If you ask people whether they need a foreign language, most of them will answer in the negative. Many people get along just fine without knowledge foreign languages without feeling any need for it. They may say that everything that is most valuable from a literary point of view has already been translated into Russian, and everything else is not worth learning a second language for.

And such people are the overwhelming majority. But I believe that if you really want to find out whether or not it is worth learning a foreign language, you need to turn to those who know at least one language other than their native one. Why? Because it is strange to ask about the benefits and value of a foreign language from someone who does not know it and, accordingly, is not able to appreciate the advantages that a person gains thanks to such knowledge.

Another picture of the world

We are all familiar with the saying: “On French you can talk about love, in German about business, in Italian about passion, in English about business, and in Russian about anything.” Most likely, I quoted this statement here a little incorrectly, but you get the idea.

Each language has its own specifics - we know this from childhood, but not everyone can imagine how much a language can change your worldview. The fact is that every language reflects the entire history of the people speaking it. The structure of the language contains the way of thinking that is characteristic of a given people.

By learning another language, you are immersed in another world, you gain the opportunity to perceive this world from a different point of view. This does not happen immediately, but as your skills and knowledge of a foreign language improve, you begin to acquire a “stereo-perception” of the world around you.

Imagine, all your life you have been listening to audio recordings in mono mode, and suddenly they bring you an audio system with stereo sound. You will notice the difference immediately.

Why do we need a different picture of the world? We can take the best that another culture has and add it to our own culture. Our people, from my point of view, are characterized by a certain infantilism, an obsessive dependence on powerful of the world this. This manifests itself to varying degrees in everyone; perhaps you have gained complete independence and autonomy; I'm glad if that's the case.

Structure in English implies a somewhat greater concentration of thoughts. Greater emphasis is placed on the individual, just like the pronoun “I” (“I”), written anywhere in the sentence with a capital letter. The more often you use another language in communication, the more accustomed you become to a different way of forming thoughts. In fact, your success in learning a foreign language largely depends on how easily you can grasp the way thoughts are expressed in that language.

If you want to develop more business skills, develop the ability to make decisions and take responsibility, then knowing English will help you with this. Why are there so many successful people in the West? It's just their way of thinking. This is reflected even in religion. Our Orthodoxy and their Protestantism differ only in the interpretation of certain events. I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that all these religious wars caused by inaccurate translation of one thought into different languages. Having plunged a little into the art of translation, I learned how many mistakes are made in this area, how often incorrect translation the facts are simply distorted beyond recognition.

Do you want to see both sides of the coin, do you want to see the reasons for the disagreement in positions different countries and peoples, if you want to understand the thinking of people from another part of the planet, if you want to develop some of the traits of their behavior - study their language.

Closer to the body - practical advantages...

Enough theory, let's look at the immediate benefits that come from knowing a foreign language, based on my personal experience.

1. The Internet will become 11 times wider for you. The volume of the English-language Internet is 10 times larger than the volume of the Russian-language part. If we remember that the information age is upon us, and that information is everything, and also that business on the Internet is not tomorrow, but today, then the conclusion becomes obvious. Knowledge of one English language can already free you up in many previously inaccessible directions. Now you will no longer “stare” at lines you don’t understand on WEB pages, registering and signing up for something you don’t understand.

2. Knowing the language, you can watch films in the original. You will enjoy the natural voices of your favorite actors, and not the voice of a translator, who often voices both women and male roles. And the wonderful play on words of the English language and their humor will no longer escape your ear. One more remark needs to be made here; quite often in translations of foreign films such lapses occur that simply change the meaning of what the actor had in mind when he uttered his phrase. In films, sometimes Russian obscenities appear where there was none in the English version, or vice versa, everything is so softened by the censors that the film loses its flavor. I’m glad that there is no selective swearing in the films on the first television channel, but sometimes the director’s style still suffers greatly from censorship.

3. Music. What are they singing about? Do you like music? The question is rhetorical, everyone likes music. Today, all our charts are filled with foreign music, this is neither good nor bad, it’s just a fact. You can get the most out of this. First of all, it would be good to understand what they are singing about, so you can better feel the music, and at the same time also understand the singer as a person. What is your idol like and what does he sing about?

