consuming. I really admire people who master different languages and study them at the same time. In my case, I’m just looking for learning and improving my English.
As John mentioned in this video, nowadays it is easier to learn anything thanks to internet. I think internet has given us the possibility to have limitless resources with just one click. So, it’s up to us taking advantage of these resources and applied them wisely to get the best out of them.
I always wanted to learn English, but for different reasons I never had the discipline to do it. However, a year ago I promised myself to do it once and for all! I’m not going to lie; Learning English has been one of the most challenging things I’ve ever faced. Even though it’s been overwhelming and frustrating, I’d say it has been extremely rewarding. I still have a long way to go, but I’m sure I’ll reach a good level of English. There are a lot of things I have to learn, but I am committed to do it.
I totally agree with the 4 reasons, especially with the culture one. I think that when you speak to people in them language, you can really connect with them and the interaction feels different in a possitive way.
Spanish is my first language and I’m learning english for several years now. I thing it is not an easy path, but when I travel and have the opportunity to put it into practice, I feel that it's worth it because be able to comunicate, express our needs and feeling clearly is priceless.
I would like to be fluent in english and then have the chance to learn another language.
my native language is portuguese so I love learn Korean and english languages so much and I finally found someone who understands how it is so good to learn a new language in the morning sitting on your couch and drinking a coffee
Last year, I saw one of John McWhorter's talks where he mentions the great new tools for learning languages. After putting off trying for decades, I got a language app on my phone and, as I write this, it tells me I have a 258 day streak going in French. My first goal is to be able to read the news on Le Monde and I can tell, it's going to happen if I stick with it. :)
Leave it to Professor McWhorter to be the most relaxed TED speaker I've ever seen...and I've seen many many TED talks!
John McWhorter is my favorite lecturer! I am a college prof now and I always try to emulate his teaching style when I lecture
It's nice to put a face to the voice! I've been listening to his podcast for a couple of months and have just stumbled across his Ted talk! :)
In my opinion, one of the mainly reasons to learn English is related about the knowledge. If you want to take access to the best knowledge, you will need to learn English (whether you are not English speaker). In my personal case, learning English helped me to travel around the UK with no problems, wich is linked with the speaker idea to imbibe a culture. Furthermore I have written a paper, wich was published in an important journal, etc.
My English is far away to be perfect, but every day I am trying to be better, and for me, taking access to the knowledge is my main motivation.
I'm learning Mandarin and Korean and I freaking love these languages. They are so beautiful.
What an eloquent and confident he really is, on top of that he's very informative. Thanks. TED
stunning!!!!! definitely one of the best talks I've ever heard. John said in the video that if you speak 2 lenguages dementia was less likely to set in, pretty interesting, I'm probably gonna be searching for more information abaut that. after whatching this video i end up seeing like 10 more related to this topic. I'm a native spanish speaker, and if i had never learned english, I'm sure i would have been five times less smarter than I am today, being able to speak english had led me to masive amounts of information (like this video) that if i had never known English, i wouldn't be able to understand. no wonder this video has been seen by 1.7 millions of people, its fantastic. thanks to the person who uploaded this to the internet.
I am Venezuelan, but I have lived in Santiago de Chile since 2017. I agree that technology helps in a good way to improve my level of English and improve people's lives. I use daily visual and auditory material on the Internet to improve my understanding of English and in the comfort of my home, which has led me to have job opportunities and conversations never thought of in the past by me.
I really liked your presentation since you are very right, English is a universal language which will open the doors to various types of situations, whether in work, education or daily life. In these times learning another language is no longer a thing of another world, it can be learned from home, with a cell phone or a laptop, it only requires will.
Me: *learning Japanese*
Why?
To watch animes without sub.
So true!!
Just wondering, are you still learning? A lot of people give up when they discover existence of Kanji
lol，i--a chinese-- have the same reason to learn Japanese.
s a m e
@@nekopushyo I have set a goal to learn 30 kanjis each week. 5 per day, and revision on Sunday😉. Yes, I'm still learning and Kanjis are fun (for me atleast)🤭
I speak Czech (native), English and currently learning Korean, Spanish and a little Mandarin through UA-cam or Memrise. I always get so excited when I'm watching something in one of those languages and understand something (once I heard someone say 갑시다 - gapsida - let's go and nearly fell of my bed 'cause I was so excited that I understood it haha)😁
Nice 😊
Lol 😆 niiiice
How is everything?