4. Uniting cultures and globalization. Distances are no longer a hindrance, as they were in the last century. Everyone travels and communicates. After talking with Germans, Americans, and Canadians, I came to the conclusion that they all wonderful people, just like you and me, different in some ways, similar in some ways. Wars between nations are started by politicians, but people themselves are far from being so aggressive towards each other. Those same Americans (many of us hate them) often have a negative attitude towards the policies of their president. They themselves are not happy with the fact that their country is constantly bombing someone there. Although, if your opinion towards the Americans is purely negative, then at least knowing the enemy’s language you will be able to study it better (oh, you shouldn’t have written that).

Perhaps now you have neither money nor time to travel, but I really hope that such an opportunity will arise for you - then the language would be very useful to you. It is much more pleasant to travel around the country knowing what its inhabitants are talking about, and it is simply more convenient.

5. Once again about thinking. Do you want to gain business acumen and become successful? If you read the best books about success (Napoleon Hill, Jay Abraham, Stephen Covey, Steve Pavlina, etc.), you will see that everything is far from just a thirst for money. Behind the external success of the West lies a deep internal philosophy and a special perception of the world. By reading the Russian translations of these books, you will be able to understand the essence of these teachings; by reading this in the original language, you will be able to absorb these teachings. Again, I repeat, a different language means a different way of thinking, and this, in turn, changes your whole life. Your life is not an objective world, it is how you perceive this world, which directly depends on your way of thinking.

6. The most pleasant thing from my point of view. When you learn a foreign language, you suddenly discover a large number of foreigners around you. I really love communicating with people. It’s very nice to communicate with someone who has come from far away, just the very knowledge that you have friends living all over the world makes this world more “homey” or something.

You can continue the list yourself...

There's no hurry.

The main obstacle on the path of those who decide to study a language arises even before they begin the study itself. This is a psychological barrier; a foreign language is very difficult, long and difficult. Most people do not need to learn a language in 2-3.5 months. It’s really difficult to set aside a lot of time to learn a language quickly, and you’ll have to put in a lot of effort. But if knowing a language is not a necessity for you, but just a pleasant addition, then you need to study it differently. A little bit, every day. Without rushing and without setting strict deadlines. Materials and courses are now a dime a dozen, you can easily choose a convenient way of learning for yourself. If you start learning a language, then after 1 or 2 years you will definitely know it.

Many will object: “Two years? This is such a long time, are you laughing? Should I kill two years to learn the language? Think about this. Two years will pass anyway, it is better to have a guarantee that in two years you will know the language than to spend all these two years thinking about how much time you would have to spend learning the language, and by the end of this period you will end up in the same place. By the way, this applies to the acquisition of any knowledge and skills. As one leader in the field of self-improvement says: “Devoting just one hour of your free time every day to studying any issue, you become an expert in this field in 2-3 years.” Acquiring new knowledge makes your life more rich and interesting, and not tedious and boring, as you might imagine. Treat it as fun.

In principle, these are all my arguments. If you want to perceive this world in “stereo”, as I do, then you can start today. Perhaps you will go further, and one foreign language will not be your limit. One of our classics said: “A person who does not know a single foreign language does not know his own.” Open your eyes and see this world in new colors.

Copyright © 2007 Balezin Dmitry

1. Alexandra
2. Othellenutoum
3. Florence
4. Bober
5. Masha
6. Den
7. Pomor
8. Irina
9. Alex
10. Nina Sergeevna
11. Victor
12. Slavik
13. Evgeniy Gusar
14. Natalia
15. Eduard Chagansky

Are good grades and the opportunity to read your favorite books in the original not enough motivation to learn a foreign language? Then read our article! We will tell you why to learn foreign languages, as well as how to learn English quickly and without problems.

People communicate with each other and convey their thoughts, emotions, moods, and they do it all with the help of words. Everyone wants others to understand them. When you know a foreign language, many communication opportunities open up. You can learn a lot about different traditions and cultures, you can get acquainted with different people- now it’s very easy, the Internet provides unlimited opportunities for dating.

This is especially interesting for young people: boys and girls from different countries want to communicate and tell each other about their lives. Let's imagine a situation: you receive a message on a social network from a nice guy, he writes to you: “kedvellek”. And you have no idea what he told you, and what to do next, what if he called you ugly or confessed his love?!... And translated from Hungarian this means “I like you.”

Why learn foreign languages

In our time of globalization, know a foreign language vital. The situation described above is just one example where this knowledge can come in handy. Let's look at examples where you still need to know a foreign language:

Wage depends on the knowledge and skills that you offer to the employer. Even if your work is not directly related to communication with foreign customers, then by indicating your knowledge of English in your resume, you increase your chances of getting hired.

How to learn English quickly

There is no doubt that you need to learn English, it has become so firmly established in our lives that its knowledge will be useful to you with one hundred percent probability.

English is the language of international communication, in which all conferences, lectures, congresses, congresses and seminars are held. All signs at stations, at the airport and train stations are duplicated in English. It is spoken by about 1.5 billion people and it’s time for you to join their number.

But, alas, the principle “once you learn it, you’ll never forget it” only works with cycling and similar skills. To speak English well requires constant practice. As soon as you stop using it, the language will immediately begin to be forgotten. Therefore, it is better not to limit yourself to English lessons at school, but continue learning on your own:

• Exercise regularly. Ideally, you should exercise every day for at least 30 minutes. But if such a schedule does not suit you, study every other day for an hour.
• Find a pen pal on the Internet - any foreigner will be happy to explain something to you or tell you how a certain phrase sounds correctly. And you would explain to a foreigner what it means “you didn’t get around to doing something.” Live communication is very good for language learning!
• Don't try to embrace the immensity. It is very important to learn a language step by step, without trying to work on several materials at the same time. You don’t look into a textbook on higher mathematics without going through simple themes? It’s the same in language: you need to start simple.
• Learn new words every day. About how best to do this.
• Apply the acquired knowledge in practice. Have you learned a new tense or new words? Immediately put your acquired knowledge into practice. Do some exercises, compose a text and read it aloud.
• Listen to native speakers more. Have you learned it, but are you still afraid of making mistakes? Make yourself a cheat sheet from the first words of each line - they will remind you of what happens next.
• Review the material you have covered. Start each lesson by reviewing the material covered. It's never superfluous.

Other useful methods, how to learn a foreign language on your own, .

What other languages ​​should you pay attention to?

So, we agreed on learning English. But maybe you want to learn a second or even a third foreign language? How to choose it?

But, in addition, in this matter you can be guided the following principles:

• With sympathy. If we need to learn English regardless of our preferences, then a second foreign language can be chosen solely out of love.
• Future work. If you have already decided on future specialty, think about what foreign language might be useful to you. For example, if you want to be good at opera, knowing Italian will definitely help you.
• By chance. For example, if your aunt is a French teacher, it would be a shame not to take advantage of such a great opportunity.

Knowledge of foreign languages ​​will open up opportunities for you new world, and will also significantly expand your horizons. For example, did you know that in every language there are words that cannot be translated into another language with one equivalent word?

We learn foreign languages ​​to succeed in our careers, to move to another country, or simply because we like the language and the culture of its speakers. Meanwhile, learning languages ​​has enormous benefits for our psyche and brain development. It is curious that from this point of view, it is better to speak several languages ​​imperfectly than to learn one foreign language thoroughly.

1. Learning languages ​​makes your brain grow bigger.

When you learn foreign languages, your brain grows, literally. More precisely, its individual areas are growing - the hippocampus and some areas of the cerebral cortex.

Researchers who published results of studying the brains of professional translators noted an increase in gray matter volume in those who engaged in in-depth language learning for at least three months. Moreover, the more effort a particular study participant made, the more noticeable was the increase in gray matter volume.

2. Foreign languages ​​save you from Alzheimer's syndrome

Bilinguals (speakers of two or more languages) benefit from an average of five years of reprieve from Alzheimer's dementia. This surprising result was arrived at by a team of neuropsychologists who compared the course of the disease in people who had mastered foreign languages ​​and, conversely, in those who did not speak them.

Of the 211 study participants, 102 patients spoke at least two languages, and the remaining 109 did not bother to learn any language other than their native one. Having studied the course of the disease in representatives of these two categories, scientists came to the conclusion that in the first category the first signs of the syndrome were diagnosed on average 4.3 years later, and the state of dementia to which its development led was 5.1 years later than in the second category.

Those who speak multiple languages ​​adapt more quickly and easily to unexpected changes in circumstances

Previously, doctors expressed the opinion that increased brain development slows down the development of Alzheimer's syndrome. We are not necessarily talking about learning languages, math classes, regular solving of complex puzzles, logic games. The mentioned study was one of the first confirmations of this hypothesis. Note that the preventive effect that learning languages ​​has is much stronger than any medicinal methods therapy for this disease.

3. Bilinguals have better musical abilities.

Learning a foreign language forces the brain to discover an abundance of sounds that it previously did not bother to isolate and differentiate. A European learning Chinese is surprised to discover that what he thought was the sound “s” is actually three completely different sounds. A Chinese learner of Russian discovers that in terms of the richness of intonation changes within sentences, this language can give odds to the tonal diversity of the Chinese syllable.