Indeed a language is another way to know a culture because each language tells the story of what happens in the region in which that language is spoken since there are unique words in each culture so each language has its own phonetics and meaning giving life to foods, places, experiences, beliefs and experiences that only exist in that specific place.
Very well spoken, just remember you can’t really become fluent in a new language without being fully Immersed.
Fluency means different things to different people.
I speak Cambodian and English. And what he said about Cambodian or Khmer sounds like a bubble bee is so true. We have the largest vowels and consonants of all the languages in the world, probably because we combined 3 roots of Pali, Sanskrit, and Ancient Khmer into 1 language we speak and write today. Learning English has shaped my outlook on the world outside my Cambodian mind too, and I feel privileged to be able to use it in my daily activities such as commenting on this video. In the future, I want to learn French as Cambodia has a history with the French. At least, 3 languages fluently before I die.
"it won't change your mind but it certainly blow your mind” ♥♥♥
I love he mentioned Arabic, I'm looking forward to learning Spanish and Arabic at the same time, as my third language..
But learning a new language need a continuous courage and motivation to be a consistent learner until reaching fluency
Helloo im a native Arabic speaker and i know your comment is abit old but i was curious if you have succeeded in learning Arabic
@@dragox876 hi yeah... I'm progressing a lot... i have basics in Arabic since i learnt for 3 years in school so i was beginner then in one year, i studied by myself in around 2022 until i became intermediate and able to speak, i practiced a lot in free talking apps with natives, i did learned Levantine dialect a lil bit & rn I can pull off Arabic conversation naturally in like 66% and I'm looking forward to complete my Arabic fluency into advanced or even like Arabs (know dialects as well & able to converse in more natural & non formal accents & slang words).
@@mimieariffin I'm glad it's going well how many launguages do you speak now
@@dragox876 3... Malay, English & Arabic only. Spanish still beginner.
@@mimieariffin ohh but only the classical Arabic right
Great talk. The intro where he addresses all the concerns is perfectly disarming
Spanish, French and English. Hopefully will get back to German, but currently teaching myself Korean. And I agree, it's incredibly fun!
I'm using:
- the Korean Grammar for International Learners book,
- a number of UA-cam Channels I'm sure you've heard/will hear of (TTMIK, Margarita's Weekly Korean Lessons, LearnKorean101.com etc),
- I keep up with the tumblrs iwillbeapolyglot.tumblr.com (her Korean tag, but she has a wide range of other languages) and fromirelandtokorea.tumblr.com,
- the Memrise "0-1000 Most Common Korean Words" course for vocabulary (it goes from 0 to 5000, and honestly I'm only through halfway this particular course and I'm able to get a general idea of, say, BTS tweets which are completely in Korean),
- watching lots of variety shows (2D1N, Sister Slam Dunk, etc) and dramas on a weekly basis for oral comprehension. I try to stay away from historical because it's supposed to be a different speech style (but I mean it's hard - there are so many good ones).
There's an incredibly wide variety of resources, a bit overwhelming at times if I'm honest, but if you go to the studyblr or langblr community on Tumblr you'll pretty much set to go.
Good luck!
I'm Korean! It's always nice to see someone who's learning my mother language 😃
I'm learning Korean too!
Isabel Minerva I speak Spanish ,English ,and French and I’m learning German ,too!
I just saw this video and read your comment! how's your Korean going? haha 화이팅!
I agree with Mr. McWhorter in the first argument when he said that if you want to imbibe in some culture, if you really want to feel it, you have to control some degree of the language of that culture, because how will you learn about them if you can’t talk with them?. I think the culture is born from the interaction of someone with others and if you can't talk with others, the culture isn't being transmitted. And I liked when he said who learn a new language will have less probability to have dementia, and is true, my great-grandmother was having problem with his brain and her doctor told him to learn a new language can be a solution for her problem and during the time that she was learning german, she began to have better results in her exams. Very good ted’s talk
I do speak English, Spanish, Italian, French. I am learning, German, Portugese, Swedish and Dutch
FlatStella1 omg just like me
En is het gelukt om Nederlands te leren ?
Nossa, é tão bom ver alguém querendo aprender português ❤️
If you want any help, I'm here. I'd like to speak Spanish and French, they are incredible languages 🥰
I agree with John. Learn different languages allows me to learn about other cultures, open my mind and keep my brain busy to avoid dementia. Learning other languages is a challenge that open doors to unknown worlds.