A person who masters a foreign language learns to recognize sounds much better - and subsequently makes more noticeable progress in mastering musical instruments. However, you shouldn’t thank your ears for improving your musical abilities - the main job of recognizing sounds is done by the brain, not the hearing organs.

4. Language experts excel at multitasking

Those who speak several languages ​​are able to more easily switch between tasks and simultaneously solve several problems in their minds. different problems. In addition, they adapt more quickly and easily to unexpected changes in circumstances.

The authors of the study, who established this fact, conducted two experiments. In the first, bilinguals and people who know only their native language were offered a series of tests, the results of which revealed that bilinguals are better at simultaneous performance of several tasks and the transition from tasks of one type to tasks of a completely different, new one.

The second experiment was more complicated: in it, tests were offered to monolinguals and bilinguals of different age groups. The result that young people solved better was quite expected. logic problems than people 45-50 years old and older. However, among bilinguals, the difference between young, mature and elderly was not so pronounced: as it turned out, bilinguals with age better retain the ability to simultaneously solve complex problems. True, in order to achieve such abilities, it is advisable to learn languages ​​from childhood, researchers note.

5. Languages ​​improve memory

Children who grow up in a multilingual environment are much different better memory than those who have heard only their native speech since childhood. Moreover, as the researchers found, this usually means that they are better at mental math, reading and other similar skills.

Bilinguals grasp on the fly the essence of interaction between people in the new team they have just joined

Bilingual children also better remember the sequence of any objects and events - which allows them, for example, to navigate unfamiliar terrain much more confidently, and also to more firmly hold in their heads the list of things that need to be done. The difference appears already at 5-7 years of age, and apparently persists for life.

6. Bilinguals have better concentration abilities.

Society often portrays foreign language experts as some kind of absent-minded “nerds,” but this stereotype seems to be far from the truth. On the contrary, it is bilinguals who are distinguished by stronger attention both to the main essence of any important phenomenon and to its details. For example, they grasp on the fly the essence of interaction between people in a new team they have just joined.

Another stereotype - people who learn several languages ​​know their native language less well - is partly true: it turns out that their native language vocabulary, on average, is actually narrower than that of those who do not know any other speech other than their native one. At least if we're talking about about people without higher education who have learned a foreign language simply due to their multicultural environment. However, bilinguals in any case have a more developed understanding of the logic of their native language - in particular, grammar and methods of word formation.

Knowledge of foreign languages ​​is the key to success in modern world, where communication in foreign languages ​​and processing of huge volumes of information acquires everything higher value. Interest in learning languages ​​is traditionally great, therefore, to paraphrase a well-known expression, we can say that those who speak languages ​​control the world.

IN general person A person who speaks languages ​​is a well-rounded person, has better abilities to learn new things, is freer and more confident in communicating with people.

More recently, scientists from the University of London, through a large statistical and scientific study, came to the conclusion that people who learn foreign languages ​​have more flexible and original thinking. This conclusion is based on the fact that scientists have scientifically confirmed a direct connection between gray matter activity and knowledge of several languages.

An old saying goes: “The number of languages ​​you know, the more you are human.” That is, the more you know today, the better. After all, every language is a key that opens the door to something unique and new.

For example, English is the official language of international business and trade, the Internet and technology, science and the arts. It occupies 80% of the business language space. Each of us increasingly encounters it in communication with partners at work and on vacation. English is used when filling out questionnaires, writing resumes, and in business and private correspondence.

Speaking English is no longer an amazing habit, but a necessity. Now it is taught in kindergartens, schools, universities, not to mention numerous courses and trainings. And in some countries, even mathematics and some other school subjects are taught in English.

German is the language of technology and finance. Over the past five years, demand for it has grown significantly, many German partners and investors have appeared. Goods from Germany are intensively imported, for example, plumbing fixtures, furniture, electronics, cars. This means we need people who can communicate with these importers. Knowledge of the German language is also welcome in the representative offices of German banks.

To learn German in an accelerated manner and for a short time To acquire a large amount of knowledge, our German Language School “Meine Kurse” offers an intensive German language course. This module allows you to learn one course in one to two months, and in order to entry level A1 to rise to intermediate B1 and effectively learn German, it takes three to six months, depending on the number of study days chosen. This pace of daily classes guarantees the rapid assimilation of new material and the consolidation of new topics.