I love speaking English because I love traveling, and that's the main reason. I also think that English is the main business language, so in that way it's becoming not only a necessity but also a great tool if you want to improve your life!!
That is how I agree with you, and in the same way I feel that it is essential in any job since it offers us a better curriculum presentation for whatever side we go to apply for a job.
I like to listen to people, speak english, i always liked it but i have been difficult to learn it as i would like, it is a language that i will have doors and new horizons is a world language with which many countries have been able to communicate whether it is for doing business, comercio, friendship, love, etc., i think it is a really the most important language we can learn and teach our offspring.
certainly this language opens many doors and horizons, currently in most jobs they ask you for two languages, the mother tongue and some other learned. Therefore, if you have another language outside of yours, it is easier for them to give you the job and for them to give you greater facility to improve in your work. Likewise, it helps us to understand various sources, call it news, call it modern music, external factors, etc.
I think that English is very interesting and as the speaker said it can be fun too and not only that but it is a universal language and therefore it is a language that we all must learn, because that will open doors for us and it seems to me that The boy who is speaking is right in the part that he says it is easier for other speakers to learn English than for English speakers to speak another language, another thing that caught my attention was that with the passage of time some languages will disappear, But what if we have to do our best to learn a language other than the native one
I am native in Spanish, currently using technologies to improve my English. It’s been a long road since the first touch with this language, when I was six and the teacher taught to the class a song. The only chance to learn in the week: an hour and a half with 30 other kids.
Later, I could realize that you can find a chance to learn everywhere; with an app of your cell phone, reading Mangas which are not translated, watching make up tutorials, imitating artists, etc. You can put interesting things for you like the centre of learning process.
Good luck in your learning English journey... My native language is Arabic and I have learned English and now I started learning Spanish a few months ago.. I have come to realize that every language on earth is still on our heads and brain, we are not learning them we are remembering them since they are already existed on our brains, it seems a strange idea but I think it is true
I'm teaching myself Arabic. And I speak Urdu and English with fluency! I learned French in school, but I'm basically forgetting it. But I want to learn Farsi and Turkish and so many other languages in this one, short lifetime...
Although English is one of the most relevant and popular languages among the thousands that exist of this time, it is not the only one that can enrich us. I totally agree with what Sr. McWhorter said, about how learned other languages helps increase our skills and if we wanted to imbibe and get fully involved a culture completely and be part of it, we need to learn it, and above all things, fun in our learning. At least, that is what I try to do while learning English.
My native language is Cantonese and the second one is Mandarin.I learn English in school for around 11 years and from now English is the main teaching language.
Not only does it encourages me to change the language channel in order to use more English,but also useful to communicate with foreigners.
Hopefully,I can learn a new language to explore more interesting ways about language.
By the way, Ted Talk is a good media for me to enhance my listening skills and spoken language!!!
Are Cantonese and Mandarin two different language?
As for me, learning new languages can be a fantastic adventure. First, languages open up opportunities for jobs and travel. I've moved to Germany and - knowing German helped me get a good job! Second, learning a language helps us understand different cultures better. It's like discovering new worlds! Third, it makes us smarter by exercising our brains. I've felt my mind getting stronger as I've learned new words and grammar.
Lastly, speaking another language is just plain fun! It feels amazing to connect with others in their native tongue. Personally, learning languages has been an exciting journey. It's brought me closer to people, allowed me to travel, and even improved my memory. I'd highly recommend giving it a try!
Learning another language helps us a lot to socialize with other people, likewise when we are given the opportunity to visit other places where they speak English we will understand what they are speaking to us.
Likewise speaking English will give us many opportunities to improve ourselves.
You are very right because when we travel to other places we will have to use it to be able to communicate with others if they cannot speak our language
I agree with Mr. McWhorter about his reasons of what we leand a new language, specially about his second and third reasons that he said: " if you speak two languages, dementia is lees likely to set in, and that you are probably a better multitasker and languages are just an waful lot of fun" another type of great information as important as another type of subjects - such as the world of mathematics or the world of science - that serve us for the contiguous challenges we face, daily. An example would be, if we did not know how to face a conversation with people who do not speak our language - identify their gestures, their intentions -, we could not relate to them because it would make us the tool of language. Also, if we relate to other people, the person is happier and has fun. We MUST learn a new Language!!!
by Francisca
I speak Spanish and English as a 2nd, now Im learning French and german, and it's amazing how also the languages are related to the way people behave.. As he says.. The culture, thats amazing.. And being able to pronounce french and german correctly its just so fun!!