At the same time, it is difficult to say what role it plays in the world Italian business. It has become fashionable to wear clothes and shoes from Italian designers, swim in Italian Jacuzzis and dine at a table made in Italy. Thanks to those who were able to find a common language with foreign partners, Italian culture penetrated our country for a long time.

It is also obvious that the relevance of the Japanese and Chinese languages ​​is rapidly gaining momentum. Many eastern companies open branches in other countries and are looking for specialists with good command of the language. But finding such people is not yet easy. Besides the fact that learning Japanese (as well as Chinese) is an incredibly complex and time-consuming process, it is useless to do it without perfect pitch and good visual memory.

It is worth mentioning the French language. It is unlikely that you will need it unless you work for a French company. But if there is an opportunity to use it, French will help you easily gain the sympathy and eternal friendship of the French.

Polish, Bulgarian and Scandinavian languages ​​have slightly fewer fans, but the work of a translator is always waiting for such people.

The Arabic language is also not particularly relevant, especially for women, because Arabs often prefer to hire men. Girls who speak Arabic are more willing to be hired as teachers or private tutors, which is also quite good. In Turkey, there is no such discrimination at all; speaking Turkish gives excellent income in trading companies and, especially, in travel agencies.

Along with the increasing role of foreign languages, the number of people wishing to master the profession of translator is also increasing. But learning a foreign language is not easy; it requires a serious incentive. Why do they want to become professionals in the field of translation from foreign languages? Do they get any benefit from this knowledge in Everyday life? What motivates them to learn foreign languages? Do they plan to work in the specialty they have acquired, or do they simply need this knowledge for life? And most importantly, what does this knowledge mean for them: is it a sign of prestige, a necessity of the present?

The answer to these questions is given by a survey conducted among students of different courses at Sumsky state university specialty "Translation". According to this survey, 15% of respondents chose the profession of translator because it is prestigious. 10% of respondents decided to become translators, since knowledge of foreign languages ​​is necessary today. And 75% of respondents have the ability to study foreign languages ​​and they like this profession, which influenced their choice.

As for the confidence that after receiving their education they will actually work as translators, only 45% of respondents are confident, the remaining 55% are not confident.

It is striking that 100% of respondents believe that even if they do not work as translators in the future, knowledge of foreign languages ​​will still be useful to them in life.

95% enjoy the opportunity to read books and watch films in the original, and only 5% are not attracted to such activities.

It is quite interesting that 100% of respondents believe that knowledge of foreign languages ​​gives them a better chance of getting a well-paid, prestigious job.

95% benefit from knowing foreign languages ​​in everyday life, namely: the ability to communicate with foreigners, the ability to understand the content of foreign songs, viewing and reading books in the original, the possibility of additional income, the ability to understand medical instructions and techniques that are written in a foreign language , facilitated use of the Internet.

So, we clearly see that nowadays there are more and more people who want to know foreign languages. They understand the importance of studying them. They do not consider this desire just a tribute to fashion, but think about the advantages that knowledge of foreign languages ​​gives to any cultured person.

Studying any foreign language opens up new possibilities for us and makes our spiritual world richer. Possessing a foreign language, a person automatically moves to a higher social level, since he becomes a competitive applicant for a highly paid position. After all, as you know, prestigious organizations, as a rule, are either themselves representatives of foreign companies or conduct active partnerships with them. And there you cannot do without knowledge of a foreign language! Foreign languages ​​improve the quality of our lives in all areas.

That the study of foreign languages ​​is a “threat to traditions”, and criticized the idea of ​​the Ministry of Education to introduce compulsory Unified State Exam in a foreign language and add a second language to school curriculum. The Duma supported her position. T&P contacted 6 experts from the fields of neuroscience, psycholinguistics, translation and social psychology to find out why learning foreign languages ​​is useful and how its absence can result.

“Several languages ​​provide several pictures of the world”

Ludwig Wittgenstein also wrote that “man’s world is only as much as his language.” Language greatly determines how we look at the world and how we perceive it. According to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (linguistic relativity hypothesis), which is actively discussed in science today, language influences our thinking and the process of cognition. Therefore, when a person knows more than one language, he has several pictures of the world. It's no longer comparable Rich life. You need to study foreign languages ​​not because it is useful for travel - now you can get by with English - but because, by penetrating another language, you penetrate into other worlds. Why do people learn Latin, ancient Greek, Sumerian? After all, these Sumerians, ancient Greeks and Latins are long gone. And yet, you can imagine what kind of world they lived in by studying their languages. Language proficiency is not a matter of technical well-being, when in China you can go to a store and say Right words. It's not about that, it's about expanding your world.

Any learning changes the brain. And when the brain learns, the number and quality of neural connections in it increases, and the efficiency of gray and white matter increases. Therefore, no matter what this brain is doing, whether it solves simple crossword puzzles, or to a specific person seems like a difficult task, or proves complex theorems that are suitable for completely different people as mental work, this improves the brain. This is true at any age, since the neural network develops every second. The brain is always changing, even at 90 years old. Learning foreign languages ​​in this sense is extremely effective due to code switching. When you switch from one language to another, it is a very difficult job for the brain. And difficult means good.

Of course, the younger the brain, the more plastic it is, that is, the more capable of learning and change - therefore, the more formerly man whatever he begins to study, the more useful it is. This is three times true for foreign languages. This does not mean that this is not worth doing or cannot be done as an adult - it’s just that such activities are much more effective in childhood.

Canadian scientists conducted experiments showing that people who know more than one language delay memory loss by several years due to the development of neural connections. When a person speaks several languages, his neural network works more intensively. In this case, the brain will be better preserved. This postpones the theoretically possible decrease in intellectual abilities, including memory loss.

Tatiana Chernigovskaya

Neurolinguist, Doctor of Philology, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of St. Petersburg State University

“Abandonment of languages ​​will return Russia to a state of savagery”

Knowledge of a foreign language affects the breadth of thinking. In addition, people who study it are much more sensitive to their native Russian language, and, accordingly, to literature. After all, a language is often learned not only for practical purposes, but also in order to read works of art or non-fiction. From foreign languages ​​come concepts that cannot be translated and that do not exist in our reality, so studying them significantly broadens our horizons. It also, of course, has a positive effect on mental abilities. Languages ​​are necessary for those involved in science, since many materials are no longer translated, and never were fully translated.

Of course, there are people who are not very capable of foreign languages, but there are no completely incapable people. Ignorance of the language limits knowledge in general - social, scientific, and everything else. It makes a person more limited. Over the past 20 years in Russia, people have begun to learn more of the language and have become involved in a wider range of information. You definitely get a lot more information about life if you know languages.

We all exist in the same world, and a foreign language introduces us to other civilizations. These acquaintances do not occur by someone else's choice: a person begins to freely navigate what he wants to know. Translations cannot cover everything, so some things need to be known in the original. Or, say, a person who studies literature will be able to compare what he read in a foreign language with what he read in Russian. This expands his range of knowledge. And this will be the case in any area. Neither in physics, nor in computer science, nor anywhere else, everything can be learned only through translations.

Of course, with a certain amount of effort, any text can be translated. But in the world there are many concepts that we do not have and come to Russian first in the form of barbarisms, and later become part of it and, as a result, expand it. You can take any scientific dictionary, and you will see how many words we simply borrowed. It seems to us that the word “influence” has always been in Russian, but in fact it was invented by Nikolai Karamzin, and it is a copy of the French “influence”. If you stop for a second, you will see how many foreign words exist within Russian. For example, the word "computer". At first, such machines were called “computing and solving devices,” but then their designation in English simply stopped being translated. When you say “computer” instead of “computing device”, you waste less of your life on unnecessary actions. Everything can be translated, but concepts from some languages ​​constantly enter into others - first as alien bodies, and then, if this necessary thing, eat into it in a normal form.

The Russian language has absorbed a colossal number of Tatar, Turkic, Latin and Greek words. Usually we don't even suspect that some element of the language is actually a Greek loanword, but in Greece, as soon as you can read the letters, you immediately begin to understand the signs. Russian drags words from everywhere. Celtic, Saxon, French, a lot of Danish and even, probably, Dutch - especially if we start talking about the sailing fleet. Under Peter I, we stole many concepts related to shipbuilding from the Dutch. We simply no longer notice that these are words of foreign origin. “Atom”, “Jesus Christ”, “patriarch” - all these are also foreign words. If no one knew Greek or English, we simply would not have these concepts, and we would again turn into barbarians.

Stopping teaching foreign languages ​​means stopping the development of Russian. The Russian language is the main field of all intellectual activity in Russia. If we artificially limit it, cut it off from the world with an iron curtain, we will have a mentally retarded country. Refusal of foreign languages ​​will return Russia to a state of savagery.