Hi, I read your comment and I find it fascinating that you want to master several languages. Do you have any special method? I would also like to master the English language. Greetings 👋🏻
I am a native English speaker, but I'm fluent in Spanish as well. What I have learned is that Spanish natives open their hearts to me in a way that they may not if I did not speak their mother tongue. Language isn't primarily about information; it's primarily about relationships. Speaking someone's native language is like a pass into their culture. Translation software is already good for getting across facts and ideas (with occasional, amusing mix-ups) but I doubt that it will ever be able to open up a people-group to you the way that learning a new language does.
At school I really struggled with language (I was stuck in special ed until my teenage years, but the hard work paid off), I was trying to learn English and then forced to learn French (year 7 UK school) and later Spanish (year 9), it didn't sink in for me at that time in life. It took a lot of hard work and until I was at University to really master the English language, years on from there I am still improving my native tongue, but I've picked up bits of Spanish (enough to order a round of drinks), I wish I could pick up more and that it would come more naturally to me. May be one day I will have a grasp of another language.
English is amazing my friend. And as a native speaker, trust me when i say that not only does 95% of the USA population have absolutely no concrete grasp on the language, but English is incredibly hard for native speakers as well, in regards to grammar and syntax.
Awesome! Good job!
nobody cares
Husnu Coban
If nobody cares, why did you bother to comment? You clearly cared enough to first read it and then comment on it.
You do realise that by commenting you disproved you're own argument, right?
MoishetheBeadle
It is true English is a hard language to learn (by the way, English is my native tongue, I may be didn't make that clear). In England it is a similar story of native speakers not truly grasping the language.
Well, you cared enough to answer. Which is illogical. Strange how language works, isn't it?@@husnucoban3571
I'm a Thai native speaker. When trying to speak English with international tourists for the first time, I found that I acutally was "a language lover". More importantly, since then, I have become a person who loves talking and exchanging opinions with people from different cultures.
I also happened to learn Japanese and Spanish. Although I'm not fluent in these languages, I'm still glad that I once have had learnt them. ❤
Learning more languages has increased my brain power. It’s hard to explain how, but I can solve puzzles and things like that much easier. I was able to participate in Hispanic culture. Also, my mother has dementia and Alzheimer’s
This is a great video, because give reasons more different than the typical reason which an could answer when other people ask us about “What is the reason to learn a new language?”, for example My friend said “I was learning a new language, because I could have more opportunities from job”. It is True, but John McWhorter who is a linguistic teacher told us that learn a new language channeled your throughts, So I think in the journey to learn a new language you must change to way as your brain is doing the setences and use the grammar, I believe learn a new language is a excellent exercise to your brain and have a lot of benefit, I have never thinked that other benefit is learn about the culture of other countries.
I speak German, Polish and English and about to learn Spanish
Sina Allen dann sag mal was auf deutsch!!!
Ja, jetzt sind wir aber gespannt :D
And why do you want to learn spanish?
BRAVO...👏
Sina Allen .. that's great, what the tips that could help who want to learn a new language as fast as possible? and what is the difficulties that you faced with learning a new language? and please give us a quote that you like in learning a new language and in life.
Y-Arts .. the same question for you.
please habeby.
Great! I'm brazilian man and I'm still learning english, as well. I've been in USA for twice. I can say that english is very important for myself development like worker in aviation and lawyer in Brazil. I love that! Great talk!
I learn myself through learning foreign languages. (I can speak 3 foreign languages) I think It's the most important reason. This is a very exciting activity. I think If you have very strong motivation It doesn't matter which language to learn in our time of Inernet. It's so much easier than before. Good luck to you all!
I really like watching the TED's videos because they help me to improve my English skills, by listening to these speeches i get a lot of vocabulary that can help me to speak fluently ❤❤
It’s funny because it’s totally true. At the moment I’m learning other two languages (English and italian) that are not my native tongue (Spanish) and the particularities that another language has makes them so special, today they come to us in an easy way thanks to technology and greatly increase our knowledge of the world which it would be a pity not to take advantage of the benefits of our time.
And the best part of this incredible reflection was as he said if you spoke two languages dementia was less likely to set in. Bilingualism is healthy, is amazing how our brain can change and our perception can change.
It was a very good reflection.
I like learning new languages because they allow me to communicate with more people around the world, as well as to be able to learn about interesting topics in different languages.
"A different language is a different vision of life" - Federico Fellini. I agree that language doesn't determine thought (linguistic determinism) but there is more to linguistic relativism than the Russian words for blue, goluboy and siniy, it is more than words per se. Linguistic relativism , as the name suggests, is about language, that big, complex human skill that allows us to communicate. It is also not about division, as I have heard you suggest, it is about diversity, that wonderful concept that adds value to the world. Spending time in culturally and linguistically connected Australian Aboriginal communities is proof to me of linguistic relativism and is an amazingly rewarding and humbling experience. "To have a second language is to possess a second soul" - Charlemagne.
My first language is French but I am more fluent in English (which is sad) so I'm working on my fluency in French. I'm also trying to learn Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Yoruba.
Haha j'avais jamais entendu parler de gens qui devenaient plus à l'aise dans un langage appris plutôt que leur langage natif. Te deseo lo mejor para aprender esos idiomas :)
The same,i feel much more comfortable at english than french
Watching tons of UA-cam videos made me able to understand the English better than my school.
I am Cambodian I was shock when you mention about Cambodian in there . Thanks for your mentioning
It's greeeaaaat feeling being able to speak in a language you've been learning. It's truly underrated.
I learned Japanese thanks to anime and I love the way Japanese language sounds (it sounds so pretty to me, almost like a melody), I continued learning Japanese and I love writing in their language, now I’m not the best at speaking it but it is still fun. I’m also learning Hawaiian and I find it very similar to some degrees to Japanese where Hawaiian also sounds beautiful to hear.
Your an inspiration ma.
Если кратко:
1.Постижение культуры
2.Снижение риска заболеть деменцией(что это за заболевание? Никогда не слышал, но может быть некорректный перевод)
3.Вы лучше справляетесь с несколькими задачами одновременно
4. Это интересно
(По моему мнению эти причины не так важны)
I can actually say this speech is amazing, because its a very impacted speech to people like me and also, the time was too quick when i was listening is speech. Good video of good speech....
Btw im from South Korea ;)
i highly agree with this guy not only do i speak 4 languages (english spanish italian and french) it helps me connect with other people
wow, i admire you. i am trying to learn english but it is really hard to master it.
My country already has two official languages (Spanish and Guaraní), so I've always been bilingual, I've learned English since I was a child and now I can clearly understand it, plus I'm currently learning Korean and Japanese too.
Which country do you live in?
@@muhammadisaac07 Paraguay
Mr. Mcwhorter said that they were tickets to being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak them. And I agree with this.
Also, it is a practice that is beneficial for health, because Mr. Mc Whorter said that If we spoke two languages, this could have a positive impact in reducing the possibility of dementia. With these two reasons I agree with him.
Also, because I love learning new languages, even though I'm not that good at speaking English, but I really like it. And I would like to learn French, Japanese and Greek very well.
Besides, language is part of a culture. In fact, languages are mutating as the years go by and cultural movements and cultural syncretism that is increasing due to migration. But, if we want to preserve the native languages, it is important to generate strategies and policies that allow these languages to be preserved as part of the culture of a country, generating access to this knowledge and also the protection of these languages.
I just love learning languages. Currently, I'm learning Norwegian, and once I've mastered it, I'll probably look towards the other Scandinavian languages (Swedish, Danish, etc.) or possibly other languages like German and Russian.
Is Norwegian easy or hard? my native language is Spanish but I know English so it will easy or not?
I am native Portuguese (Brazilian) and even within my native language there are words and expressions that I am not familiar with and it seems that I am speaking another language, which is fascinating, I have contact with English daily through music, movies and series, I recently started to have more contact with Spanish it is a transformative experience, our minds open and expand to other places, realities, perspectives, learning new languages is immersing yourself in the culture of a certain place and we can do that at any time anywhere in the world so just do it and enjoy!
I want to be trilingual , but getting from intermediate to fluent always seems so out of grasp . *sigh*
Go to a country where the language you want to learn is spoken natively. After only a few months, you will make progress, I can promise you that! That's how I have learnt English!