Victor Golyshev

Translator of Anglo-American literature, author of classic translations of many works

“The poverty of language is associated with insufficiency mental development»

Today, there are many studies in which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has made it possible to see how the volume of speech-related brain formations increases during second language learning, even in adults. This suggests that the brain, in principle, has the resources to master several languages. There are studies that have shown significant development of cognitive (cognitive) skills in people who speak two or more languages. This is not surprising, because concepts are formed on the basis of language, and thinking is nothing more than operations with concepts.

It has long been noted that poor language correlates with lack of mental development. This is primarily due to the fact that, as the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein put it, “the limits of our knowledge are determined by the limits of our language.” Learning languages ​​is one of the most intellectual activities of the brain. After all, this is not just mechanical memorization of new words, but also the integration of these words into a unified system of concepts. Like any training, language learning supports high level brain functionality.

Second, third, etc. languages ​​clearly make the picture of the mental world more saturated, richer in descriptions of how things and phenomena are interconnected. Thus, each item receives more “clues” for memorization and subsequent retrieval from memory. Memory becomes stronger, more capacious and more associative. The last quality is especially important, since it is associations that are the basis of creativity.

Alexander Kaplan

Doctor of Biological Sciences, psychophysiologist, head
laboratories
neurophysiology and neural interfaces MSU

"Languages ​​influence thought processes, memory and personality"

Learning a foreign language, like any other experience, does not pass without leaving a mark on our consciousness and brain function. Any information entering the brain from the outside at any moment of its activity modifies neural connections. The consciousness of a person who speaks two or more languages ​​will never be equivalent to the consciousness of a monolingual - a person who speaks only one language. Experiments such as those described in the work of Judith Kroll indicate that bilinguals automatically activate both languages ​​in their mental lexicon, even when the language situation unfolds in only one language. For example, when a person speaking English hears the word "marker", he, in addition to English word also activates the Russian “mark” (Marian & Spivey, 2003). To avoid confusion in languages, bilinguals must constantly juggle words and concepts, while suppressing information that is irrelevant to the current speech situation. Some scientists believe that this mechanism helps bilinguals develop executive functions and exhibit greater cognitive flexibility compared to monolinguals.

The idea of ​​“bilingual cognitive superiority” first emerged in the mid-1980s and has since been developed largely under the leadership of University of Toronto psychologist Ellen Bialystok. Over the past 30 years, scientists have conducted many studies and found that bilingual children and adults cope faster and better with tasks that require switching attention, solving cognitively conflict situations, choice between relevant and irrelevant information. Bilingualism also affects the preservation and maintenance of cognitive functions in old age. For example, in one 2010 study, researchers examined data from 200 patients with Alzheimer's disease and found that those who spoke multiple languages ​​experienced symptoms 5.1 years later.

Of course, the concept of a cognitive advantage for bilinguals should be treated with skepticism for now - after all, a large amount of data remains outside of scientific journals, and we still do not know much about how several languages ​​“get along” in the human head, and what mechanisms are responsible for this. But the value of such linguistic knowledge is certainly very great, since languages ​​constantly interact with each other within the framework of the human cognitive system, influence thought processes and memory, and leave an imprint on personal characteristics, not to mention the sociocultural component.

Anna Lukyanchenko

Employee of the research and educational laboratory of neurolinguistics, National Research University Higher School of Economics, PhD (University of Maryland, USA)

“Without a foreign language a person has no hands”

A society in which the study of a foreign language is limited or prohibited will become one-sided and dull. Languages ​​enrich each other, and without interaction with other systems, Russian will not develop. After all, in other languages ​​there are concepts and descriptions of phenomena that simply do not exist in our reality. Without such concepts, without these names, we will not be able to learn anything about unfamiliar or new phenomena. The cultural environment will also be cut off, so our worldview will suffer greatly.

A person who is unable to express himself in anything other than his native language is simply left without hands in communication. When he leaves somewhere, he immediately finds himself completely dependent on other people and feels helpless. He needs guides to take him everywhere; he cannot live on his own. Such a person can only find a place for himself in his native country, and as soon as he is removed from there, he will immediately face a huge number of problems.

A person who is exposed to only one culture may become less tolerant and more suspicious and very narrow-minded. In the modern world, of course, this is rare: to be so within one environment, you need to be born into a closed tribe in the Amazon. Most of the world's population has access to books, television and often even the Internet, so we are constantly exposed to other cultures. But the question of how much we are able to understand them and are ready to accept them is directly related to the study of languages. Prohibitions in this area hinder the development of culture primarily in the country where they begin to operate.