Find a way to put yourself in a language bubble of a language you want to learn, its cheaper than traveling
I taught myself a second language (my 1st is English) and have been gradually expanding my use of it and I have found that it has also expanded my mind. I don't think radically differently, but enough to notice it and I feel that my overall acumen is enhanced. So, I think he missed the boat on that one. His second point is absolutely true that you can "become" part of the target culture and enjoy the many benefits that accrue from that understanding. Yes, it is a lot of fun to speak another language.
I speak German, English, Turkish and a bit Spanish, but I am not done with Spanish. I really want to learn Mandarin, French and Japanese too.
i can teach you Mandarin , Mandarin teacher here :)
hiroshi ueno could you help ME
yes, you can email me at ivanlau10@gmail.com, we can contact through email. Thank you.
Ulaş Aldağ hola como va
Ulaş Aldağ hola ¿como estas?
I agree with Mr. John I think that learning a language other than yours is beneficial to your health, it allows you to keep your brain active, it is because he mentions that the second reason for learning other languages is that dementia is less likely , because we give our mind the ability to be productive for a long time, something else that caught my attention was the fact that it mentions something that I faithfully believe and I believe that because I am studying English, it is because it is an entry for being able to participate in the culture of the people who speak it.
Lithuanian, English and Japanese. A mix you'd never expect hehe ^^
Mary Akinola .. Japanese language is has something cute, I don't really know what is it.
I fall in love with this language.
I think because it is the anime's language.
and we were watching anime when were young.
so our love for this language give us the same feeling when we see something were related to our past.
but because it's an indirect relation between the Japanese language and us.
we don't understand this old relationship..
..
am I right?
Fars mezan Indeed the voice actors of the Japanese language in anime have amazing voice! So beautiful, vibrant! But real Japanese speech is less like anime but still contains that charm. Listening to a Japanese person speak is like music to me :D even the singers are so unique (otaites) with those refined voices and the difference compared to English is amazing, since the way they execute speech is so different. Ahhh it's too good!! ^^
Marius Kajanas ahhahah
same Lithuanian English Japanese thinking of learning Korean to
sfhdsgdb Try Russian or German, it's not worth it to know Japanese and Korean
My opinions about this topic are very diverse. First, I had agreed that English is becoming a global language, but then the idea of losing all the other languages came to my mind and it shocked me. The ancient societies, whom culture and tradition are full of richness, have always been in risk when we choose to stick to just one way on doing things. Do not forget that, for example, selknam people at patagonia wouldn’t have disappeared if foreign people had approached them with curiosity and respect about their culture, not imposing a language, a religion, and a way of living. On the other hand, I recognize that having a common language makes interactions and knowledge transference so much easier, so in resume if we`ll have english as a global language please don’t forget our ancestors, their traditions and history, because in diversity we can always find beauty.
I'm ethiopian ,and i can speak Amharic ,english,Chinese and now am learning French.
Few people know about a pragmatic, efficient way to learn a new language. Those who do, advance in learning steadily and according to their schedule. While most people find themselves learning a new language as a necessity, many others do it because it is fun. It feels more sophisticated to know more than one language. It can be highly beneficial in your life over the long run. However, it is not an easy task to learn a new language no matter whether it is for fun or out of necessity. You've probably seen friends or acquaintances talk about wanting to learn a foreign language, then enthusiastically purchasing products, books, and maybe even enrolling into a course or program, only to ultimately see the reality of the fact that they have failed in their pursuit of learning another language. According to The Guardian, the ICM survey, which questioned 1,001 young people aged 14-24 from across the UK in June this year, paints a picture of a generation perhaps surprisingly open to the prospect of language learning, but often deeply lacking in the confidence of their ability to put their language studies into practice. The research had indicated that A-level languages are perceived as being harder than other subjects and their content is demotivating. Sitting down with a language textbook and trying to teach yourself a new language is not only boring, it takes an inordinate amount of time. It can take months to capture the basics of a particular language. Fluency comes far later. Often, we don’t have the luxury of spending months learning a language. For example, those people who are migrating or taking up a job abroad.
However as an individual learner or with a tutor, the student can cut down the time it takes him/her to master the basics of a new language. There are methods that can be used to reduce the time it takes.
Main Essentials of Learning a New Language - They distinguish three main essentials associated with learning a new language; namely the vocabulary, basic sentence elements / patterns, and grammar rules. Vocabulary - the most basic step towards learning a new language is to learn its words. Familiarity with the words will lead you to form sentences. Sentence Patterns and Elements - this has to do with how you ask and answer questions. Making coherent sentences is the way to make someone understand what you are saying. The ability will also help you understand what others are saying and how you might respond. Grammar Rules - Each language has certain rules that need to be followed.
There is a special type of media developed for the first and second component - a bilingual graded book. Bilingual graded books are also called bilingual graded readers. They offer a parallel translation that allows the user to learn a new language in less time. With the translation on the same page, learners can effortlessly learn what any unfamiliar words mean. They can quickly pick up new vocabulary and phrases that are used over and over in texts of bilingual graded books. When they read a graded bilingual reader, they can pick up chunks of language and vocabulary that they can use in conversation and other real-world applications. It also significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to become conversational in a new language. As you read a bilingual reader, your brain begins to remember words and phrases simply because you are exposed to them several times. You don’t even realize, until you have to recall what you’ve learned, that you have already learned the new words and phrases. Listen to the audio tracks that should always accompany a bilingual graded book to learn how words are said and to improve your overall ability to speak the new language. A good idea is to use the free VLC media player to control the playing speed. You can control the playing speed by decreasing or increasing the speed value on the button of the VLC media player's interface.
Decide what is better for you a paper book or an e-book. Many of the e-readers by Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo have dictionaries pre-loaded on their devices, with options to download additional ones, for free. If you do not have an e-reader, you do not have to buy one, because you can download it as a free app to your phone and use it right away. Writing your own notes, searching or making highlights is ridiculously simple with an e-reader or e-reading app. Anything you do with an e-book is also synced to the cloud, ensuring any change will follow you, no matter what device you are on.
At first search on Google for "bilingual graded books" or "bilingual graded books for beginners". Choose and buy a book on a suitable topic, for example general, business, medical, culinary, dialogues, students, cooking, family, tourists, detective, short story or whatever you like. Read it for about twenty minutes a day. If you do it every day, you will be surprised how much you can learn in a month's time. Try to use the target language after you have learned for a month. If you don't have an opportunity to talk to native speakers at home or at work/study, use your target language in small talk on Skype or another online chat. Search on Google for "free online clean chat rooms" and pick up the one that suits your interests. Two or three minutes of small talk two or three times a week or more often will give you some motivation and encourage you to learn new questions and answers for new dialogues. Compile a list of questions and answers for your dialogues in a target language or find them on Google with keywords "Bilingual graded books dialogues" and try using them.
Don't be afraid of making errors. They are your steps to success. You will spot and correct them sooner or later anyway. They will not be for the rest of your life. Better not to talk at all than to talk incorrectly? Wrong! Start talking as much as you can! Your language will improve every time you talk. A learner who knows only a hundred words and isn't shy of talking will progress more quickly than the one who knows a thousand words but remains silent because he or she is afraid of saying something wrong.
It can usually take you from one to three months to finish a bilingual graded reader at beginner level (A1) and elementary level (A2). The amount of time depends on your previous experience with learning foreign languages and on your personal abilities. At this point you should be able to ask and answer simple questions with the following questioning words: What? Who? Where? When? Which? How many/much? As you improve and become more confident in your ability to use the new language, you can move on to the next reader level and continue your language-learning journey. After using a bilingual graded book for a week or two you are ready to study grammar rules, so buy a good grammar book. A grammar book will satisfy your curiosity about grammar rules awakened by the bilingual graded book. Read the grammar book to find out how you can use your target language more precisely. Follow this order - first read a reading book, then use a grammar book and exercises to make your learning experience uninterrupted.
Language text with a parallel translation has helped many to uncover their potential for learning multiple languages. Whether you are learning a language as a hobby or for a necessary purpose, you will find such books are supportive. Using them is by far more pragmatic, efficient way to learn a new language than a "learn a language in two weeks" program. However you should frequently use the target language by using bilingual graded books with audio tracks, grammar books, chats, internet pages and even songs to maintain your motivation and progress. Remember - twenty minutes a day does the magic!
I love how this guy speaks
I liked this video and I agree with Mr. McWhorter about English is the world’s universal language so it’s important to learn it.
I believe that speaking another language permit grow up, open your mind and know the world and the people whose live in their.
In my personal experiences learning english had been difficult, especially talking with another person, but I know that is not impossible, so I won't give up.