Lilia Brainis

Social psychologist

“A person who is forcibly limited to his native language and native culture will be deprived of the opportunity to understand the world»

Everything Scientific research linguists and psychologists clearly indicate that the more languages ​​a person knows, the higher his intellectual level and better ability to adapt to the outside world and all cognitive abilities. No one has ever observed the opposite. Conversations that learning foreign languages ​​can be harmful have no scientific basis. It is clear why such conversations arise: the authors of such ideas do not like the values ​​that stand behind the languages ​​being studied. But the struggle with values ​​is one thing, and the struggle with learning languages ​​is quite another. This is the wrong way.

A person who is forcibly limited to his native language and native culture will be deprived of the opportunity to understand the world around him, since language is the key to the perception of a foreign culture. It's like forcing someone to look at black and white photographs instead of color ones. The world is diverse, and this is reflected in how different languages ​​are. A person can be deprived of this diversity if the path to their study is blocked.

According to the general opinion of all researchers, the earlier we start learning a language, the easier and with less stress it is acquired. During childhood, a person has mechanisms in his head that allow him to master his native language. After six to seven years, these mechanisms fade away. In an adult they are practically absent. Therefore, when a child begins to learn a foreign language, he does it playfully: the lessons are quite easy for him, and there are special techniques that help children with this. If we miss this deadline, it will be difficult to start as an adult.

It’s not that foreign languages ​​are taught so well in our schools—that’s out of the question. Why teach them even worse? Among Irina Yarovaya’s statements was a rhetorical question: “Which country will we raise citizens of?” This question is very easy to answer. By teaching children foreign languages, we will raise citizens of a modern, strong, competitive country.

Russian, like any major language, has interacted a lot with other languages ​​in its history. From the time of the very first literary monuments and the very first stages of its formation, we see traces of extremely diverse influences. For example, we observe very early Germanic influence - the so-called Gothic borrowings. The simplest, primordial Russian words: “izba”, “bread”, “glass”, “letter” - these are very early Germanisms that entered the Russian language in pre-literate times. There are also a number of Scandinavian borrowings. Greek greatly influenced Russian, which was associated with the adoption of Christianity, but Greek vocabulary turned out to be not only ecclesiastical, but also everyday. For example, “notebook”, “beets” or “sail” are all ancient Greek words. Then a powerful stream of Turkisms poured into Russian, although their influence should not be overestimated. Many important areas were affected by them: in particular, the administrative and financial sphere. For example, words such as “money”, “customs”, “label”, “treasury” are Turkisms. There is also a lot of everyday vocabulary: “caftan”, “bashlyk” and others. Then came the era of Peter the Great, and with it came a huge flow of elements from Western European languages. At first these were Dutch words, then German and French, and a little later English. The Age of Enlightenment also brought us many German and French words: “role”, “boulevard”, “royal”, “bridgehead”, “scar” and hundreds of others.

We are accustomed to these words and often do not even realize that they are borrowings. I’m not talking about words like “izba,” which are many hundreds of years old, but who would suspect a foreign word in the less ancient Turkism “hearth” or in the more recent “scar”? This is an absolutely natural process, the language is enriched through borrowings and improves its ability to reflect the world around us. From this point of view, there are no problems here - only people with deep complexes can have problems.

Borrowing is not a threat to traditions. It's quite strange to talk about language in these terms. Threats to language are quite different, if they come across it at all, and they lie far to the side. There is no need to be afraid of borrowings, and there is no point in fighting them. Language is a natural phenomenon that is difficult to control and manage. We can’t cancel, say, the dative case, can we? In the same way, it would be very difficult to ban a certain word and introduce another in its place. Similar attempts have been made in the past, but their effect was negligible.

People who call learning foreign languages ​​a threat to tradition are likely to fear the values ​​associated with the culture that expresses itself through those languages. This is a substitution of concepts. A person himself is able to figure out whether these values ​​suit him or not. Why decide for him? Learning a foreign language in itself does not change our consciousness as much as the authors of such initiatives think. A person simply has a choice. He can judge everything himself, having access to texts and other people. Study in itself only develops the intellect, just as physical exercise develop muscles and improve health. Depriving a person of access to learning a foreign language, especially in childhood, is the same as depriving him of movement or color vision. This is a stupid forced impoverishment of spiritual development, not motivated by anything. It will be very sad if these ideas triumph.

Vladimir Plungyan

Linguist, specialist in the field of typology and grammatical theory, author of the book “Why languages ​​are so different”